One wonderful way you can spend Christmas Day or Boxing Day is with a lovely winter walk in the Peak District. It’s a great way to enjoy your Christmas with friends and family, as well as getting an outdoors fix too.
Winter walks do take additional planning so, to save you the job, I’ve picked 9 of my favourite walks that would be perfect for Christmas Day or Boxing Day, as well as sharing our top tips for winter walking.
These walks are suitable for all the family, both little legs and older family members who maybe don’t want to do a 20-mile hike (yes, I know some of you will equally enjoy that!)
Who’s planning a winter Christmas walk? Let us know where you’re going in the comments
Winter walking tips
If you’re planning a winter walk that’s fantastic but before you jump into which route to do here are a few things to think about.
- Plan a route that will finish in daylight hours but always pack a head torch just in case. Head torches are much safer than a handheld torch or phone torch because you have both hands free!
- Always check the weather before you go.
- Pack extra warm layers, a shelter (something like this is perfect for a small group) and first aid kit. In an emergency you’ll get cold very quickly. The wonderful volunteer Mountain Rescue Teams are on call 24 hours but hopefully they won’t need to be called out.
- Take a map and compass. Phones can quickly lose charge in the cold so a map is essential (and knowing how to use it).
- Pack a warm drink and plenty of food to keep your energy levels up. I use this Sigg flask and it stays hot for hours!
- If conditions worsen then always turn back, don’t take unnecessary risks on winter walks.
- Enjoy the beautiful scenery and time with friends and family (or some quiet time on your own) 🙂
9 Best Christmas Day + Boxing Day walks
Here you can find the best walks for the festive period.
In each of our route choices we’ve included a link to the full route, with map and GPX file so you can enjoy the walk.
Merry Christmas from Peak District Walks 🙂
Mam Tor + The Great Ridge
This is a classic Peak District walk and you won’t be alone on Christmas Day if you hike up to the trig point at the top. From Mam Tor you can then walk along the Great Ridge. An easy place for navigation and the views are absolutely breathtaking. A great way to walk off some of those extra mince pies!
There are different places to start your Mam Tor walk; for a short up and down to the summit you can park at Mam Nick car park or, our favourite route is from Castleton, where you can head to the trig and along the Great Ridge to Lose Hill.
Here’s our 5-mile route from Castleton or our 7-mile route from Castleton
You can also search all 10 of our Mam Tor walks here if you’d like something longer
Padley Gorge
Padley Gorge area is a lovely lower level walk through woodlands that everyone can enjoy. The bonus is that in cooler, windy or rainy weather you have some shelter from the trees and they also make for a stunning backdrop for your Christmas Day photos!
You can begin your Padley Gorge walk from a few places, Grindleford has a small parking area or alternatively, begin your walk from the Longshaw Estate and walk down to the gorge to explore.
We have a longer route through Padley Gorge that also includes Burbage Edge and Higger Tor or you can opt to just to the Padley Gorge section. View the walk here.
Chatsworth Park + Hunting Tower
Another brilliant route for everyone to enjoy; Chatsworth Park and House is a lovely area to walk. Please note that dogs need to be kept on a lead because of the deer that live in the grounds.
There’s lots of space to let children run around (and adults) as well as places to explore within the park too. There’s Chatsworth hunting tower and the aqueduct above Chatsworth House which make for an interesting route from Baslow.
Here’s our 4-mile walk from Baslow including the hunting tower and aqueduct or for a longer route, try our 7-mile Chatsworth Park and Edensor walk, also from Baslow.
Baslow also has options to walk up to the nearby edges so you can check more walks from Baslow here.
Shutlingsloe Trig walk
You can’t beat visiting a trig on a walk and Shutlingsloe Hill has a trig with awesome views from the top. There are many different walks you can do, from a short up and down to the top, or maybe explore Macclesfield Forest which is beautiful.
The other great place you can include is Three Shires Head, a popular swim spot in the summer months, and some hardcore swimmers go there in winter too brrrr!
Here are our Shutlingsloe Hill routes to chose from:
- Shutlingsloe Hill Short Walk From Wildboarclough | 3-Mile Route
- Shutlingsloe Hill Walk (Via Macclesfield Forest) From Wildboarclough | 5-Mile Route
- Three Shires Head Walk From Wildboarclough | 5.5-Mile Route (+ Shutlingsloe Option)
- Shutlingsloe Walk from Wildboarclough (via Macclesfield Forest) | 7-Mile Route
Stanton Moor
Stanton Moor is a great place for a family walk. The moor is fairly small in comparison to the moorlands in the Dark Peak area but it’s packed with things to see from the Cork Stone, Nine Ladies Circle and also a trig point. What more could you want on a Christmas walk!
Here’s the full walk with map and route instructions – Stanton Moor walk
Langsett Reservoir
A lovely short walk around Langsett Reservoir, with views of the surrounding hills the scenery is wonderful on this walk.
You can find our 4-mile walk for Langsett Reservoir here or, if you fancy a longer hike, we have a 13-mile route that includes Outer Edge, which is notoriously boggy but a great route to do in winter when the ground is frozen!
Robin Hood’s Stride from Elton
This walk is perfect for both children and adults, starting through fields, before reaching a small woodland, then on to Robin Hood’s Stride. There’s something for everyone to enjoy, with pretty scenery and fun things to explore on the way, including Robin Hood’s Stride, Cratcliffe Rocks and the Hermit’s Cave
At 4.5 miles even little legs should be alright to get round but can shorten the route by missing out the Stone Circle detour and Cratcliffe Rocks. If you’re looking for a longer route which takes in all the best bits from this one check out our 9 mile route from Winster.
Win Hill
A winter walk that’s packed with epic views although it’s a steep hike to the top you’ll really feel good to have hiked it 🙂
From Ladybower Reservoir, you can hike up the super steep path or pick one or the others that take you to the top of Win Hill. With another trig point and stunning views, this will certainly be a memorable walk.
Mount Famine + South Head
Here’s a beautiful route from Hayfield, taking in two smaller but still fantastic hills – Mount Famine and South Head. Also, as a bonus you’ll get to tick off two Peak District Ethels on this walk.
This 7-mile route begins from Hayfield and heads along the Pennine Bridleway before the uphill to reach Mount Famine, which has stunning views of the Kinder Scout Plateau and over to your next hill, South Head.
Do you have any more questions about winter walks? Ask me in the comments below.
Ordnance Survey Walk Maps
For these walks, there are two maps that cover them OL1 – Peak District (Dark Peak Area) and OL24 – Peak District (White Peak Area)
Shop online at Ordnance Survey
And don’t forget your compass, I recommend the Silva Expedition or the Silva Classic compass.
For online maps, I recommend the OS Online App (I have been using it for many years and it is worth getting if you want to start walking more). Check prices here for the one-month or annual option with the OS Online App. All the walks on the website are created using OS Online + you can download them to the App.
Check out all our Peak District walking routes here
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Need more help planning your Peak District trip?
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More information on the Peak District, including transport options, where to stay, best Peak District pubs + other useful resources.
Check out the 7 YHAs in the Peak District and find the best walks direct from your accommodation.
Find out what maps you will need for your trip here.
Top tips - Read our useful guides on hiking tips here.
Guided Walks with an introduction to map reading (see dates here).
Visit our hiking recommendations page, (footwear, clothes + kit).
Or get in touch and I will help as best I can :).
Please note 'Peak District Walks' accepts no liability for any injuries or accidents resulting from walking our routes. We always recommend you wear appropriate footwear to avoid injuries and to take a paper map and compass on your walks. Read more here.
