Derwent Edge Circular Walk

Derwent Edge Circular Walk is an 8-mile (13 km) loop from Fairholmes, climbing from the Upper Derwent reservoirs to open moorland, visiting Lost Lad and Back Tor, then turning south along a line of weathered gritstone tors before returning by lower paths and the reservoir. Allow about five hours, or longer if you stop at every rock and viewpoint. This is the route to choose when you want a real ridge walk with a strong visual payoff, not just a flat reservoir stroll.

Leave Fairholmes by the dam and reservoir-side paths, then take the steep route through a wooded clough. The climb eases onto grassy moorland, but the upper approach can be boggy and uneven. Follow the flagstones toward the lonely cairn at Lost Lad, at 518 metres. From there the path dips and rises again to Back Tor at 538 metres. The trig point sits on the gritstone outcrop, and reaching it involves a short scramble over the rocks. You can get the view without climbing onto the highest boulders.

From Back Tor, follow the defined path south along Derwent Edge. The named formations arrive in a satisfying sequence: Cakes of Bread, Dovestone Tor, Salt Cellar and Wheel Stones. Frost, rain and wind have pulled these gritstone slabs into shapes that look deliberately balanced, and the path keeps switching between close-up rocks and wide views down to Ladybower and Derwent Reservoirs. At Salt Cellar, frame the layered rock with the valley below it; that is the shot that explains why this ridge is the point of the walk.

After Wheel Stones, the route drops off the edge on rougher ground and works back through the lower moor to the reservoir-side paths. The return is gentler underfoot in places, but it is still part of an 8-mile circuit, not a quick descent to the car park.

Fairholmes Car Park and the Upper Derwent Visitor Centre have public toilets, a small café or kiosk, and a shop at the start. There are no comparable facilities along the ridge or lower return. Dogs are allowed, but keep them on a lead throughout because the route crosses grazing and wildlife habitat. The high section is exposed to wind and fast-changing conditions, and the combination of steep climbing, wet ground and rock makes this a moderate-hard day out.