Edale Skyline Route | 20-Mile Route (Ultimate Peak District Challenge)

The ultimate long-distance hike in the Peak District has to be the Edale Skyline walk.

The Edale Skyline route is a well known fell running race but of course, you can do it as a long-distance walking challenge too! It takes you along the ridges and hills surrounding the Hope Valley high above Edale village.

Although the Skyline route can be started from various locations, including Castleton and Edale, by starting the walk from Hope it is directly on the walk so you’re not adding any extra miles!

Here you will find details on how to get to the start of the walk at Hope, route information, map, GPX file, useful tips, plus a detailed step by step guide of the walk.

Check out all the Peak District challenges here.

Edale Skyline walk from Edale

(I’ve also included walk information and the GPX file for the Edale Skyline route from Edale at the bottom of the post, in case you prefer to start there, although Edale is a popular place to hike from so it can be very busy).

Have you done the Edale Skyline hike yet? Let me know how you did in the comments.

Edale Skyline Guided Walks

Our next Guided walk is on Sunday 23rd April – Find details here to book your place.

Edale Skyline route from Hope

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Edale Skyline walk map

© Crown copyright and database rights (2024) OS 002572460

Walk start point

Start grid reference: SK 180 832

Car parking address: Hope Train Station

There is a small car park at Hope train station, or alternatively, you can park on the street. This is payable via the RingGo App (thanks to Paul for this update when he did the walk in December 2022).

There’s also another car park in Hope, which also has public toilets, this adds little extra on the walk but worth it to park in a secure place – Location on google maps  

Public transport

Nearest train station: Hope train station (0 mile/0 km) – Start for this walk!

The Edale Skyline walk that I’ve plotted starts and ends at Hope train station in the Derbyshire Peak District.

Facilities on the walk

There are no public toilets available at the start of the walk (there were some portable toilets last time I was there but this isn’t guaranteed). But there are some at Hope car park (only open from 8 am) so worth popping in before you start the walk – Google location

However, for the remainder of the walk, there are no toilets on the route. Once you reach the busy sections of Kinder Scout there are less discreet areas to go, Brown Knoll section is very open as it’s all flagstoned but around Lord’s Seat there are a few spots.

Once you reach Mam Tor and the Great Ridge there is nowhere, as it’s a busy path! But not long until you reach Hope!

Other useful information

If you’re doing this hike in summer, most of the route isn’t too muddy so you can wear hiking shoes or trail runners , but for a winter hike you’re probably better with a lightweight pair of waterproof boots – (lightweight to stop blisters and waterproof to keep your feet dry!)

Cotswold Outdoor has a great range of hiking footwear – plus a footwear clearance range where you might pick up a bargain!

The Edale Skyline Challenge is a tough and challenging walk. Since it’s a circular walk of some distance there aren’t many options to shorten the route as you’re walking around the ridge.

However, for a few options to shorten the circular walk, read my ideas at the end of the route description.

The route has sections which are straightforward as you’re following the edge of the Edale Skyline but in poor weather, it’s very easy to take the wrong turn so take a map and compass with you (see below).

Water on your walk – We recommend a filter water bottle for your Peak District walks, it saves you carrying extra weight on this long hike and you can fill up safely and drink water from the streams on the route.

Also for after your walk, take a lightweight pair of shoes or sandals (I love my Teva Sandals) – your feet will love you! And a boot bag to stop your car stinking of mud and sweaty feet!

Peak District weather

Check the weather for your walk location and hills. The weather in the Hope Valley compared to up on the Edale Skyline route can be vary greatly and be unpredictable. Please be prepared for all conditions!

• BBC Weather for Edale
• Met Office weather for Kinder Low (the highest point on the walk)
• Met Office weather and/or MWIS (Mountain weather information service) for the Peak District

• Please keep the Peak District beautiful and respect everyone who uses the park. Take ALL your rubbish home to dispose of and remember close gates (as you found them). Thank you so much.

  Would you know what to do in an emergency situation?

  

  We have a guide with what to do, who you need to call and also some useful kit that should be in your backpack. Ask us any questions in the comments or via our social media.

  Happy hiking + stay safe

  read here

Ordnance Survey Walk Map

The map for this walk is the Ordnance Survey OL1 – Peak District (Dark Peak Area).

View the different prices here with Ordnance Survey or Amazon. If you’re hiking in all weather the Active OS maps are good to have as they are laminated so better on rainy days.

And don’t forget your compass, I recommend the Silva Expedition or the Silva Classic compass.

For online maps, I recommend 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 OS Online App. All the walks on the website are created using OS Online + you can download them to the App.

See both maps that cover the Peak District here.

Want to learn more map skills? Check out our Guided Walks with map reading skills here.

Check prices here for the one month or yearly option with OS Online App. 

