The Hope Valley is a rural area centred on the village of Hope in the Peak District. It is a very popular tourist destination, particularly as the Hope Valley line railway from Sheffield to Manchester runs through it from the western end of the Totley Tunnel near Grindleford to the eastern end of the Cowburn tunnel near Edale. This is a very popular way to visit Hope Valley and the railway follows the Edale Valley to its junction with Hope Valley, just east of Hope village and continues with stations at Hope, Bamford and Hathersage.
It is a large wide valley running east-west along the boundary between the White Peak, wonderful walking country, with limestone outcrops and deep cut Dales, and also the Dark Peak, the grit stone moors and edges which are a climbers and rambler’s paradise.
The Hope Valley is a wonderful place to take a holiday and is a haven for those who love biking, pony trekking, climbing and potholing as well as angling and bird watching. For the extreme sports enthusiast this area is also very popular hang gliding and paragliding, jumping off the Shivering Mountain, Mam Tor, which heads the Valley magnificently. Having once been home to Iron Age man, whose fort can still be seen on top of the hill, the top of the Valley is home also to the spectacular Winnat’s Pass, a truly spectacular gorge cut into limestone which towers menacingly above the walker. It is also the only road in from the west now, since the road around Mam Tor has eroded badly and is totally impassable.
Although the valley appears to be a single one, the name of the River changes several times, starting with the Peakshole Water, which enters Hope and then flows to the lower reaches and changes its name to the River Noe, which has flowed all the way from Edale. This river flows to Bamford where it enters the River Derwent, which has travelled about 10 miles from Bleaklow. By this time the term Hope Valley is no longer applicable, and is now technically the Derwent Valley. The River Derwent rises high on Howden Moor and flows through a series of massive reservoirs which are another important recreational centre.
Hope Valley stretches between Castleton to the historic town of Hathersage, and has some of the most famous and historically significant sites such as Peak Cavern, Peveril Castle and the Iron Age hill fort of Carl Wark. It is an area which has its own story with ancient locations which have made their own place in history. For those seeking walking, there is no better place than this rugged and inspirational landscape. There are many cycling trails and the walking will take your breath away, and for those who like horses, pony trekking around the beautiful Hope Valley hills is a holiday to remember.