Round the Peaks

PEAK DISTRICT BOUNDARY WALK: GRAND OPENING ON SATURDAY 17TH JUNE 2017

A brand new long distance walk encircles the Peak District National Park. At 190 miles long, in 20 stages, it’s the only walk in the UK known to complete a full circle around a National Park perimeter.

The new route will be officially opened on Saturday 17th June 2017, by Emma Bridgewater, President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England. On the day, groups of walkers will walk every section of the route, formally opening it up as they go. At the end of the day, everyone will gather in Buxton, the official start and end of the route, to celebrate the new walk. Representatives from all the parishes, districts, boroughs and counties that the walk passes through will be there, as well as local community and outdoor groups.

Following existing paths, tracks and quiet lanes the route enjoys a wonderful mix of all that the beautiful Peak District has to offer; from dramatic crags and open moorland to quiet woodlands and popular trails, with the space to enjoy it’s tranquility. And mile for mile it’s hillier that the Pennine Way!

The outline and timing of the event is as follows:

9.00     Buxton Market opens with a special outdoor focused event with climbing wall, caves, specialist equipment suppliers and outdoor based voluntary groups. Plus food and drink, and Páramo Shop-in-Shop Retailer, Jo Royle.

10.00   From twenty locations around the boundary of the National Park, teams of walkers set out on each of the twenty stages. Their progress will be displayed on Buxton Market Place throughout the day.

12.00   The Grand Opening Ceremony will take place outside Buxton Town Hall, hosted by the Mayor of High Peak and Buxton’s Town Crier and officially opened by Emma Bridgwater, President of CPRE.

15.00   Between them, twenty teams of walkers will have completed the whole of the Peak District Boundary Walk. They’ll head to Buxton to join the celebrations.

18.00   Formal Welcome to the Walkers, followed by a celebration of the inaugural completion of the UK’s newest long-distance walk.

An official guide to the walk, edited by Andrew McCloy, is published on 1 June 2017 by Vertebrate Publishing.  The route and list of stages is shown below – each stage has been chosen with a view to those walkers wanting to tackle it in stages, as well as catering for those who want the challenge of walking the boundary in one go.

For more information about the walk please contact Friends of the Peak District:
Tel: 0114 279 2655 or email julie@friendsofthepeak.org.uk

Páramo Shop-in-Shop Jo Royle is based right in Buxton Market Place and carries the largest range of Páramo clothing in the Peak District.
6 Market Place, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6EB. Tel: 01298 25824