Want to read later? Save the walk to Pinterest

Edale Skyline walk route

Stage 1 – Hope Station to Win Hill

Distance: 2 miles/3.2 km

Grid reference SK 180 832

Start your Skyline challenge from Hope Train Station, cross the bridge and take the footpath on the other side. The walk takes you into a field, turn right over the small wooden bridge and over the next two fields.

Turn left up the road, then right and left again onto a footpath that takes you up to the path with views across to Ladybower Reservoir.

Take the footpath on the left heading uphill, you’ll see Win Hill summit ahead, your first summit on the Edale Skyline route, marked with a trig point.

Stage 2 – Win Hill to Ringing Roger

Distance: 5.3 mile/8.5 km

Grid reference SK 186 850

From the trig point at Win Hill, descend down on to the path and follow this for about 4 km, past the woods and all the way down a track until you reach Hope Cross.

On this part of the walk on a clear day, you have beautiful views of the Edale Skyline hills around the Hope Valley in front of you.

Then it’s time to ascend again via Crookstone Out Moor. The footpath follows the edge, you can then detour via Ringing Roger, where there are a large group of rocks or cut over the top in between the two cairns.

Shorten the walk

At Ringing Roger Rocks there are options to descend if you need to shorten the walk into Edale village.

Stage 3 – Ringing Roger to Near Edale Rocks

Distance: 3.7 miles/6 km

Grid reference SK 125 872

Continue walking along the edge, as you walk along the Edale Skyline on a clear day you can see all the way along to Win Hill, the start of your walk.

There’s also the beautiful Grindslow Knoll, not part of the route but a great hill. As you follow the path around you’ll reach a path giving you the option to go up here! (Option to shorten walk here)

Make sure you continue walking west towards Crowden Tower, which is the halfway mark on the walk. (Option to shorten hike here)

At Crowden Tower, make your way through the boulders which are dotted around on this section, known as the Woolpacks. There are various different ways through here, but if you stick to the lower tracks you’ll eventually make your way out onto the flagstones that lead to Noe Stool

From Noe Stool, you can see the iconic Edale Rocks, but you now want to head down a single track to a large cairn.

Noe Stool is the halfway point on the Edale Skyline, however, you have done approximately 800 metres of ascent so it’s half the distance but about two thirds of the ascent.

Stage 4 – Near Edale Rocks to Mam Tor

Distance: 4.7 miles/7.6 km

Grid reference SK 07956 86506

At the cairn, this is where you join a short section of the Pennine Way. Follow the path as it descends to a narrow track.

Once you reach the track go through the gate on your right then keep walking in a southerly direction over Brown Knoll where there’s another trig point.

This section of the Edale Skyline challenge is particularly remote, but the flagstoned path means you can’t get lost (if you stay on it!)

Follow the path, until you reach a track. Turn right here for a short distance, before then turning left at the wall as you head up to Rushup Edge, then along to Lord’s Seat.

Be sure to take the lower path that descends to meet the road, before then taking the path up to Mam Tor summit.

Useful information

Once you leave the Pennine Way to head up to Brown Knoll there’s no shorter way back to Hope. You can continue on the Pennine Way, heading down Jacob’s Ladder to go a lower level route but the distance is the same.

Stage 5 – Mam Tor to Hope Station

Distance: 4.5 mile/7.2 km

Grid reference SK 127 836

This is the most popular section of the Edale Skyline walk as Mam Tor is very accessible from both Edale and Castleton, as well as a car park close by.

Follow the Great Ridge all the way, up over Back Tor, then on to the final summit Lose Hill.

Once you’ve reached Lose Hill, you can then ascend down the hill and you’ll reach the road that leads you to Hope Station.

Do you have any more questions about the Edale Skyline hike? Ask me in the comments below.

More options for this walk

As mentioned, you can start the route from Edale, which as you can see adds a considerable amount on to the walk, an extra 4-miles/6 km and an extra 355 metres of ascent. But if you like a challenge… 🙂

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Shorten the walk

There are limited options to shorten the Edale Skyline walk unless you turn back before the halfway mark (Crowden Tower) but on a bad weather day, you can descend into Edale from various points on the walk.

From Edale, you would need to walk up over Hollins Cross and then drop down into Hope. This option is about 5 miles from Edale.

You can leave the Edale Skyline route at Ringing Roger, Grindsbrook Clough or Crowden Clough to shorten the route.

Alternatively, there is a train station in Edale which you can catch back to Hope station. The trains leave approximately 36 minutes past the hour and take 15 minutes.

Please feel free to ask me any questions in the comments below.

More walks in the Peak District

Love the walks in the Dark Peak Area of the Peak District?

Maybe you’d like to start with some shorter walks in the Peak District or you might like these Peak District circular walks. These make great training routes for the Skyline hike as they include sections of the route

• Edale to Kinder Scout via Grindsbrook
• Rushup Edge + Mam Tor Walk From Barber Booth | 6-Mile Route
• Mam Tor + Lose Hill Walk From Castleton | 7-Mile Route

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