Hartington

Overview

About Hartington

Why stop

Characterful stone square and duck pond
Excellent starting point for dale walks

Heads up

Traffic can intrude on the small village centre

A compact limestone village at the northern end of Dovedale, Hartington has been a place of consequence since the Middle Ages, when a market charter was granted in 1203. The stone cottages and houses around the square hint at that old wealth, and ancient routes and trackways still converge here. It works best as a short, satisfying stop: park once, walk the square, buy cheese, then head out on a dale walk.

Parkwolf’s verdictWhy stop

Map

Where it is

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SightHartington53.14078, -1.80989

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Plan your stop

Before you go

Best time to go

The centre is small and can feel busy with traffic, and parking is limited enough that spaces near the square go quickly on fine weekends and holidays. Arrive early for quieter streets, easier parking and a calmer pond, then use the signed car park and explore on foot rather than circling for a closer space. Weekday mornings and shoulder-season visits are the most relaxed; if you want solitude, walk north rather than south into the popular dales.

Getting there and parking

The village sits 1.5 miles west of the A515, reached on the B5054.
There is a pay-and-display car park on the south side, roughly 50 yards down the road from the Charles Cotton Hotel, plus free parking in the centre of the marketplace.
Buses serve the village from Buxton, Ashbourne, Bakewell and Chesterfield.
Lanes are narrow and residential, so park considerately and expect to walk a few minutes to the square.

5 active Peak District alerts

ClosureA54 Cat and Fiddle road closureThe A54 Macclesfield Main Road (Cat and Fiddle) is fully closed to all traffic from 27 July through 30 October 2026 during phase 1 improvement works.Official details
ClosureHooks Carr (Stanage Popular) car park closureHooks Carr (Stanage Popular) car park will be partially or fully closed from 6 October for four weeks.Official details

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A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone — Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Peak District Tour Guide

Your drive to Hartington, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Peak District National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

Recorded for this place

Hartington Village and the Dove Dales

0:00 / 0:32

“You're coming up on Hartington, a limestone village with a duck pond beside its old market square. I'd stop at the cheese shop by the pond for Hartington Stilton or another local cheese to take away.”

Plays as you drive up to Hartington in the Parkwolf Peak District Tour Guide.

More about Hartington

What to seeThe village square and duck pond, the much-photographed centre of the village and the natural…

The village square and duck pond, the much-photographed centre of the village and the natural place to start.
St Giles Church, worth a look inside when it is open.
The Market Hall, a reminder of the village's trading past.
Hartington Hall, dating from 1611 and still full of original character; it now serves as hostel accommodation with a restaurant open to non-residents using local produce.
The cheese shop, a village institution of more than 50 years selling local and national cheeses alongside ales, gins, chutneys and biscuits. The old creamery no longer operates, so the shop is where the cheese-making story lives on.
Gift shops, cafes, pubs and a small pottery around the centre.
The Dukes of Devonshire's influence shows up in buildings and village events; a short self-guided village trail of under a mile links the highlights, from the pond to the Duke of Devonshire's drum, and suits families.

Using it as a walking baseFootpaths radiate from the village in every direction.

Footpaths radiate from the village in every direction.

Boots or sturdy shoes are sensible; riverside dale paths can be rocky and wet underfoot.

South: Beresford Dale, continuing into Wolfscote Dale and on toward Dovedale, the classic limestone-dale route.
North: quieter paths toward Pilsbury Castle and Crowdecote, with far fewer people.
A circular Dales of the River Dove walk starts and finishes in the village, following the Dove through the dales.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Peak District

All Peak District wildlife maps

248 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map

36 sightingsRed FoxMost seen around 6 AMSighting map

15 sightingsEurasian OtterMost seen around 7 PMSighting map

51 sightingsPeregrine FalconMost seen around 6 PMSighting map

47 sightingsEuropean Fallow DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map

54 sightingsWestern Roe DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Peak District. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.