The Best Peak District Dog Walks & Tips for Adventuring With Your Dog
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The stunning Peak District, the place we're lucky enough to call home. Hiking trails here will always beat anywhere else (yes we are bias! :D ). Maybe it’s the muddy paws, the ridiculous excitement the second the dog harnesses comes out, or the fact every walk somehow ends with you both absolutely filthy and starving!! We LOVE it!
These are the walks we genuinely keep going back to. Not the “Top 10 walks copied from Google” kind. The proper favourites. The ones where you already know which layby fills up first and which trails are worth dragging yourself out of bed early for.
A trail that feels peaceful at 7am can feel like a city centre by 11am on a sunny Saturday. If your dog gets overwhelmed by crowds, bikes, or loads of other dogs, those earlier starts are gold. Plus the cooler air, quieter paths, and sunrise views over the hills make the whole thing feel absolutely magic!
Edale & Kinder Scout - 👉 View Edale Car Park on Google Maps Edale Car Park - HPBC - Google Maps
Big climbs, changing scenery, tired legs, muddy paws, sarnies halfway round, the full Peak District experience! Edale and Kinder Scout are by far our favourite trials. The memories we have of hiking these give us butterflies! They're rugged, sometimes windy, muddy, rocky, and completely beautiful. One minute you’re climbing through streams, the next you’re standing on top of the hills feeling on top of the world with views stretching for miles while your dog charges around like the happiest dog on earth.
It’s brilliant for fell running too if you’ve got a dog that never seems to run out of energy, and if you have the legs for it! The feeling of scrambling up the centre of Edales rocks to the summit where it opens up for some breath taking skyline views, it really is euphoric!
That said these routes get BUSY later on. Especially once the weather gets decent. If we’re heading to Mam Tor, Kinder, or the Edale trails, we nearly always aim for an early start because it’s just a completely different experience before the crowds arrive.
Macclesfield Forest - 👉 View Macc Forest Car Park on Google Maps Standing Stone Car Park - Google Maps
Macclesfield Forest is one of those places we always end up drifting back to when we want something a bit quieter, greener, and a little more tucked away than the big name Peak District spots.
It’s a proper mix of woodland trails, reservoirs, and gentle or sharp climbs, and it has this way of slowing everything down the moment you step under the trees. Dogs seem to love it for exactly that reason it’s less about marching on and more about wandering, sniffing, exploring, and just enjoying being out.
If you fancy a bit more of a challenge, you can head up towards Tegg’s Nose and bag the trig point. It’s a short but rewarding climb, and the views from the top stretch right across the Cheshire Plain and back towards the Peaks. From there, you can also link out towards Wildboarclough and the surrounding moorlands, where everything starts to feel a bit wilder and more open.
What we love most about this area is that you’ve got options depending on the kind of day you want. Some days it’s those steeper, shorter climbs that get the legs burning in the best way, and other days it’s slower loops close to the reservoirs and lower woodland where everything feels calmer and more relaxed.
We’ve been lucky enough to spot deer here more than once, and there’s usually something overhead too lots of buzzards circling, red kites drifting across the sky, and then theres that quiet soundtrack of the forest just doing its thing!
It’s also a brilliant alternative when the higher Peaks are windy, you can hide away from the weather a bit better here. Macclesfield Forest has this calm, tucked away energy that always leaves you feeling a bit reset afterwards :)
Ladybower Reservoir - 👉 View Ladybower Reservoir car park on google maps Heatherdene Car Park - Google Maps
Ladybower is one of those walks we end up doing all year round.
It’s ideal when you just want an easier wander. You’ve got water the whole way round, loads of places for dogs to paddle, and enough open space that nobody feels on top of each other.
The misty mornings here are unreal too. Proper flask of coffee, cosy jacket, slow start kind of walks. If you can get here early when its quiet, the bird sounds are unmatched!
Padley Gorge 👉 Padley Gorge Car Park on Google Maps National Trust Padley Gorge - Google Maps
There’s water, rocks, tree roots, tiny little paths, sticks everywhere, and about five thousand smells to investigate every ten seconds. It feels properly wild without being a mega difficult hike.
This is usually one of our go to spots when it’s warmer because the tree cover keeps everything cooler. Although fair warning if it’s rained recently, there is absolutely no graceful way through some of the muddy bits.
You just have to accept the mud. Spiritually and physically!
Monsal Trail 👉 Monsal Trail Car Park on Google Maps Bakewell Station (Monsal Trail) Car Park - Peak District NP - Google Maps
This is the walk for days when you just want to bimble.
No huge climbs. No scrambling over rocks. Just an easy, relaxed wander with loads of countryside views and plenty of café opportunities along the way.
It’s also a really good option for older dogs or recovery walks when you still want to get outside without doing anything too intense.
A Few Things We’ve Learned Along The Way
Always bring more water than you think you’ll need! And drink it even if you don't feel thirsty!
The weather in the Peaks changes ridiculously quickly, so an extra layer usually ends up being a good idea even if it looked sunny when you checked the forecast and left the house.
And if you’re walking anywhere near livestock, popping your dog back on the lead is just the right thing to do even if their recall is brilliant.
We’d also never head into the hills now without a comfortable harness and strong lead. It just makes longer walks so much easier, especially on uneven ground or busy trails. Our GO-B-BOLD Harness paired with our GO-B-FLEXTRA Multifunctional Rope Lead are the perfect pair to offer you maximum safety and allowing you to change up your hiking set up as the terrain changes!
Neerdog | Go-B-Bold Dog Harness | Hollyhock
GO-B-FLEXTRA | Multifunctional Rope Lead | Lantana – Neerdog
Why People Keep Coming Back
The best thing about walking in the Peak District is the feeling of being outside together. Muddy boots, tired legs, happy dogs, snacks eaten sitting on a rock somewhere, and that weird sense that everything feels a bit simpler for a few hours. In our eyes the Peak District has a bit of everything, tougher trails, magical forests, plenty of hills and flat trails too, wildlife and wildflowers galore...and the people are lovely too! :)
