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The Padley Gorge walk is genuinely one of our favourite walks in the Peak District. And for good reason. Within a 3.5km loop you can paddle in the river, see waterfalls cascading down rocks, drink from a natural spring, visit historical chapel ruins, admire the Totley Tunnel and get a chip butty from Grindleford Station cafe. And there is normally an ice cream van waiting for you at the end of your walk. The Padley Gorge walk is great for families, couples and solo trekkers. The route can easily be extended to see some other awesome sights in the area – Surprise View and the Longshaw Estate. We grew up in this area and have given you all of the insiders tips- parking, maps and things to watch out for on the Padley Gorge walk. Also don’t miss our AMAZING guide on Peak District family walks. If you have little ones check out THE BEST Peak District walks with toddlers.
Padley Gorge walk map
Interactive map of the Padley Gorge walk. Click the pins for more details.
Padley Gorge walk Fast Facts
- Difficulty: Easy
- Route Type: Round walk
- Distance: 3.5 km / 2.5 miles
- How long does it take to walk? 1.5 – 2.5 hours
- Highlights: Padley gorge, Natural spring, Bole Hills, Padley Chapel, Grindleford Station cafe and Totley tunnel
- Best time to visit: Padley gorge and Grindleford cafe can be very busy during peak times (holidays and weekends) and during nice weather. We recommend arriving early for parking.
- Start location: Start on the B6521 GPS 53.31594, -1.61415
- Terrain and Accessibility: This route follows rocky woodland paths and has some short very steep sections. This route is not accessible for wheelchairs or prams.
- Getting there: The best public transport option for this walk is to take a train. The Manchester – Sheffield line runs through the Peak District past Grindleford Station cafe.
- Food and drink: We recommend stopping at the Grindleford Station cafe to buy food and drinks. They sell ice creams, hot drinks, cold drinks, cakes and snacks. They also serve a selection of hot food (chips, eggs, sausages and butties).
What is parking like at Padley Gorge?
Parking at Padley Gorge is often busy. We recommend arriving early to get the best spots. Parking can be especially busy during weekends and holidays. Padley Gorge itself is a very popular spot for picnics and family paddling in the water. The best parking spot is on the B6521 near the footpath to the Longshaw Estate. There are often ice cream vans here and there is a gate that leads directly down to Padley Gorge.
There are a few alternative parking places in the area. If you can’t find parking on the roadside at the start of the walk, there is more street side parking a few hundred metres up the road just round the corner. Do not park on the double yellow lines along this road. The Derbyshire police are always too eager to patrol this area at busy times looking to make some more pocket money.
If you can’t find any parking spots along the B6521 there are three other options:
One option is to take a U-turn (a bit tricky on this road) and then drive back and turn left on the A6187 and drive to the Surprise View pay and Display car park. Then cross the road and follow the trail around 500m to Padley Gorge.
A second option – you can park at the Woodcroft pay and display car park – this is the main car park for Longshaw Estate. You can take a short and beautiful walk through Longshaw to get to Padley Gorge.
A Third option: If you are happy to start the Padley Gorge walk from the bottom of the loop, you can also park at Grindleford Station cafe. We have made a super helpful map to show you all of the best parking spots for the Padley Gorge walk.
The Padley Gorge Round walk route
From the gate at the start of the Padley Gorge walk go through the gate, down the steps and follow the path to the bridge that crosses the river. Cross this bridge and then turn left and follow the path along with the river to your left. This is a very popular spot for picnics and paddling. The river is fairly shallow and gentle along this section.
Keep following this path until you reach a gate where the trail leads into the woodlands. Follow the path through the woodlands. Along the way keep an eye out for the money tree. Yes it’s a real thing! You are looking for a small natural spring.
It looks like a small stream to the right of the path, which gurgles under a small tunnel below the path. It is just under 1km from the Padley Gorge bridge that you crossed. This spring is safe to drink from – the water is very cool and refreshing. If you follow the small river a few hundred meters up the hill you can actually see the origin of the spring as the water gurgles out of the rocks in the hillside. Be careful, this section can be quite boggy for walking.
After enjoying the spring keep walking down the main path a further few hundred metres. Keep an eye out for a right turn. It is easy to miss if you are not watching out for it. Follow the path up to the right, which leads up the valley side. If you need to take a shorter route here you can continue to follow the main path which leads down to Grindleford Station cafe.
