Just to the south of the pretty Peak District village of Tideswell you’ll find Tideswell Dale. This limestone valley with a stream running through its centre is home to a wide variety of plant and animal life, including many rare varieties of orchids and butterflies.
Tideswell Dale is one of the many steep-sided limestone dales in this part of the Peak District. It’s towered over by tall limestone rocks, formed 350 million years ago when the area was under the waters of a warm, tropical sea.
It’s a beautiful, sheltered spot with easy access paths throughout, and makes a great spot for a family picnic and walk. There’s an obvious and accessible path through the dale, completing a circuit around 0.5 km in length around the inner perimeter of the dale.
Combine your visit with a trip to Tideswell village or a longer walk along the nearby Monsal Trail.
There is a large car park (fees apply) at Tideswell Dale, as well as public toilets. There is a sculpture trail and picnic area, and often a refreshment van on the site as well, selling sandwiches, coffee and cakes.
Further parking is available at the other end of the Dale, near Litton Mill.
For a longer route, try our 6 mile Tideswell Walk which starts and ends in Tideswell village. The route goes through Tideswell Dale and Litton Mill, and then along the Monsal Trail to Miller’s Dale, before returning via field paths on the Limestone Way into Tideswell. The route is dog-friendly and pretty much guaranteed to be cow-free for those who want to avoid bovine encounters!
How do I get to Tideswell Dale?
Tideswell Dale is well signposted from the B4049 south of Tideswell in Derbyshire. The car park postcode is SK17 8SN.
