Last Updated on February 8, 2024 by Natalia
The beautiful Alport Castles walk is one of the hidden gems in the Peak District, thanks to the stunning views of various hills and peaks along the way. Located in the National Trust’s High Peak Estate, the walk offers some of the best views in the Peak District over the course of several hours. Created by a landslide, the Alport Castles are a series of natural gritstone mounds that stretch for around half a mile. We recommend a visit to Alport Castles to anyone in the area, especially if you’re looking to get away from more popular spots like Mam Tor. Find out everything you need to know before you visit with this guide to the Alport Castles circular walk in the Peak District.
Looking for a shorter or easier walk? Make sure to check out our list of easy Peak District walks!
Best time to do the Alport Castles Walk
We would recommend doing the walk to Alport Castles anytime from Spring to Autumn, the more clear day you have the better views you will have. Personally we would avoid any particularly warm days as being a long walk it’s best to do when it’s a bit cooler.
In the winter it’s possible to get snow on the peaks which can make for beautiful scenery but can also make this walk a little difficult to do.
Alport Castles Parking
The best place to park for the Alport Castles walk is at the Derwent Overlook car park, at postcode S33 0AQ. Located by the waterfront of the Ladybower Reservoir and nearby to the Derwent Dam, the car park is a 2 mile drive off the A57, Snake Road.
There are only around 20 parking spaces at the Derwent Overlook car park, so it’s best to arrive early to guarantee a space. The car park is free to use, but this means it can get busy quickly, but as long as you arrive fairly early in the day you should be able to find space.
Alternatively you can start the Alport Castles walk from the nearby Bridge End Car Park, which charges £5 for all day parking.
Alport Castles Circular Walk
Turn left out of the Derwent Overlook car park and walk on the footpath alongside the road for around 100 metres. You want to take the trail leading uphill at a sharp right from the road, so cross over when you reach this point.
Just after you start on this footpath you will reach a gate, which you need to go through and then continue walking uphill on the somewhat muddy path for around 15 minutes.
The path will level out after a while and lead you through some woodland for around 10 minutes. Follow the path through the woods and then climb over the stile which will lead you to an open area.
There are a few different paths at this point, so it’s important not to take a wrong turn! After climbing over the stile walk to the right for a short distance before taking the path to your left, which leads through a field and up to a ladder stile over a stone wall.
As you walk through the field make sure to turn to your left to enjoy some stunning views of nearby hills, peaks and the valley below. Throughout the Alport Castles walk you will be treated to some amazing views, but for us this is one of the best vantage points of the entire hike.
After enjoying the views, climb over the ladder stile and then cross through the field to the gate at the other end. Head through the gate and then follow the path as it leads you to the left.
At this point the Alport Castles walk follows the path along the plateau for the next 45-60 minutes. As this section of the walk is relatively flat it’s quite easy going, and you’ll be treated to some lovely views of the surrounding scenery as you go.
Towards the end of the walk it’s really up to you which different routes to take and which viewpoints of the Alport Castles you want to visit. Keep an eye out for the path on your left that leads downhill towards the Tower – an impressive natural mound resembling a castle tower.
Naturally formed by a landslip, Alport Castles stretches for around half a mile and is believed to be the largest landslide in the United Kingdom. The debris from the landslide created several gritstone mounds that, from a distance, look like castles – thus giving the natural feature its name.
Before heading down the path to the Tower, it’s worth walking on a bit further to get a brilliant view of the Alport Castles from above.
Once you’re ready, retrace your steps and this time take the path downhill towards the Tower. If you want, at this point you can climb up the hill to your left and make your way to another view of the Alport Castles from above.
Alternatively, scramble down the path for a short while and you will find yourself approaching the infamous Alport Castles Tower. The path can be quite uneven and a bit steep at times, so give it a miss if you don’t want anything too strenous.
For anyone looking for a real challenge you can continue down and then try and climb up the Tower itself, which is classified as a grade 1 scramble. We would only recommend giving this a go if you’re confident climbing and scrambling, but it’s still worth heading down towards the Tower for a different view – even if you don’t plan on climbing it.
When you’re ready simply retrace your steps to lead you back to the car park. In total the Alport Castles circular walk should take around 3-4 hours round trip and isn’t that difficult (unless you do the scrambling).
AllTrails is a great app to use to help navigate and discover hikes. They have a circular trail which starts at a nearby car park at Fairholmes rather than the Derwent we recommend. Click here to see the trail in more detail and use this to navigate your way through the hike at Alport Castles!
Tips for Visiting The Alport Castles Hike
Pack a lunch – There are no cafes or restaurants to stop off at on the walk to Alport Castles through the National Trust’s High Peak Estate. It’s definitely worth packing some water, as well as some lunch or snacks to keep you going. If you time it well then you can enjoy lunch with a beautiful view of Alport Castles!
Birds– Keep an eye out for birdlife on your walk to Alport Castles as you can see some wonderful birds in the Peak District. We saw a few kestrels on our walk to Alport Castles, so hopefully you’ll have some luck bird-spotting too!
Walking shoes – It’s a good idea to wear sturdy footwear for the Alport Castles walk, especially as the early section of the walk can be a bit muddy. We recommend a good pair of walking shoes or boots, but if you don’t have any then you should be ok in trainers – as long as you don’t mind them getting dirty!
Maps.me – If you don’t use AllTrails then we recommend downloading maps.me for pretty much any walk in the Peak District. It’s a helpful offline map app that clearly shows walking trails, and also is able to show you your live location even when you have no signal! You should be fine if you follow our directions to Alport Castles above, but if you want a backup then you can’t go wrong with maps.me!
Other Places to Visit in the Peak District
If you need other plans for your trip then check out our articles on some other amazing places to visit in the Peak District below such as Mam Tor!
Bamford Edge – Located relatively nearby to Alport Castles, Bamford Edge is an impressive gritstone rock cliff with some great views over surrounding hills and Ladybower Reservoir. It’s a relatively easy walk which takes around 20-25 minutes, making it an ideal addition to the end of your day if you have time!
The Roaches – An impressive ridge walk with amazing views of the Peak District. The ridge is home to the eerie Doxey Pool, which legend says is haunted by an evil mermaid.
Cave Dale – A beautiful valley with 50-metre high limestone cliffs, helping to make it one of the most picturesque spots in the Peak District.
Parkhouse Hill – Towering hill with some stunning views of the Peak District’s countryside and the nearby Chrome Hill. It’s not an easy climb by any means, and probably best avoided if you don’t like heights!
Chrome Hill – A much easier hike than the nearby Parkhouse Hill, but with similarly spectacular views. One of our favourite walks in the Peak District.
Thor’s Cave – Unique cave with the entrance perfectly framing a view of the Manifold Valley below.
Stanage Edge – A dramatic gritstone cliff that stretches for around 3.5 miles. Offers some wonderful views of the Peak District.
Please note that some links in this article are affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase we make a small commission at no extra cost to you. This money is used to support this website and cover the costs of keeping it online and free to access!
Like this guide to the Alport Castles walk in the Peak District? Pin it!
