Parking
Use the free Longnor Market Place car park in the village centre; public toilets are nearby. The surface slopes toward the road, and the small car park commonly fills on busy weekends, so nearby village parking may be needed.
Overview
About Longnor to Pilsbury Castle
Why go
- Distinctive motte-and-bailey earthworks above the Dove valley
- Good mix of village lanes, field paths and open views
Heads up
- Boggy patches, steep sections and several wall stiles
- No facilities between Longnor and the castle
Pilsbury Castle isn't a standing stone building. It's a clear medieval motte-and-bailey site on a spur above the River Dove, with a rocky outcrop, high mound, banks and ditches. The path opens onto the earthworks with the valley below. For a useful photo, frame the rocky outcrop from the site with the green valley behind it.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe castle is the payoffMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Peak District map
Full mapElevation238–320 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 Longnor to Pilsbury Castle, 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
Pilsbury Castle Walk from Longnor0:00 / 0:22
“You're approaching Longnor Market Place, the start of the walk to Pilsbury Castle. The loop is almost six miles and takes three to three and a half hours across fields, wall stiles and some steep or boggy ground.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Peak District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Mud Nests Under the Eaves
- Chrome Hill and Parkhouse Hill: The Dragon's Back
- The Prices Above Longnor’s Door
- The Black Tip on the Tail
- 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 Longnor to Pilsbury Castle
What you're walkingLongnor to Pilsbury Castle is a 5.
Longnor to Pilsbury Castle is a 5.9-mile circular walk from Longnor Market Place through Crowdecote, across field paths and bridleways to the castle earthworks, then back through Pilsbury-side lanes and farmland. Allow three to three and a half hours. It's moderate rather than technical, but you will cross fields, gates and uneven ground.
What to expectThe route uses grassy public footpaths and bridleways, village lanes, stone walls, gates and…
The route uses grassy public footpaths and bridleways, village lanes, stone walls, gates and several wall stiles. Some sections are steep and patches can be boggy; field paths are less obvious than the roads, so keep the mapped route handy. Dogs may come on the public rights of way, but keep them under effective control and on a short lead around livestock. There is no reliable food or water stop between Longnor and the castle. The Market Place has free parking, nearby toilets and village pubs and cafés; it can fill at weekends and slopes toward the road. The longer Hartington and Sheen walk is a separate route, not an extension of this loop.
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.
