Peak District walk: Over Haddon and Bakewell

Pride and Prejudice in Bakewell with Jane Austen

‘There is no finer county in England than Derbyshire,’ Jane Austen claimed. High praise indeed.

Chatsworth House may or may not have been the Pemberley of the author’s imagination, but it made a fitting film location for the home of Darcy in the 2005 adaptation.

The descriptions of ‘Lambton’ in the novel certainly seems to match Bakewell. Stories persist Austen stayed at the Rutland Arms in 1811, the very room she allegedly revised her manuscript of Pride and Prejudice pinned down.

Historians refute these stories, but whatever the truth, Derbyshire was an inspiration for the romantic writer.

This walk, just under five miles, starts from Over Haddon, dropping to Bakewell with lovely vistas over the market town, returning via Intake Lane with panoramic views of the White Peak.

From the car park off Main Street, head up the hill through the village, veering left onto Bakewell Road.

Leaving the village, look for a public footpath sign on your right where the road bends. It funnels you between two drystone walls for a short distance.

Take the stile on the right and drop through the steep-sided valley to a road. Turn left, the road meeting the edge of Bakewell and Lady Manners School, where it becomes Upper Yeld Road.

Where it meets Yeld Road, turn right down the wide pedestrian path, a leafy car-free pathway initially running between pretty stone-built town houses.

Butt Road emerges at Kings Street. At the bottom you will find the Rutland Arms Hotel, where Jane Austen allegedly stayed; the pretty hotel built as a coaching inn in 1804.

Head along Rutland Square and Bath Street to the town bridge. Drop down to the river on the right just before the crossing and follow this lovely section of the Wye through the park.

Veer right towards the children’s playpark, looking for a narrow pedestrian path that cuts across the housing estate on your left. It hits the Wye again, then Agricultural Way.

Cross the road to drop down to the Sewage Pump Station and follow the path alongside the Wye, emerging at the A6.

Cross the road to follow the brown bridleway sign up Intake Lane, the surfaced road becoming an unmade farm track.

Pause to take in the far-reaching views: Manners Wood, Haddon Hall, Stanton-in-the-Peak, Stanton Moor, even Minninglow all make an appearance.

At the end of the lane, head up the field to the road. Turn left, then right onto New Close Lane. Look out for a fingerpost on your left.

The public footpath takes you over fields to the Lathkil Hotel – a pub with some of the finest views in the Peak District - a good place to rest before continuing along School Lane and Main Street to your starting point.