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 8 of my favourite walks that would be perfect for Christmas Day or Boxing Day. This year we’ve recently had our dumping of snow and cold temperatures and the next couple of weeks is looking milder which does give you more options for walks!
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!
- 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 know 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) 🙂
8 Best Christmas Day + Boxing Day walks
Here you can find the best walks for the festive period.
Each walk 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
It’s 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, easy for navigation and also 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 an enjoy. The bonus is that in cooler, windy or rainy weather you do 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 area. Please note that dogs do need to be kept on a lead because of the deer that live in the grounds.
This huge area is perfect 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 our 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 walk for Langsett Reservoir here – 4-mile walk or if you fancy a longer hike we have a 13-mile route that includes Outer Edge, notoriously boggy but a great route to do in winter when the ground is frozen!
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 fantastic smaller but fantastic hills – Mount Famine and South Head. Also, as a bonus you’ll get to tick off two Peak District Ethels on this walk.
Walk route being added soon so come back to get the route or sign up to receive all our new walks when they are added to the website.
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 compass, it’s more expensive but a valuable piece of kit!
For online maps, you can get via OS Online App or Viewranger App.
Check prices here for the one month or yearly option with OS Online App.Â
Or check out all our Peak District walking routes here
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Peak District charity patches
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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.
