The Peak District Challenge

Trek or run your chosen distance in 24 hours

Copper Challenge – 25km

The Copper challengers starts at 9.30am (Main Wave) or 10am (Runners and Fast Walkers wave) on Saturday morning. Challengers can chose which wave they’d prefer on the day – there’s no need to decide in advance.

The Route

You will leave Hathersage in the Hope valley and wind your way past Grindleford, along beside the river Derwent and through the woods to pretty Baslow. From here, you will climb up Curbar and Frogatt edges enjoying some lovely views back to the valley. Next you will wander through Padley Gorge, through the Burbage Valley and up towards Millstone Edge and Mother Cap.

Then it’s a final long downhill along public footpaths to the finish past Mitchell Field and High Lees, and finally find yourself back in Hathersage again. Are you ready to take on the copper challenge and can you finish within the 9 hour target?

Bronze Challenge – 50km in 12 hours

The Bronze Peak District Challenge starts between 7.30am – 8.30am on Saturday morning: There is a time-trial-style start at 1-minute intervals. You can choose when you depart, depending on if you’d like more spare time, or a later start.

The Route

You will leave Hathersage in the Hope valley and walk up the Hope Valley on good paths past Hope and Bamford until you reach Castleton. From here, you will turn south to join the Limestone Way past Peveril Castle and trek through the valley nature reserve of Hay Dale.

Leaving the Limestone way you will meander through idyllic White Peak villages and the Derbyshire Dales nature reserves on your way up to Middleton Moor. A tracked section through the Peak District’s working landscape brings you to pretty Baslow and the final climb up to the Eastern Edges.

You pass above Baslow, Curbar and Froggatt edges with iconic Peak District views until you reach Padley and Grindleford, from where you will rejoin the Derwent Valley heritage trail, and follow the course of the river back home to Hathersage. The total ascent is approx 1140m over the 50km.

Will you make it inside your 12 hour target?

Silver Challenge – 75km in 24 hours

Take on 75km (47 miles) with a 24 hour target and 2,235m of ascent, the Silver Peak District Challenge is shown with silver lines on our route schematic. Not to be underestimated, this route follows the easiest and flattest routes between 7 aid stations, but still covers a huge mileage. During the initial overnight leg, you can chose to join a led group walking with a guide, or navigate yourself. During the daytime, you’ll navigate yourself. Completing the Silver Peak District Challenge earns you 3 ITRA points and is a UTMB(r) index race. You will need to maintain 4kph during the first 9 hours of the event to meet checkpoint cutoffs.

The route

Departing the Hope valley at 9pm on Friday evening, you trek east up on to the Dark Peak moors. You will cross Stanage edge, site of Robin Hood’s cave, and Foulstone Moor to reach Back Tor. Next it’s a descent to Ladybower Valley and an easy flat section around Ladybower reservoirs where the Dambusters trained for their bombing missions in WWII.

You will climb to the geological oddity of Alport Castle, before descending to the vale of Edale through forests, Woodlands valley and the route of the Roman road.

As dawn breaks you re-enter the western end of the Hope valley and head to beautiful Castleton, from where you will join the Limestone Way past Peveril Castle and enjoy the valley nature reserves at Hay Dale.

Joining the Bronze route on the second half of their challenge, you’ll leave the Limestone way and meander through idyllic White Peak villages and the Derbyshire Dales nature reserves on your way up to Middleton Moor. A tracked section through the Peak District’s working landscape brings you to pretty Baslow.

The route home follows the river Derwent north along the Derwent Valley heritage trail through rolling fields and alongside the chattering river to Padley and Grindleford. Your challenge is to finish by 9pm on Saturday evening.

Gold Ultra Peak District Challenge – 100km in 24 hours

Featuring 2900m of ascent, the 100km Gold Ultra route is the ultimate Peak District Challenge, and should be attempted by teams of fit and experienced trekkers or runners who want to see the best that the Peak District has to offer. You’ll visit high points and viewpoints on your way between checkpoints, and there is a lot of climbing involved. You’ll leave Hathersage at 9pm on Friday night. Night navigation experience is essential.

Cutoffs and pace

To be successful, you’ll need to maintain over 4kph to complete the Gold Challenge inside your 24 hour target. If you fail to meet a cutoff on the Gold challenge, you will be able to continue on the 75km Silver route, which follows the shortest, flattest distance between checkpoints. 

The route

Detailed route information is be provided to entrants seven days before the event, but a broad overview of the provisional route is below.  The terrain is a mixture of trails, grassy footpaths and under 15% tarmac minor roads. 

100 miles in 24 hours Ultra

This is a challenging course with very tight cutoffs. You will need to maintain almost 7kph for the entire event to have a chance of completing within the cutoff.

The 100miles route is a lapped course, following the 100km route in it’s entirety, before going back out following the bronze 50km route. After Calver, 100mile entrants will switch to the Copper route, finishing their challenge on the eastern edges, and descending in to Hathersage within 24 hours. There is approximately 4800m of elevation.

This is a hilly and challenging route with very tight cutoffs, suitable for those who’ve already successfully self-navigated 100km runs. The 100 miles in 24 hours Ultra is the ultimate Peak District Challenge, and should be attempted by teams of fit and experienced trekkers or runners who want to see the best that the Peak District has to offer, and want to push themselves to maintain a fast pace over all terrain for a 24-hour period. You’ll leave Hathersage at 9pm on Friday night. Night navigation experience is essential, and you must have previously successfully completed a 100km Ultra.

Cutoffs and pace

To be successful, you’ll need to maintain over 7kph to complete the 100 miles in 24 hours Ultra. If you fail to meet a cutoff, you will be able to continue on the 100km Gold Ultra route, which cuts off a final loop of the 100 miles in 24 hours course.

The route

Detailed route information is be provided to entrants seven days before the event, but a broad overview of the provisional route is below.  The terrain is a mixture of trails, grassy footpaths and under 15% tarmac minor roads.