Peak District: Mam Tor, Ladybower and Chatsworth
A spa town, the ‘shivering mountain’, caves at Castleton, drowned villages and the grandest house in Derbyshire.
- Distance
- 77 km (48 mi)
- Driving
- 1 h 04 min
- Suggested days
- 3
- Stops
- 7
- Countries
- United Kingdom
- Updated
- July 6, 2026
At a glance: 3-day road trip of about 77 km (48 mi) with 7 stops, from Buxton to Dovedale. About 1 h 04 min of driving in total.
Route description
Buxton is a spa town with a restored Georgian crescent and an opera house, at the western edge of the national park. Drive east through limestone country to the Mam Nick car park and walk up Mam Tor for a view over the Hope Valley and the gritstone ridges of the Dark Peak.
Below Mam Tor the road drops through Winnats Pass, a steep limestone gorge with gradients around 20%; large motorhomes should approach Castleton via the A6187 from Hathersage instead. Castleton has four show caves and the ruins of Peveril Castle above the village.
Continue to Ladybower Reservoir and follow the side road up the Upper Derwent valley to the dams, one of them used for Dambusters practice. Then head south through Hathersage and Grindleford to Chatsworth, where the park is free to walk along the river Derwent.
Bakewell is a busy market town known for its pudding, with a medieval bridge over the Wye. End the trip at Dovedale, where stepping stones cross the river below Thorpe Cloud. There are good campsites around the national park; avoid bank holiday weekends when the car parks overflow.
Stop-by-stop itinerary
In driving order. Distances are estimates between consecutive stops.
- 1Start
Buxton
United Kingdom - 215 km
Mam Tor
ViewsCastleton, United KingdomThe ‘shivering mountain’, a 517 m hill whose landslips swallowed a main road. A paved path climbs from the Mam Nick car park to the summit in about 20 minutes.
- 33 km
Castleton
United Kingdom - 48 km
Ladybower Reservoir
NatureBamford, United KingdomA long reservoir in the Upper Derwent valley, built over two drowned villages, with two huge bellmouth overflows beside the dam. Further up the valley the Derwent Dam was used for Dambusters practice.
- 522 km
Chatsworth
HistoryEdensor, United KingdomThe grand house of the Dukes of Devonshire in a landscaped park on the river Derwent. The park is open to walk even if you skip the house and gardens.
- 66 km
Bakewell
United Kingdom - 723 km
Dovedale
NatureThorpe, United KingdomA narrow limestone dale where stepping stones cross the river Dove below Thorpe Cloud. It is a short walk from the car park and very busy on sunny weekends.
