Alport Castles Walk

Alport Castles Walk is a 7.5-mile circular walk from the Fairholmes Visitor Centre. It climbs out of the Upper Derwent through Lackerbrook and over Lockerbrook Heights, reaches the landslip above Alport Dale, then drops into the valley and returns around the Ashop side. Allow about four hours. This is a full moorland circuit, not just a short stroll to a viewpoint. You get one of the Peak District’s strangest rock landscapes in return for sustained climbing, rough paths and a long way from help. If you want an easier reservoir-side visit, stay near Fairholmes and save this one for a better-equipped day.

Leave Fairholmes along the road for 50–100 metres and take the path beside the stream. The early climb winds up through tracks towards Lackerbrook; follow the marker for Lackerbrook, then continue to Lackerbrook Farm, now an outdoor centre. Cross the field past the farm to the ladder stile towards Bellhag Tor and Lockerbrook Heights. The path gets rougher as it leaves the shelter of the trees. Once you’re on the open moor, the Alport Valley falls away to your left and the way can feel a long way from the busy reservoir below.

The route is steep in places and the path across the moor is faint. Expect uneven ground, wet patches and boggy stretches; the woodland descent near the finish can be slippery after rain. The ridge is exposed, and poor visibility makes route-finding harder. Carry a map or offline directions and be comfortable navigating without mobile service: there’s no phone signal in the Upper Derwent Valley.

Near Birchin Hat, pause and look back down Alport Dale. The Tower, an isolated pinnacle, stands above a jumble of fallen gritstone blocks, with Alport Mere tucked below. This is a landslip rather than a built ruin: weaker shale beneath harder Millstone Grit gave way, sending blocks down the hillside and leaving the castle-like shapes. The best photo is from near Birchin Hat, with The Tower against the broken slope and a little valley in the frame for scale. Peregrines use the crags as a nesting site, though a sighting is never guaranteed.

From the crags, follow the faint path down to a crossing of the Alport River near Alport Castles Farm. Hannah Mitchell, the socialist and suffragette, grew up at the remote farmstead. Keep to the route as it leaves the valley; this is a working farm, not somewhere to wander around.

After the farm, follow the valley track towards the A57. Cross carefully to reach the River Ashop and Rowlee Bridge, then continue through woodland by the water conduit and cross the road again near Hagg Farm. The return is a real climb: a steep, twisting cobbled path takes you to the crest, then a sign for Fairholmes leads down through often-boggy woods to the car park. The two A57 crossings and steep final climb are easy to underestimate after several hours out.

Fairholmes has paid parking, toilets and a refreshment kiosk at the visitor centre; don’t count on refreshments along the route. Take enough food and water for the whole circuit. The remote setting is the point, but it also means you should be ready to navigate, manage changing weather and finish the walk on rough ground.