Upper Lathkill Dale – Lathkill Head Cave loop from Over Haddon

Hiking trails & Routes

Upper Lathkill Dale – Lathkill Head Cave loop from Over Haddon

Moderate

4.8

(40)

172

hikers

Upper Lathkill Dale – Lathkill Head Cave loop from Over Haddon

03:46

13.8km

210m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: August 3, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Peak District National Park

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

5.18 km

Hard Rake Plantation

Forest

9.47 km

Upper Lathkill Dale

Highlight • Gorge

The upper Lathkill Dale has a very different atmosphere to the rest of the dale. Narrower and dryer, the limestone cliffs and screes rise dramatically. Rocky and grassy underfoot, it's idyllic and packed with character. The upper Lathkill is a fabulous place for wildflowers in spring and summer.

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9.54 km

Lathkill Head Cave

Highlight • River

Lathkill Head Cave is a cavern within the limestone of the gorge that forms Lathkill Dale, in the White Peak area of the Peak District, in Derbyshire. The cave mouth is found to the east of Monyash.

In wet weather, the water trickling in innumerable rills into the cave creates a stream gushing forth from its mouth to form the River Lathkill, whence the name of the cave. In dry weather the headwater of the river is formed from the springs a little below.

The rocks here are fissured and complex. Cavers have found a number of entrances into the cave which are explored by the fearless.

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11.0 km

Lathkill Waterfall

Highlight • Waterfall

Fantastic multi element waterfall. The more recent rain the more spectacular.

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11.2 km

Carter's Mill Millstones and Weir

Highlight • Structure

This spot used to be the site of Carter's Mill, an old mill powered by the adjacent weir.
All that remains now is the millstones and weir after the building was dismantled, and the iron water wheel removed for scrap in WWII.
The post-medieval corn mill was in use for much of the 19th century. The mill is marked on the 1840 Ordnance Survey map and on a mid-19th century tithe map. The 1880 Ordnance Survey map labels it as a flour mill, but it is disused by the time of the 1922 Ordnance Survey map.

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