Win Hill and Ladybower Loop
Win Hill's summit is a bare gritstone knuckle with one of the widest views in the Dark Peak - Kinder, the Derwent moors and the whole Hope Valley at once - for a climb you can fit into a morning.
Effort: Moderate distance, manageable climb
Underfoot: Some uneven or off-path ground
E2·T2 — how we grade routesA 13.1km loop from Heatherdene car park at Ladybower, out along the reservoir shore and up to the rocky 463m summit of Win Hill before dropping back to the water. Good tracks for most of it, with one steep, sustained climb to the top.
Win Hill's summit is a bare gritstone knuckle with one of the widest views in the Dark Peak - Kinder, the Derwent moors and the whole Hope Valley at once - for a climb you can fit into a morning.
The route
From Heatherdene car park beside Ladybower dam, pick up the reservoir track and run north along the water's edge, past the two stone bellmouth overflows - the Ladybower plug holes - that drain the reservoir when it is full. The track is fast and level here, a gentle start that lets you settle in before the work begins. Where the path leaves the water it climbs onto the flank of Win Hill, a steady, sustained pull on field and moor paths that gains most of the route's height in one honest effort. The gradient eases near the top, and a short rise over gritstone brings you to the summit. From there the loop drops back to the reservoir and follows the shore home, 13.1km in total.
The summit
Win Hill Pike stands at 463m, a bare knuckle of rock at the end of a long ridge, and it is one of the best low-effort viewpoints in the Dark Peak. The Kinder plateau fills the skyline to the west, the Derwent moors roll away north, and across the Hope Valley you look straight at Lose Hill and the Great Ridge, with Ladybower laid out directly below. On a clear day it is worth carrying a little food up and taking five minutes at the top before you drop off.
Why it works
This is an approachable way into Dark Peak running. Most of the distance is on good reservoir track, and the only real climb is the single pull onto Win Hill, which is over quickly. It makes a strong first Peak District summit, and a sensible choice on days when the higher moors are buried in cloud and you still want a top. Start early on fine weekends, though - the car park fills, and the shore gets busy later in the day.
The pull onto Win Hill is steep and the summit is fully exposed, catching the weather, and the rock is slippery when wet. The field paths on the climb hold mud after rain. Navigation is straightforward in clear conditions but the moor edge needs care in cloud.
Summits on this route
Leave No Trace
- Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but memories.
- Please respect the countryside and all its inhabitants.
- Dogs on leads near livestock, and around ground-nesting birds from March to July.
- Gates as you find them — open or closed, leave it that way for the farmer and the next runner.
- Take it all home — wrappers, peel, tissue, the lot. It doesn't count as biodegradable if you can still see it.
- Stick to the path where the ground either side is wet, planted, or nesting habitat.
Common questions
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