Lose Hill

Lose Hill is an unmistakable peak in the Peak District, rising at the eastern end of the Great Ridge opposite Mam Tor. From its summit, walkers are rewarded with sweeping views over the Hope Valley, Edale, and towards the Derwent moors, making it one of the highest and finest vantage points in the region. Steeped in local legend, Lose Hill is said to have gained its name from a battle where its defenders were defeated by forces on nearby Win Hill, giving the pair their memorable names. Peaceful, picturesque, and less crowded than Mam Tor, Lose Hill is a perfect spot for hikers in search of classic Peak District views.

Start at Hope Car Park, head to the right onto Castleton Road, cross the zebra crossing, and past the garage and Grasshopper cafe towards a public footpath lane on your left.

Note: if you want to start the Lose Hill walk from Castleton, skip to step 4 and loop back round.

Go down the public footpath. You can also park on the roadside here. It’s on the left side of Curry Cabin (facing the entrance) and opposite the road from the Woodroffe Arms.

The footpath takes you up through a gate with an official sign to Lose Hill and Mam Tor Ridge. The land around the public footpath is privately owned so there may be sheep and chickens around.

The footpath comes out on Eccles Close. Follow the road to the right and past Hope Clinic.

As the road bends around to the right, there is a gate ahead on the other side of the road. Cross and go through it.

Keep going straight up the footpaths filled with greenery. There will be signs to keep you on track.

You can see Lose Hill in the distance sticking out from the trees. The ground is still relatively flat at this point in the walk.

After a series of gates and crossing a green bridge, the path will split with a white house in front. Go left and then follow the bend to the right going past the property.

The footpath takes you through more gates with some shaded trees to stop for cover on hot days. After this point, you will have limited cover from the elements for the next 1 and a half hours on the path from Mam Tor towards Castleton.

As the path takes you across a field, there will be a wooden gate ahead as the path splits off to the left. Go over the stile and follow the public footpath sign straight on.

At the end of the field you’ll reach another stile. Once you go over it, head forward and left like the walkers in the picture above.

This leads to yet another stile and boggy water, which isn’t suitable for drinking if you brought doggo along with you. Once you’re over the stile, head to the right where you’ll start to feel more of an incline.

Go past a stone barn in the near distance and keep going until you get to a stone wall and public footpath sign. Stick to the right of the wall heading in the same direction to the gate (there’s likely sheep in this field as well).

Go left through the gate and head straight on through a passage where you’ll find a berry tree as the path then bends around to the right going up to a metal gate. This is a good time to take a short break before 15-20 minutes of steeper elevation to the summit.

Keep going straight up, ignoring the Castleton path bending to the left, until you reach the wooden gate at the top. In short succession, go through and then head to the next gate on your left.

You’ve now made it to ‘Lose Hill Pike Ward’s Piece’ marked by The National Trust sign. Your ascent gets even steeper at this point, almost enough to make the walk moderate difficulty, but it’s only a short stretch to the summit. Just think of the wonderful views that await you.

Lose Hill summit has a stone pillar with a metal-plated compass showing you all kinds of locations in different directions. When you reach the top, Edale hills are straight ahead of you. The peaks turn into a glorious sea of purple thanks to the blooming heather from around mid-August to late September. If you turn back in the direction you came from, you can appreciate sweeping views of Castleton village, Winnats Pass and the surrounding Hope Valley countryside.

When you’re ready, turn left at the top and follow the stoned main path (straight on in the image above).

The gate ahead marks the exit of Lose Hill Pike onto the Mam Tor ridge heading to Back Tor in the middle. You can spot it easily in the distance because the area is surrounded by trees on the hillside. The path splits into two beyond this gate but they both lead onto the same path again.

When you arrive at Back Tor, you might notice a sudden decline on the path (pictured above). You’re currently on the summit of Back Tor. It’s much easier going down than up, one of the reasons Hope is a better starting point than Castleton as most of the incline is gradual.

At the bottom, follow the public footpath sign to the left and keep going in the same direction towards Hollins Cross. There’s much to admire about Mam Tor along the way.

Hollins Cross is marked by another stone pillar on the path. People usually congregate in this area as it’s a key navigation point going in four directions with historical importance as a travel route between Castleton and Edale, especially for carrying coffins of the deceased.

When you’re ready, go through the gate on your left towards Castleton.

The path then splits into two. Stick to the main path to the left going down.

At the bottom, go through the gate and path and then another leading onto Hollowford road. Note: some people doing this walk in reverse from Castleton may turn left here where the sign points to Back Tor and Lose Hill. The path up skips Hollins Cross but is less steep.

Follow Hollowford Road straight on, sticking to the right when the path splits until you reach the small road bridge in Castleton village.

A few minutes later, there will be a house on your left with a road sign labelled ‘Millbridge’ followed by Mill Lane on the left. Just further up, there’s a lane going to the right (see picture above). This route is a bit more scenic and lets you walk through the main village street and see Peveril castle but you can skip this by going straight on out onto the main road and turning left down How Lane (at the end, Castleton Coffee will then be on your left if you want a drink).

Go down this short picturesque lane to Castleton’s main car park (HPBC) and then turn left. You can also start the Lose Hill walk here if visiting Castleton.

Follow Peakshole Water stream straight to the main road. Further down the path there’s a visitor centre on your right side to learn more about this historic village and why there’s a Norman castle fort overlooking it.

At the main road, known as Cross Street, turn left towards Bulls Head pub. Castleton is the most visited village and place for pubs in the Peak District so now is a good time to stop and enjoy some lunch, explore local shops or grab a coffee/ice-cream. The George pub, located just down Castle Street to the right of Bulls Head, may be preferable both to see the the remains of Peveril castle close up and another key reason you’ll discover shortly on the walk.

Head straight on through Cross Street and follow the road down Back Street as the road bends around to the left. Shortly after it will turn to the right to How Lane (where you come out walking straight up from Millbridge Lane at the start of step 4).