After taking the right turn up the hill, follow the path up. A little further the path reaches a junction. Go left and follow the trail through the woodlands. Keep going straight. You will see another path crossing this one and a gate to your right. Keep going straight and don’t turn off here.
After a short distance the path bends to the right and goes up a short steep hill. Keep following it up this hill. The path then leads round to the left. Keep following it. Notice the steep Bole Hills to your right. If you have free time, enjoy exploring this interesting area. Keep following the path through the gate and down the hill.
You will get to a T-junction at the bottom of the hill. Go right here and notice the ruins of an old building to your right. At this point follow the path round to the left and down the steep hill. Keep going straight down the hill following the main path. Eventually the path will reach a gate and you will see a small road and Padley chapel to your left. Turn left along the road.
If you have time, Padley Chapel makes for a great stopping point. Don’t miss the ruins of the old building around the back. This area is free to explore. Once you have explored Padley chapel return to the road and keep walking along the road in the same direction. The road passes some houses. You will notice a right turn up the hill, don’t go this way, keep following the road. Eventually the road bends round to the right and crosses a bridge over the river. The trail that returns back up the valley to Padley Gorge is just after the bridge on your left.
To get to the Grindleford Station Cafe and Totley tunnel, keep following the road a few hundred metres (past the start of the return trail). Grindleford station cafe has outdoor and indoor seating areas. If you order hot food they have a ticket system and they will call your number to pick up your food at the counter. There are customer toilets at the Grindleford Station cafe.
When you are ready to return to Padley Gorge, take the trail (that starts near the bridge). There are several paths that run up this side of the valley back to Padley Gorge. The route to return to Padley Gorge from Grindleford station is around 1.5km. Follow the path up the valley.
When you get to the steps, go up the steps. You will come to a junction where you can go left down the hill or right up the hill. If you choose the higher path (to the right) you will need to cross some steep brooks in the path. The path leads back to the start of the Padley Gorge walk.
The extended Padley Gorge walk via Surprise View and Longshaw
If you have time and would like a longer Padley Gorge walk here is a 4.5km extended route. This extended route takes you past Surprise View (it really is a surprisingly impressive view of the Hope Valley) Here is a brief description of the extended route: Start the walk from the same starting point at Padley Gorge (GPS 53.31594, -1.61415). Follow the path down to the bridge and cross the bridge. Keep going in the same direction (away from the river) until you reach the main road. Turn left and follow the trail that runs parallel to the main road until you reach Surprise View. At surprise view follow the trail down into the woods and then turn left following the path to Bole Hill. At Bole hill find the trail down the Padley Chapel. At Padley Chapel follow the road towards Grindleford station cafe. At Grindleford Station cafe find the path leading up to the main road above the cafe. This path is to the left of the car park, relative to your direction of travel. Follow the path up to the road. Cross the road and follow the footpath up into the woods on the other side of the road. The path leads round to the left. When the paths fork go right and keep following the path through the beautiful Longshaw Estate until you reach the road where you parked.
Is Padley Gorge pram friendly?
The Padley Gorge walk is a great walk for families with children of any age. Be aware that there are a couple of steep sections of path on this route. At a couple of points the path has a steep drop off to the side. This route would not be suitable for a pram so consider a sling or child carrier if needed.
The other thing to be aware of are some challenging sections of path along the Padley Gorge walk, especially in the woodland valley. Be aware of steep drop offs to the side of the path along some sections. Other parts of the path have some very short steep ups and downs.
Other things to see and do near Padley Gorge in the Peak District
Padley Gorge is located near Surprise View and the Longshaw Estate. Padley Gorge is also not too far from Grindleford Village and Burbage Valley. If you have time you can trek around Burbage valley, Higger Tor and Stanage Edge – don’t miss the EPIC Robin Hood’s cave at Stanage Edge (be prepared there is a little climbing involved). The Fox House pub is also close to Padley Gorge and worth a stop. Alternatively, if you are heading to surprise view, keep following the road down into Hope Valley to get to Hathersage where you will find restaurants, The Bird Cafe and Stepping Stones and even an outdoor swimming pool. If you love an epic photo – then definitely check out the amazing view point at Bamford Edge.
