Limestone plateaus, dry valleys, and wide views across Derbyshire’s White Peak
The Limestone Way runs south from Castleton to Rocester, tracing a line across the limestone heart of Derbyshire before easing into the gentler countryside of Staffordshire. For those exploring the Peak District through self-guided travel, the route links villages, valleys, and open farmland into a continuous walking journey shaped by geology as much as by settlement.
The early miles leave the Hope Valley and climb onto the pale limestone uplands above Castleton, where caves, gorges, and steep-sided dales cut into the plateau. From here the path moves through quiet pasture and small farming communities, following field paths and lanes between dry valleys and broad, open views.
Much of the route passes through the White Peak landscape of Peak District National Park, where stone walls divide the fields and rivers disappear underground before re-emerging in wooded dales. Places such as Millers Dale, Youlgreave, and Bonsall sit naturally along the way, their church towers and cottages marking gradual progress rather than fixed stages.
Further south the terrain softens. The high limestone plateau gives way to rolling farmland and river meadows as the trail approaches the Staffordshire border. Tracks grow quieter and the countryside more enclosed, leading towards Rocester and the valley of the River Dove.
Although modest in distance compared with some long-distance trails, the Limestone Way feels defined by continuity rather than challenge. It is a route best walked at an unhurried pace, where the character of the land — stone, grass, and open sky — becomes the focus of the journey.
Trail Overview
Distance
Approximately 46 miles / 75 km
Typical time on foot
3–5 days
Start
Castleton
Finish
Rocester
Terrain
Limestone dales, dry valleys, farmland paths, quiet lanes, upland plateau, and river valleys
