5-day Limestone Way itinerary
Five days gives the Limestone Way room to breathe, with days of about 7 to 12 miles. The first is a short walk to Miller's Dale, and the second ends at Youlgreave, the village with the most beds on the trail. A half day over Robin Hood's Stride to Bonsall follows, then the same last two days as the usual four-day walk.
Read the Limestone Way guide for the whole trail.
Will this 5-day split work for you?
- Short days. Time for Castleton, Tissington and long lunches.
- One steep climb to bed. The hostel sits high above Miller's Dale.
- Book first: YHA Ravenstor, and The Old Dog in Thorpe.
Fitness & effort
With the walks to and from the beds, days run from 7.5 mi (12.1 km) to 12.4 mi (19.9 km). The second day is the longest, because it adds 1.3 mi (2.1 km) each way between Miller's Dale and the hostel, up a steep path. The hardest ground, Cave Dale and the One Ash steps, falls on short days. A good choice for a first long walk, or for anyone who wants their afternoons free.
The 5-day route on the map
Toward Rocester
Castleton to Rocester in 5 days
Castleton to Rocester, the way the trail is waymarked: limestone dales first, Staffordshire fields last.
| Day | Stage | Distance | Overnight / destination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Castleton → Miller's Dale | 8.2 mi (13.2 km) | YHA Ravenstor (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 2 | Miller's Dale → Youlgreave | 10.9 mi (17.5 km) | YHA Youlgreave (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 3 | Youlgreave → Bonsall | 6.6 mi (10.6 km) | Fountain Tea Rooms (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 4 Longest | Bonsall → Thorpe | 11.7 mi (18.8 km) | The Old Dog (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 5 | Thorpe → Rocester | 9.2 mi (14.8 km) | Limestone Way Finish |
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Day 1
Castleton to Miller's Dale
8.2 mi (13.2 km) ↑ 360 m (1,200 ft) ↓ 360 m (1,200 ft)
A half day to start, so take your time in Castleton first. Cave Dale climbs on rough limestone under Peveril Castle onto the moor, and grassy dales lead down to Miller's Dale, where the old station café sits under the viaducts. Save something for the end: YHA Ravenstor, a big house in its own grounds above the River Wye, is a steep climb out of the dale.
Example stay YHA Ravenstor (opens in a new tab)
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Day 2
Miller's Dale to Youlgreave
10.9 mi (17.5 km) ↑ 390 m (1,300 ft) ↓ 450 m (1,500 ft)
Down to the river and up again: Long Lane is a steady climb out of Miller's Dale, and Sough Lane above the A6 turns to deep mud in winter. Walled lanes run past Flagg to Monyash, an old lead-mining village with a pub and a tea room, for lunch. After it a steep path drops into a side dale at One Ash and climbs back out, and fields lead into Youlgreave.
Example stay YHA Youlgreave (opens in a new tab)
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Day 3
Youlgreave to Bonsall
6.6 mi (10.6 km) ↑ 310 m (1,000 ft) ↓ 190 m (600 ft)
A short day over Harthill Moor, with time to stop. Bradford Dale's river path is gentle, and the climb onto the moor passes Robin Hood's Stride, where legend says Robin jumped between the two towers. Next door, the Hermit's Cave at Cratcliffe holds a medieval carved crucifix. Winster has a café for lunch, and narrow fields lead on into Bonsall.
Example stay Fountain Tea Rooms (opens in a new tab)
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Day 4 Longest
Bonsall to Thorpe
11.7 mi (18.8 km) ↑ 480 m (1,550 ft) ↓ 560 m (1,850 ft)
Lead country, then green estate land: the rough ground above Bonsall has an old rake to cross with care. At Grangemill the path crosses the Via Gellia, a road built for lead that gave Viyella cloth its name. Past the quarries the fields roll on to Parwich and the tea rooms at Tissington, the last stop before Thorpe.
Example stay The Old Dog (opens in a new tab)
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Day 5
Thorpe to Rocester
9.2 mi (14.8 km) ↑ 260 m (850 ft) ↓ 350 m (1,150 ft)
Over the Dove into Staffordshire, on lower, gentler ground. Coldwall Bridge crosses the river, and the path wanders through fields, woods and a ridge path where waymarks are few. Ellastone has a pub, and George Eliot's father grew up in the village. The finish is on Mill Street 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 5 days
The same nights from Rocester. The Staffordshire fields open the walk, and it ends down Cave Dale into 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 Longest | Thorpe → Bonsall | 11.7 mi (18.8 km) | Fountain Tea Rooms (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 3 | Bonsall → Youlgreave | 6.6 mi (10.6 km) | YHA Youlgreave (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 4 | Youlgreave → Miller's Dale | 10.9 mi (17.5 km) | YHA Ravenstor (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 5 | Miller's Dale → Castleton | 8.2 mi (13.2 km) | Castleton |
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Day 1
Rocester to Thorpe
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)
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Day 2 Longest
Thorpe to Bonsall
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)
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Day 3
Bonsall to Youlgreave
6.6 mi (10.6 km) ↑ 190 m (600 ft) ↓ 310 m (1,000 ft)
Bonsall's tight little fields lead to Winster and on to Robin Hood's Stride, where legend says Robin jumped between the two towers. From the moor the path drops into Bradford Dale and follows the river into Youlgreave.
Example stay YHA Youlgreave (opens in a new tab)
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Day 4
Youlgreave to Miller's Dale
10.9 mi (17.5 km) ↑ 450 m (1,500 ft) ↓ 390 m (1,300 ft)
The drop and climb at One Ash come early in the day. Monyash has a pub and a tea room for lunch, then walled lanes cross the high plateau past Flagg. The afternoon ends with a long descent down Sough Lane and Long Lane to the Wye.
Example stay YHA Ravenstor (opens in a new tab)
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Day 5
Miller's Dale to Castleton
8.2 mi (13.2 km) ↑ 360 m (1,200 ft) ↓ 360 m (1,200 ft)
A short last day. From the river a steep road climbs to Peter Dale and Hay Dale, quiet grassy valleys. Peter Dale can flood in winter. The moor tops out soon after, and the rocky floor of Cave Dale carries you down into Castleton.
Finish Castleton
5-day itinerary FAQ
Why stay at Miller's Dale?
It splits the long first day of the usual walk in two. The beds in the village itself are self-catering cottages, so the night is at YHA Ravenstor, 1.3 mi (2.1 km) up a steep path from the dale.
Is 5 days too slow for the Limestone Way?
Not if you want short days. Each is 7.5 mi (12.1 km) to 12.4 mi (19.9 km) with the walks to and from the beds, which leaves time for Castleton, Tissington and long lunches, and the hardest ground falls on short days.
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