Walks in The Peak District and Derby Dales Pt6 – Dovedale Loop – 6.2 miles

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A great walk taking in the iconic Dovedale Stepping Stones, Lover’s Leap and the Dove Hole caves.

There are two places to park to start the walk, one is the Narlow’s Lane car park, opposite the Spotted Dog pub just off Spend Lane, in Thorpe. The other is the Thorpe Station carpark, just down the road on the Tissington Trail. They are both free, and the carpark at Thorpe Station is a good place to park for access to the Tissington Trial.

Turn right out of Narlow’s lane car park. Take the road opposite and keeping the Spotted Dog pub on your left walk down the hill towards the village of Thorpe. Carry on for about a quarter of a mile and you will see the hotel The Peveril of the Peak on the right hand side of the road, enter the drive way and immediately on the right hand side, go through a squeeze stile signposted as a footpath, this is part of the Limestone Way.

Cross the field and over a stile, a National Trust sign indicates you are entering Thorpe Pastures. There is a signpost for Dovedale and Tissington here. Turn left here to follow the public footpath towards Dovedale. There is a firing range on the right of you with warning signs.

Keep the hotel on your left hand side and follow the path until you get to the end of a stone wall, turn right here and keeping Thorpe Cloud (The big pointy hill) on your left, cross the pasture. Head down the hill to a corner of a fence line, and you can either go over the fence here, or go the right of it and follow the path all the way to the river Dove. You will see the famous Dovedale stepping stones to the left as you approach.

Take a right here, and follow the path that is alongside the river on your left, there is a signpost for Milldale 2½ miles.

Keep on the path for about half a mile, and you reach some steps that lead up to “Lovers Leap”, there are places to sit here. After leaving here, you descend some more steps back down to the river level.

You keep going on the path and pass Tissington Spires on your right, llam Rock on your left and eventually the double caves of Dove Holes. Before you get to the Dove Holes you come to a footbridge between two pinnacles of rock but do not cross it.

Shortly after you pass the Dove Holes turn right to follow the public footpath sign for Alsop-en-le-Dale 1¾ miles. This is quite a steep path, and in the summer can be quite overgrown with nettles, so come prepared. It climbs up through some woods and exits via a walkers’ gate. Keep straight ahead to a three-way signpost in front of you. There is a defined farm track here, go along it in the direction of Tissington.

As the farm track swings right, leave it and continue straight ahead, to the corner of the walls just to the right of the copse of trees, there was a signpost here for Tissington. Follow the path keeping the farm wall on your right, cross over a wall and turn immediately left following the path. Stay on the path until you get the track that leads to the farm that you can see on your right hand side.

Go through the farm yard, and keep an eye out for a stile on your left hand side. Go over the stile and head across the field, keeping straight ahead, you will see another stile, cross over this and keeping the farm wall on your left hand side carry on until you reach Gag Lane. Take a right onto the road, and stay on it for about 2 miles until it returns to the Spotted Dog pub and the car park where you started.

There are plenty of footpaths that lead off the road, if you want to extend the walk, look for the footpath signposted to Tissington. You can pick up the Tissington Trail from here, that leads back to Thorpe station car park.

If you would like somewhere to stay in the area, we have a lovely cottage that is available for holidays and short breaks throughout the year. Aldergrove Cottage

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