Two Great Passes and a Drowned Valley in England's First National Park

This roughly 52 mile (83 km) circuit from Castleton gathers the Peak District's greatest hits into one day: the limestone cleft of Winnats Pass, where the road squeezes between steep green shoulders that were once a tropical reef; the shivering flank of Mam Tor, whose landslips famously destroyed the old main road; the wild moorland crossing of Snake Pass, one of England's highest and most storied A-roads; and the Ladybower and Derwent reservoirs, where the Dambusters rehearsed and a drowned village occasionally resurfaces in drought. Castleton itself anchors the loop with a ruined Norman castle and four show caverns, including the source of Blue John, a banded fluorspar found nowhere else on Earth. Britain's first national park (1951) remains its most visited countryside: this circuit is why.

Key Stops

Castleton. The perfect Peak village: Peveril Castle's Norman keep above the rooftops, gem shops selling Blue John, and pubs that have watched five centuries of travelers climb the passes. The national park visitor centre makes the natural start.

Peak Cavern (the Devil's Arse). England's largest natural cave entrance, opening directly from the village, with rope-makers' cottages once built inside its mouth: the most atmospheric of Castleton's four caverns.

Winnats Pass. The circuit's signature: a narrow road climbing a dry limestone gorge at gradients touching 20 percent, between slopes that glow green in sun and turn gothic in mist. Buses and heavy vehicles are banned; everyone else should simply savour it slowly.

Speedwell and Blue John Caverns. Near the pass foot, Speedwell is toured by underground boat along a flooded mine level; on the Mam Tor shoulder, Blue John Cavern still works the famous purple-banded stone.

Mam Tor and the broken road. The "Shivering Mountain" carries a superb short summit walk from Mam Nick, and below it lies the abandoned A625, buckled and stacked by landslides until engineers surrendered in 1979: walking the ruined tarmac is a Peak District rite.

Edale. A short detour into the valley where the Pennine Way begins its 268-mile journey to Scotland, under the gritstone rim of Kinder Scout, scene of the 1932 Mass Trespass that helped win Britain's right to roam.

Snake Pass (A57). The high crossing toward Glossop: 1,680 ft at the summit, open peat moorland for miles, and a road so exposed it features in every winter closure bulletin. The Snake Pass Inn, deep in the forest section, recalls coaching days.

Ladybower Reservoir. The great Y-shaped lake with its two dams and famous plughole overflows: when levels drop, the remains of drowned Derwent village emerge from the water to national headlines.

Derwent Dam. Up the quiet Derwent valley arm: the twin-towered wall where 617 Squadron practised low-level runs for the 1943 Dambusters raid, commemorated in a small museum in the west tower (limited opening).

Hope Valley return. Back through Bamford and Hope beneath Win Hill and Lose Hill, with the Hope cement works chimney as the valley's honest industrial landmark, to Castleton and a well-earned pub.

Driving Tips

Drive Winnats up, early. The pass is at its best climbed from Castleton with morning light in the gorge, and at its emptiest before 9 am; summer afternoons bring queues behind cyclists and camper vans on the 20 percent grades.

Check Snake Pass status in winter. It is among the first roads in England to close in snow and can shut for weeks after moorland fires or landslips; the Hope Valley A6187 is the all-weather alternative.

Expect sheep and cyclists everywhere. Open grazing meets Britain's busiest cycling countryside: pass wide, be patient on the climbs, and watch for riders descending Winnats at speed.

Park and pay in Castleton, then walk. Village lanes choke on summer weekends; the main car park by the visitor centre is the stress-free base, and everything in the village is five minutes on foot.

Book caverns in school holidays. Speedwell's boat tours in particular sell out; morning slots pair naturally with an afternoon on the passes.

Come in late August for the heather. The moors around Snake Pass turn purple for a few weeks: the circuit's most photogenic window, with October's bracken-bronze a close second.

Extend west if the day allows. The Cat and Fiddle road (A537) from Buxton to Macclesfield, England's most famous driving road, hangs one valley beyond the circuit and turns a great day into a legendary one.

For more information visit: Visit Peak District & Derbyshire (Official Site)