Heather in the Peak District is a must-see natural beauty. From mid July the heather flowers begin to bloom and by August the Peak District is covered in many places with a beautiful pinky purple blanket.
The heather sticks around until mid September so you have a two-month window to plan a walk to enjoy this pinky glow across the Peak District.
In the National Parks in the UK, there are three main types of heather that you’ll find growing in them. There’s Bell Heather, a pinky purple little bell shaped flower, then there’s Ling Heather, this is a smaller flower which is lilac in colour and lastly there’s Cross-leaved Heath, which is similar in appearance to the Bell Heather but grows more as single plants in boggy areas!
Those are the three different types of heather you will see in the Peak District, but where are the best places to find heather on your walks?
Here I’ll share my top 11 places to see heather flowering in the Peak District.
Where are your favourite places to see heather in the Peak District? Let me know in the comments
11 best walks to see heather
These are the best places to see heather in the Peak District. For each location below you can find links to the different walks on the website so you can pick a route to suit your needs.
Every walk has the route map, detailed instructions, GPX and other walk information within the guide.
Derwent Edge towards Ladybower
Derwent Edge is a stunning walk at any time of year but I highly recommend doing a heather walk during the late summer months to see the beautiful colours of the heather.
We have several routes that include Derwent Edge. There’s an 8-mile or a 10-mile option from Fairholmes which takes you up via Lost Lad and Back Tor then along Derwent Edge before looping back to Ladybower Reservoir. Whereas the other two routes approach from the other side so you experience a different section of Derwent Edge.
- Derwent Edge from Fairholmes | 8-Mile Route
- Derwent Edge Walk from Fairholmes | 10-Mile Route
- Bamford Edge, Stanage Edge, Derwent Edge from Ladybower Reservoir | 12-Mile Route
- Stanage Edge, Derwent Edge + Ladybower Reservoir Walk from Bamford | 14-Mile Route
Burbage Edge
Burbage Edge walk is a lovely place to enjoy the heather as well as stunning views for miles. The heather growing in between the gritstone rocks gives a perfect foreground to the stunning scenery beyond.
The walk along the edge can be done from both ends, there’s a car park at the top at Upper Burbage or alternatively you can park at Surprise View or Longshaw car park.
Our walks are circular from Upper Burbage and you can select a short or longer walk to suit your needs.
- Burbage Edge + Higger Tor from Upper Burbage | 6-Mile Route
- Burbage Edge, Padley Gorge + Higger Tor Walk from Upper Burbage | 8-Mile Route
Blackden Brook to Kinder Plateau
The Kinder Plateau is home to much of the Peak District heather but this route up Blacken Brook is absolutely beautiful when the heather is flowering.
The brook flowing down with pinky heather covering the landscape is a real treat and you’ll absolutely love this route up to the north side of the Kinder Plateau.
Our route begins at Snake Pass and takes you up a quieter route to the top, a must-do route if you’ve not tried it yet and doing in heather season is even more stunning.
Baslow Edge
Baslow Edge is a lovely route and as you walk along the edge you’ll have the pleasure of seeing plenty of heather along your walk.
You can begin your walk from nearby village of Baslow and head up to explore the edge or simply start from Curbar Gap car park and approach from the other side. We have plenty of different walks so you can pick your favourite.
- Baslow Edge Short Walk From Baslow | 4-Mile Route
- Baslow Edge Short Walk From Curbar Gap | 3-Mile Route
- Baslow Edge + Birchen Edge Walk From Baslow | 9-Mile Route
- Baslow Edge via White Edge, Froggatt Edge + Curbar Edge | 8-Mile Route
Bamford Edge
Bamford Edge is a classic Peak District viewpoint, overlooking Win Hill and Ladybower Reservoir is a beautiful vista. But during heather season there’s also that magical pop of pinky-purple heather dotted alongside the path creating a unique scene.
You can do our short walk up to Bamford Edge or select one of our longer routes that includes this beautiful Peak District edge.
- Bamford Edge Short Walk | 2-Mile Route
- Bamford Edge, Stanage Edge, Derwent Edge from Ladybower Reservoir | 12-Mile Route
Order your Bamford Edge charity patch here.
Shutlingsloe Hill
Shutlingsloe walk is a fantastic route to hike at any time of year but during the heather season the base is covered with beautiful pink heather to make it even more special.
Add this route to your list to do this summer and enjoy those beautiful views combined with the pretty pink heather. We have several routes from different directions so you can take your pick on the best walk for you.
- Shutlingsloe (via Macclesfield Forest) from Wildboarclough | 5-Mile Route
- Shutlingsloe from Wildboarclough | 3-Mile Route
- Shutlingsloe from Wildboarclough (via Macclesfield Forest) | 7-Mile Route
Over Owler Tor + Higger Tor
Even at sunset the colour of the heather is evident in the scenery, the photo above was taken as the sun was setting on an evening walk and it still looks beautiful.
Both Over Owler Tor and Higger Tor are great places to see the carpet of heather in the Peak District. You can do a lovely short walk from either Surprise View car park or the opposite end at Upper Burbage. We also have a couple of longer routes that also include Burbage Edge which is another great place to see the heather so these walks are brilliant for heather.
- Burbage Edge + Higger Tor from Upper Burbage | 6-Mile Route
- Burbage Edge, Padley Gorge + Higger Tor Walk from Upper Burbage | 8-Mile Route
Ladder Rocks near Crowden
Ladder Rocks from Crowden is a real treasure and has beautiful views of the valley below, and in late summer there’s also beautiful heather dotted along the route which makes for some great photos.
We have plenty of walk options from Crowden that include Ladder Rocks.
- Laddow Rocks + Black Hill via Pennine Way From Crowden | 9-Mile Route
- Featherbed Moss, Holme Moss (Black Hill) + Hey Edge Trig Walk From Crowden | 11-Mile Route
Kinder Scout from Hayfield
Heading up Kinder Scout from Hayfield there’s so much heather on different parts of the route so you can stop and get some gorgeous photos at different spots.
As you walk alongside Kinder Reservoir there’s heather dotted along the path for some great views, then as you climb via William Close there’s more heather on each side of the brook as you include, you’re spoilt for choice.
In addition, our Harry Hut and Lantern Pike takes you up the same route before turning left to explore the area away from Kinder Scout so you’ll be able to enjoy the heather on this walk too.
- Kinder Scout Walk From Hayfield (Via Kinder Downfall) | 9 Mile Route
- Harry Hut + Lantern Pike Trig Walk From Hayfield | 10-Mile Route
Surprise View
Surprise View is a lovely spot that’s perfect for a short walk to capture the views of the Hope Valley and hills beyond. The heather creates a beautiful foreground to any photo from this spot and it also makes a great place to watch the sunset too.
You can reach this spot from Surprise View car park, it’s just a short walk up and then you can loop back via Over Owler Tor, another great place to see the heather. We don’t have any routes that go this way but watch this space as one is coming soon!
River Kinder up to Red Brook
Along with our routes up via William Clough this gorgeous route up River Kinder is a beautiful way up to see plenty of heather on the way. The walk does include a scramble via Red Brook to the top so it might suit everyone but the lower level route is covered with heather.
Do you have any questions about this walks or the best time to visit?
Other walk information
Ordnance Survey Walk Maps
For these Peak District heather walks, there are two maps that cover them OL1 – Peak District (Dark Peak Area) and OL24 – Peak District (White Peak Area). Within each walk you can find details of which map you need for the walks.
Shop online at Ordnance Survey
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