We love ourselves a good hike and boy do we have a great one for you today! Youโre about to discover all about The Great Ridge And Win Hill Hike โ probably one of the most walked trails throughout in England.
The Great Ridge makes up the first section of the hike and connects the summits of Lose Hill (476 metres) and Mam Tor (517 metres). It divides the grit stone Dark Peak that sits to the North of the ridge and the limestone Dales which are located to the South.
Win Hill (462 metres) makes up the final section of the hike and adds even more so to this already epic journey.
Where Is It Located?
The Great Ridge And Win Hill Hike is located in the heart of the Peak District โ home to many walks and trails.
Youโll start and finish in Hope Village which can be found on the A6187 nestled between Castleton and Hathersage.
Almost opposite to the Grasshopper Cafe, youโll find the Hope Car Park which will be your exact starting location.
Note that The Old Hall Pub and the Cheshire Cheese Inn politely request that you donโt park on there premises if you intend to complete the hike.
Is The Hike Challenging?
During the hike, youโll pass over 3 summits! So yes, this is a walk for more experienced hikers. With that being said, as long as youโre a confident walker you shouldnโt experience too much difficulty.
Weโre stating the obvious here but the wetter the weather, the more difficult the hike will be.
In terms of the time it will take to complete the entire hike, weโve seen that it is possible to complete in under 4 hours.
However, when taking your time and stopping to take in the spectacular views weโd comfortably allow between 6 and 8 hours. Make a day of it โ you wonโt be disappointed (although we canโt promise you wonโt be absolutely shattered)!
The Route
Now weโre into the really good stuff! Hereโs our guide to completing the hike starting off with the Great Ridge and finishing over Win Hill.
From your parking location on Hope Car Park, turn right when you exit the car park and then left when you get to Edale Road where you should start to walk up.
Keep a look out on your left for Eccles Close โ youโll need to turn left here and follow the road until you come to a footpath which will be on your right.
Take this footpath as it will lead you towards Losehill Farm. Youโll notice that it will start getting gradually steeper as you continue.
If youโre hiking during wet weather, the fields can become very muddy โ this is why you should always wear the appropriate footwear, no matter the weather!
If youโre here during Spring, be on the lookout for livestock as they may have their young with them.
Keep following the footpath to the right of Losehill Farm and youโll come across a stile โ make your way through here and the path should veer off to the right. Now you should be on a steep ascent towards the summit of Losehill.
Around half way up to the first summit, youโll come across another stile to pass through. From here, the footpath will be paved and is clear.
Once youโve made it to the top, take a minute and catch your breath. Look out to the East and youโll get an amazing view of Win Hill โ make note a mental note of this as itโs your last leg of the journey!
After youโve taken in the views from here, youโll want to continue West following the ridge towards the second summit โ Mam Tor.
Youโll notice that itโs a well defined path that youโll be following. However the descent down Back Tor, although short, is very steep and eroded quite badly โ take extra care here.
Continue to follow the path for just under 2 miles and youโll eventually end up on the summit of Mam Tor. If itโs cold out, donโt spend too much time up here as the wind can be quite strong at the top.
Once youโve had enough, make your way down from the summit in the direction of Rushup Edge. Look out for a road โ just before this, turn tight and head down a smaller and unpaved footpath.
Youโll now be heading North and towards Greenlands Farm. Head through the gate that takes you on to a country lane which youโll follow to get to Edale.
When you get to Edale, follow Maryโs Lane past the Village Hall and go underneath the railway track. In around 300 metres, youโll come across a campsite.
Just after the campsite youโll see another footpath which you need to follow (itโs between the campsite and the church graveyard.
Following the path will take you over Grinsbook Clough all the way to Ollerbooth Farm. From here, youโll need to take the bridleway (this is clearly marked) to Nether Booth.
Here you will head on to Edale Road for a short while and take the first footpath you come across on your left which lead to Clough Farm.
Keep right on your way through the farm and the track will start to head upwards. Then it will drop and head through woodland until you reach Jaggers Clough.
Now cross the river and youโll immediately start your ascent up to Hope Cross. This is a parish boundary marker and ancient guide post, also serving as a superb view point.
Once you arrive at Hope Cross, youโll come to a junction on the footpaths. Take the wide path off to the right and follow it South East towards your final summit โ Win Hill.
Itโs a gradual ascent but donโt let it fool you โ itโs actually longer than you think. If the summit is not clear to see, be careful to not stray away from the track as you may end up going in the wrong direction.
As you reach the final summit of the trip, stop and take in the views of Derwent Edge and Ladybower.
Now you can start the final descent (head South West) towards the finish line.
Youโll need to pass through a small gate as you descend โ itโs marked as a public footpath with a sign. During this section, youโll come across a junction of grassy track.
From here, you have 2 options. The first is to continue straight on and head towards Twitchell Farm. The second is the more obvious pathway (left) and will lead you towards a country lane.
Both of these routes will take you back to Hope Village and the car park but the more obvious route will get you closer to the station.
Completed It Mate!
And thatโs it โ you should have completed The Great Ridge And Win Hill Hike! Now tell us that that wasnโt amazing?!
If youโve got time, you could always grab a bite to eat in the village before you set off home.
Whatever you choose to do, weโre sure youโll be getting a good nights sleep tonight!
Thanks for reading and be sure to let us know about your experience below.
