Edale, Mam Tor, Win Hill and Derwent Dam from Ladybower

The route

Starting from Fairholmes, the route climbs early onto Win Hill, whose modest 462m summit punches well above its height for the view - the full sweep of Ladybower below and the Hope Valley opening out beyond. From there it drops into Hope Valley proper and crosses towards Edale, the spiritual start point of the Pennine Way, before climbing again onto the Great Ridge.

The Great Ridge

Mam Tor is the obvious landmark here, its crumbling south face giving it the local nickname the Shivering Mountain, and the paved path across its summit is one of the most popular stretches of high ground in the Peak District. The route doesn't stop at Mam Tor's 517m top, though - it continues along the ridge system towards Kinder's western edge before turning back for Derwent, meaning you're running at height for a genuinely sustained stretch rather than a single there-and-back climb.

Why it works

At just under 30km with 1207m of ascent, this is a proper day out rather than a quick loop, and it covers ground that most visitors only ever see in disconnected chunks. Running it as one continuous circuit - Win Hill, Edale, the ridge, then back over the moor to Derwent - gives you a sense of how the Dark Peak actually fits together, which you don't get from any single there-and-back route up just one of them.

Getting there

Edale and Hope both sit on the Hope Valley railway line, so if you want to split the route or bail out partway, public transport is genuinely on your side here in a way it rarely is on Peak District fell routes. This also makes the route a good option for point-to-point days with friends running at different paces, since either station gives an easy way to peel off. Grouse shooting affects some of the moorland sections from August to December.