Often known as the ‘Palace of the Peaks’ the Palace Hotel is renowned both locally and nationally for its standards of customer service, cuisine and accommodation. Richly decorated rooms match the beautiful Victorian architecture and the hotel successfully combines traditional heritage with state-of-the-art facilities. Your stay will also provide you with complimentary usage of the Bodysense Health and Leisure centre (subject to Covid restrictions allowing this) comprising a 14m swimming pool, fitness suite, sauna and steam rooms. This will relax and revive you after your day’s walk.  

To allow you to choose a walk that suits you best we will provide a minimum of two walks on each day, led by professional and knowledgeable walking guides. On both days there will be a harder walk of 10-12 miles with 1000+ft of ascent, and a gentler walk of 6-9 miles with less ascent. All walks are weather dependent and own transport may be taken to the walk starts. You will be supplied with a ‘what you must bring’ list - it is your responsibility to ensure you have these items.

You MUST have:

• Facemask

• Sanitiser

• Walking boots

• A Water bottle (minimum 1 litre)

• A Rucksack with a plastic liner

• Waterproofs: jacket and trousers

• A Warm hat

• Warm gloves (not leather)

• Thick walking socks

• Base layer: (thin thermal or warm T-shirt. Best not to be cotton as it gets cold when wet)

• Over layer: (warm sweater or fleece)

• Extra layer: warm top for when cold (eg. when stopped for lunch)

• Comfortable walking trousers (not jeans as they are too cold & heavy when wet)

• Personal Medication

• Smart casual clothes for the evening.

You may wish to bring:

• Vacuum flask (if you like hot drinks on the hill)

• Medium size Tupperware container or plastic bag, to put picnic lunch in.

• Sit mat 

• Sun glasses

• Lip salve

• Camera

• Personal first aid kit

• Trekking Poles

In good weather and/or summer, you may also wish to bring

• Short trousers

• T - Shirts

• Sun hat

• Sun tan lotion

In poor weather and/or winter, you may also wish to bring:

• Gaiters

• Extra warm clothing

Maps - if you like to have a map of the area's you are walking in, we will be working from 1:25000: Explorer: OL24: Peak District White Peak Area and 1:25000: Explorer: OL1: Peak District Dark Peak Area

For a delectable first day we will probably head down to the Monsal Dale area. This beautiful area offers the absolute best of the White Peak with fine hamlets dressed around picturesque tight valleys, open moorland and a myriad of stonewalls bounding the field systems and drover’s bridleways. But come here, there is more…. this is railway country too that came of age during the industrial revolution and there is plenty of industrial architecture here too. The old railway line is a fine feature here too with the most resplendent via-duct affording a remarkable spectacle. Eventually we will head home to the comforts of the hotel and get ready in nice time for the evening’s New Year’s meal. For New Years day, to clear the cobwebs away, we will head out from the house and two memorable circuits of the local area. There is so much to go at here and while the hard walk head out across the wild remote moors and into the Goyt valley the moderate walkers are taking an inside pathway of the same circuit. Both routes then criss-cross and head to the impressive viewpoint of Solomon’s Temple. Now for our final day it shall be characterised by the fascinating limestone scenery, deep limestone gorges, exposed escarpments, lush flower-rich pastures and the famous underground cave systems plus pretty hamlets or indeed the escarpments and edges of the interesting Dark Peak. For now we shall leave it as a magical mystery tour allowing us find the dales that offer us the best walking at this time of year though whichever final day route we choose it shall be a magnificent end to an great New Year’s walking break indeed!

New Year There is a black tie and posh frock dinner on the New Year’s Eve and we will be having a special Hogmanay New Year’s Eve Meal. We’re not sure if New Year’s Eve is actually going to go beyond 10 pm this year but either way we’ll appreciate what we have and make the most of it like we always do. 

Venue: The Palace Hotel, Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6AG 

Directions by car: We have arranged free parking for you. 

From the M6 North: Exit at Junction 20 and follow the M56/M60 to Stockport. Then follow the A6 to Buxton and the hotel is in the town centre adjacent to the train station.

From M6 South: Exit at Junction 15 and take the A53 to Leek and then Buxton and the hotel is in the town centre adjacent to the railway station.

From the M1: Exit at Junction 29 onto the A617 to Chesterfield. Then follow the A619 to Buxton and the hotel is in the town centre adjacent to the railway station.

Overall public travel contacts http://www.travelline.org.uk 0871 200 22 33 

Travel by train

The nearest railway station is Buxton (literally 5 minutes’ walk from the hotel).

London via Stockport and takes under 3.0 hrs 

Train Information http ://nationalrail.com 08457 48 49 50 

Train Information http ://the trainline.com 0871 244 1545  

By Taxi:

1. Allied Taxis (01298) 72123

2. A Cabs (01298) 70423

3. Premier Cabs (01298) 77767

If you are having problems finding the centre, please call them directly or you could call one our guide: Andrew Casey: 0774 894 2263

Buxton Tourist Info Centre: Pavillion Gardens, Buxton, SK17 6XN