Section 3 of 4
Bonsall to Thorpe
From lead rakes and quarries to the green estate village of Tissington.
Route map
Example stay The Old Dog (opens in a new tab)
Cross-check: Visit Peak District route description . Opened 13 November 2026. The council publishes no sections; these four follow the days of our recommended 4-day plan. Distances are measured along the trail.
The walk
Rough mining ground, then estate farmland: this stretch of the Limestone Way leaves Bonsall over pitted ground scarred by old lead rakes. At Grangemill it crosses the Via Gellia, a road the Gell family built for their lead, which gave Viyella cloth its name. Beyond the quarries the fields roll past Rainster Rocks and Parwich to Tissington, where six wells are dressed with flower pictures every Ascension week.
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Start of section
Bonsall
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Crossing
The Via Gellia
A valley road the Gell family built for their lead around 1790, named in mock Latin. Viyella cloth takes its name from it, first made at a mill on the road.
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Lunch
Parwich
A village with a church, a green and a pond, and the Sycamore Inn on the path. The Tissington Trail, an old railway line, crosses just beyond it.
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Village
Tissington
A Jacobean hall of 1609, home of the FitzHerberts since 1465, beside a green. Each Ascension week its six wells are dressed with pictures pressed from petals.
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End of section
Thorpe
Overview
The ground
- Stiles
- Lead workings
- Farmland
Fields and stiles over rolling hills, past lead workings and quarry edges. Similar in length to the second section, but rolling rather than steep, with its villages in the second half.
Stops
Refreshments
- Grangemill (Holly Bush Inn)
- Brassington (off the path)
- Parwich (Sycamore Inn)
- Tissington (Herbert's tea rooms)
- Thorpe (The Old Dog)
Toilets
- Pubs and tea rooms only (no public toilets found)
Before you go
Opposite direction
Thorpe to Bonsall
Walked from Thorpe, Tissington's tea rooms come early and the pub in Parwich a few miles on. The afternoon climbs through quarry country and over the High Peak Trail to Grangemill, and the last stiles cross old lead workings into Bonsall.
End of section
Bonsall
Bonsall to Thorpe FAQ
Is Brassington on the path?
Nearly. The path passes just above the village, about 0.3 mi (0.5 km) away, and Brassington has two pubs. Our 3-day plan sleeps there.
When is well dressing at Tissington?
In the week of Ascension, in late spring. The village fills with visitors, so book your bed early if your walk falls then.
Can I download a GPX for Bonsall to Thorpe?
Yes. Use the GPX button at the top of this page. It is this section's line, for Garmin, Komoot, or your phone. Open the planner if you want a file built around your overnight stops.
Walk this as a day
Used as Day 3 on the 4-day. Open the planner on that preset, then export a full-trip or per-day GPX.
Open in planner Read the 4-day itinerary
Full-trip and per-day GPX files. Free, no account.
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