Parking
Use Woodcroft Car Park at Longshaw for the cafe and route. Spaces are very limited; charges apply.
Overview
About Blue Route at Longshaw Estate
Why go
- A gentle loop with open moorland views and two estate-history landmarks
Heads up
- Kissing gates and a main-road crossing limit accessibility
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Peak District map
Full mapElevation304–366 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Peak District Tour Guide
Your drive to Blue Route at Longshaw Estate, 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 trailhead
Longshaw Estate Walks and Café0:00 / 0:30
“You're approaching Longshaw Estate, where a meadow and restored pond sit beside woodland and open moorland walks.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Peak District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Padley Gorge and Longshaw
- Surprise View
- Longshaw Views and Woodlands Walk
- Higger Tor and Carl Wark
- 298 audio storiesacross Peak District’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, Red Fox, Eurasian Otter, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 88 trails, 76 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Blue Route at Longshaw Estate
A small loop with good varietyThe Blue Route is a 2.8-mile loop that starts and ends at Longshaw Cafe.
The Blue Route is a 2.8-mile loop that starts and ends at Longshaw Cafe. It threads between woodland and open moorland, with broad views over the Derbyshire hills. It’s a good choice for a shorter walk with a little estate history and no major climb. Allow about 1¼ to 1½ hours.
What you’ll passBlue waymarkers and fingerposts lead through woodland paths and across moorland tracks with…
Blue waymarkers and fingerposts lead through woodland paths and across moorland tracks with gentle gradients. Two stops give the walk more character: the Ice House, once used to store winter ice for use through the year, and Companion Stone 2, one of a series of carved stones across the moors. The open sections give you a feel for the surrounding hills; the landmarks add some estate history along the way.
Access and parkingLongshaw Cafe and toilets are beside the start and finish.
Longshaw Cafe and toilets are beside the start and finish. The estate map describes the route as having no steps or stiles, but the National Trust’s family guidance notes kissing gates and a crossing of a main road, so it isn’t a barrier-free route. Follow the blue waymarkers and fingerposts at junctions. Dogs are welcome outside on a short lead. Woodcroft Car Park is the usual access; spaces are very limited and charges apply.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Peak District
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 mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Peak District. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
