Padley Gorge

What does this walk offer?

• Valley Nature Trail 
• Stream - Burbage Brook 
• Rocks 
• Woodland
• Open fields (possible sheep) 

Where? 

Not far from Burbage Rocks/Fox House in the Peak District, Padley Gorge is a deep valley following Burbage Brook, literally 2 minutes down the road. 

Hope Valley,
Derbyshire
S32 2HY

Parking

Every time I've been I've parked on B6521 which the directions below will bring you to. 

Going past Fox House Inn (including the left turn on the corner) you come to another left turn straight after, turn there and continue until you get to this view (B6521) 

If you park on your right here there is an opening in the wall with steps to your right which will take you down to the trail. It is worth noting the lack of public bins around even on the road, we had to triple bag our waste and leave it in the boot until we got home. If your dog goes to the toilet mid walk you will have to carry it around to the end as you won't come back on yourself on the same side to pick it back up. 

Padley Gorge is a fairly deep valley so bare in mind the further down you go, the further up you have to climb to get back up. As with most valleys the majority of the walk is covered by woodland, however in trend with the Peak District there is a few open areas that usually have large rocks scattered around. Large rocks are everywhere throughout the trail as well, so do watch your footing. This can also make it hard to see in the distance as there are lots of things in your way, so if your dog has a habit of going it alone or is unfriendly or scared it may be advisable to keep it on a lead, as you sometimes can't see that there is someone right around the corner (or rock!) 

There are signs at the start of this walk that warn of sheep and to keep your dog on a lead, we didn't see any but it is worth noting. 

We began by following the trail across the bridge onto the other side of the water, and then left into the wooded area (to your left when looking at the trail from the parked cars) and kept on the side furthest away from the road. There is a bridge to cross further along too, but we chose to come back up that side instead. We followed this path for quite a while until it became quite clear it was going to start going very high up, so looking back on ourselves there is a path that leads down toward the stream, steps have been man-made here to make the downward walk easier, then we came to another bridge. This is a great spot to let your dog have a swim should it wish to do so. Some of the rocks around the water are very very slippery, so be careful, even poor Watson couldn't keep his grip and fell in! 

A few trees had fallen down since the last time I was here so be aware they may make the path unclear. Straight across from the bridge were more man-made steps which we took and continued upwards on the other side, back on ourselves. 

The way back can generally be quite steep, and there is a bit of a dip where the stream flows through and you have to climb a small bit of rocks. It's only a few steps but it is there. 

As you make the climb you should then come to a wooden gate which brings you back to where you started, on the other side of the bridge. 

The Fox House Inn is the closest rest spot to here. Look out for our full review of pubs/rest stops in the summer. 

Notes

This is a popular school trip location, so be aware if there's a coach parked up there may well be a class field trip around.  

Also, we've only ever been when it's been a nice day but I can imagine parts of Burbage Brook can get quite fast after rainy weather.