Peak Way
A 155-mile long-distance path developed by Ken Reece of Stockport as a celebration of his favorite walking area, the Peak District. With map, statistics, and GPX route file.
Statistics and Files
Grid Ref: SJ 90714 90469
Distance: 155 miles (249 km)
Time: 70–80 hours
Duration: 11–15 days
Ordnance Survey Explorer Maps (1:25,000):
OL1 The Peak District – Dark Peak Area
OL24 The Peak District – White Peak Area
259 Derby, Uttoxeter, Ashbourne and Cheadle
268 Wilmslow, Macclesfield and Congleton
277 Manchester and Salford
Summary
This adventurous long-distance walk was devised by Ken Reece of Stockport during the COVID-19 pandemic. As with all enthusiastic walkers, this period was exceptionally frustrating; for practically two years of lockdown from April 2020, walkers were either cautious or discouraged from enjoying the great outdoors with pre-pandemic freedom.
Ken recalls: “I stared through our bedroom window at the snow-covered Kinder Scout, which is the highest point in the Peak District. It’s just 10 miles or so away, and I longed to be walking on its plateau. It is a place I have walked many times before with my walking partner, my wife, my five children, our dog, and sometimes alone. But now I couldn’t walk there.”
Deprived of walking with abandon, Ken decided to devise a long-distance walk celebrating his local area and favorite National Park. Thus the Peak Way was born — a 155-mile walk which Ken recommends completing in 13 stages. Towns and villages visited on the route include Edale, Hope, Matlock, Ashbourne, and Buxton, with stage highlights including Mam Tor and the Great Ridge, Stanage Edge, Dovedale, and much more.