🥾 Walking route
Lantern Pike Circular (Ethel), High Peak
Derbyshire
- 📏 7.6 km · 4.7 mi
- ⛰ +288 m
- ⏱ 2 hr 15 min
- 🐕 On lead
Walk stats
- Distance7.6 km · 4.7 mi
- Elevation+288 m
- Duration2 hr 15 min
- DifficultyModerate
- Route typeCircular
- TerrainField paths, woodland tracks, open hilltop and quiet lanes; one sustained climb.
- Best seasonSpring to autumn for clear summit views; can be muddy in winter.
- DogsDog friendly, but livestock likely; lead required on open access land in season.
About this walk
Setting off from the hamlet of Thornsett on the western edge of the High Peak, this circuit climbs steadily onto Lantern Pike, one of the most distinctive small summits in Derbyshire. The rounded top rewards the effort with sweeping views across the Sett Valley towards Kinder Scout, and on a clear day you can pick out the moorland skyline for miles.
Descending eastwards, the route drops through Hey Wood and past a quiet duck pond before threading fields down into Hayfield. Here you pass the Old School Field and the village war memorial, with the option to detour past Hayfield Park or continue on beside the River Sett. The path then follows the valley westwards, tracing the water down to Birch Vale Reservoir.
From Birch Vale a final gentle climb returns you to Thornsett, closing the loop. It is a satisfying half-day out that combines a real hilltop with woodland, water and village lanes, and Little Hayfield and The Sycamore Inn sit close by should you fancy a stop along the way.
Route map
Route line drawn from OpenStreetMap footpath data. Numbered markers are waypoints on the route; amber star markers are points of interest a short detour away.
Waypoints along the route
9 waypoints along the way
- 1
Thornsett (start and finish)
- Start / finish
Start and finish of this circular route.
- 2
Lantern Pike
- 3
Hey Wood
- 4
Duck pond
- 5
Old School Field
- 6
Hayfield War Memorial
- 7
River Sett
- 8
Birch Vale Reservoir
- 9
Birch Vale
Worth a short detour
Points of interest just off the route, look for the amber markers on the map.
Foxholes Clough
~386 m off the route
Widdows Hey Wood
~469 m off the route
Hayfield Park
~246 m off the route
Little Hayfield
~333 m off the route
The Sycamore Inn
~217 m off the route
Route & waypoint data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).