4-day Limestone Way itinerary

Four days is how most people walk the Limestone Way, and it makes a good first long walk. The first two days cross the White Peak's limestone: Cave Dale, the dry dales, old lead villages and the gritstone of Robin Hood's Stride. The third rolls through quarry country to Tissington, and the last crosses the Dove into the Staffordshire fields.

Read the Limestone Way guide for the whole trail.

Will this 4-day split work for you?

First long walk. Four days is the usual Limestone Way.
One long day. The first, over the moor to Monyash.
Book first: Thorpe and Bonsall, with few rooms for one night.

Fitness & effort

With the walks to and from the beds, days run from 10.2 mi (16.4 km) to 13.8 mi (22.2 km). Nothing is high or exposed, but Cave Dale is rough underfoot, the steps at One Ash are steep, and there are stiles all the way. Lanes and dales turn muddy in winter. If you can walk 14 miles with a pack and do it again the next day, you can walk this.

The 4-day route on the map

Coloured days match the stage list below.

Toward Rocester

Castleton to Rocester in 4 days

Castleton to Rocester, the way the trail is waymarked: limestone dales first, Staffordshire fields last.

4-day stages, Castleton to Rocester
Day	Stage	Distance	Overnight / destination
Day 1 Longest	Castleton → Monyash	13.9 mi (22.4 km)	Sheldon House B&B (opens in a new tab)
Day 2	Monyash → Bonsall	11.7 mi (18.9 km)	Fountain Tea Rooms (opens in a new tab)
Day 3	Bonsall → Thorpe	11.7 mi (18.8 km)	The Old Dog (opens in a new tab)
Day 4	Thorpe → Rocester	9.2 mi (14.8 km)	Limestone Way Finish

Day 1 Longest

Castleton to Monyash

6–7 h 13.9 mi (22.4 km) ↑ 590 m (1,950 ft) ↓ 520 m (1,700 ft)

The longest day of the four, and the hardest for food. Cave Dale's rocky floor climbs under Peveril Castle to the highest ground of the walk. Grassy dales drop to Miller's Dale, where the station café and a pub are the only food, so carry lunch in case both are shut. Long Lane then pulls steadily up to quiet lanes that run flat to Monyash.

Example stay Sheldon House B&B (opens in a new tab)
Day 2

Monyash to Bonsall

5–6 h 11.7 mi (18.9 km) ↑ 470 m (1,550 ft) ↓ 470 m (1,550 ft)

Steps, a river and a gritstone tor: the drop and climb at One Ash come early, and Youlgreave has pubs and a bakery for lunch. Leave by the slab bridge for an easy riverside mile in Bradford Dale. Over Harthill Moor you walk between Robin Hood's Stride and Cratcliffe Rocks. Small walled fields and stone stiles fill the last miles into Bonsall.

Example stay Fountain Tea Rooms (opens in a new tab)
Day 3

Bonsall to Thorpe

5–6 h 11.7 mi (18.8 km) ↑ 480 m (1,550 ft) ↓ 560 m (1,850 ft)

From lead country to estate villages, a day of stiles. The rough ground above Bonsall has a deep rake to cross with care, and the fields past Grangemill hold cattle. Parwich has a pub for lunch, and Herbert's tea rooms in Tissington are a later stop, under two miles short of Thorpe. Tissington's six wells are dressed with flower pictures each Ascension week.

Example stay The Old Dog (opens in a new tab)
Day 4

Thorpe to Rocester

4–5 h 9.2 mi (14.8 km) ↑ 260 m (850 ft) ↓ 350 m (1,150 ft)

A short last day across the county line, mostly on farm fields. Coldwall Bridge takes you over the Dove, and from there the waymarks thin and stiles hide in hedges, so check your way at every field. Lunch at the Duncombe Arms in Ellastone, then follow the river past Doveleys to the finish in Rocester, where the trail meets the Staffordshire Way.

Finish Limestone Way Finish

Cross-check: Derbyshire Dales District Council . The council gives 46 miles (74 km), walked over several days. Distances on the cards are measured along the trail. A walk off the path to a bed is extra.

Toward Castleton

Rocester to Castleton in 4 days

The same nights from Rocester. The Staffordshire fields open the walk, and it ends down Cave Dale into Castleton.

4-day stages, Rocester to Castleton
Day	Stage	Distance	Overnight / destination
Day 1	Rocester → Thorpe	9.2 mi (14.8 km)	The Old Dog (opens in a new tab)
Day 2	Thorpe → Bonsall	11.7 mi (18.8 km)	Fountain Tea Rooms (opens in a new tab)
Day 3	Bonsall → Monyash	11.7 mi (18.9 km)	Sheldon House B&B (opens in a new tab)
Day 4 Longest	Monyash → Castleton	13.9 mi (22.4 km)	Castleton

Day 1

Rocester to Thorpe

4–5 h 9.2 mi (14.8 km) ↑ 350 m (1,150 ft) ↓ 260 m (850 ft)

From Rocester the hardest navigation is the first morning, with thin waymarks and stiles tucked into hedges. Ellastone's pub breaks the day. Woods and a ridge path lead north to Coldwall Bridge, and a short climb from the Dove reaches Thorpe.

Example stay The Old Dog (opens in a new tab)
Day 2

Thorpe to Bonsall

5–6 h 11.7 mi (18.8 km) ↑ 560 m (1,850 ft) ↓ 480 m (1,550 ft)

Tissington's green and tea rooms are an early stop, and Parwich has a pub on the path. The afternoon climbs through quarry country and over the High Peak Trail to Grangemill. The last stiles cross old lead workings into Bonsall.

Example stay Fountain Tea Rooms (opens in a new tab)
Day 3

Bonsall to Monyash

5–6 h 11.7 mi (18.9 km) ↑ 470 m (1,550 ft) ↓ 470 m (1,550 ft)

Narrow walled fields lead out of Bonsall to Winster and up onto Harthill Moor by Robin Hood's Stride. Bradford Dale is a gentle river mile into Youlgreave, the place to eat. The One Ash steps come in the last hour, though the final track to Monyash is easy.

Example stay Sheldon House B&B (opens in a new tab)
Day 4 Longest

Monyash to Castleton

6–7 h 13.9 mi (22.4 km) ↑ 520 m (1,700 ft) ↓ 590 m (1,950 ft)

Walled lanes cross the plateau past the old field walls of Flagg, then drop steeply to the river at Miller's Dale. Peter Dale and Hay Dale lead up toward the moor, and the day ends downhill on the rocky floor of Cave Dale.

Finish Castleton

Plan Rocester to Castleton

4-day itinerary FAQ

Is 4 days the right length for the Limestone Way?

For most walkers, yes. Four days and three nights is the usual walk, with days of 10.2 mi (16.4 km) to 13.8 mi (22.2 km) and a short last day through the Staffordshire fields.

Which day is the hardest?

Castleton to Monyash, the longest at 13.8 mi (22.2 km), with the rocky climb up Cave Dale and only Miller's Dale for food. Monyash to Bonsall has the steep steps at One Ash, but it is shorter.

Can I download a GPX for the 4-day Limestone Way?

Yes. Open this itinerary in the planner (free, no account). Download a full-route GPX or per-day files for Garmin, Komoot, or your phone. You can export the preset unchanged or edit overnight stops first.

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This 4-day itinerary is ready as it stands. Open it in the planner to keep these stops, or change where you sleep, then download the GPX for your watch or phone.

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