Little Hucklow

Hotels are scarce in Little Hucklow itself, reflecting the size of a village with a population under 100, but what is here punches well above its weight: the Blind Bull, a beautifully restored 17th-century inn on the site of one of the country's oldest pubs, now offers five individually styled rooms and a self-contained cottage, alongside a gastropub kitchen and bar that won silver for Pub of the Year at the Visit England Awards for Excellence 2025. It makes a genuinely special base for exploring the White Peak, with Hucklow Edge and the gliding club on the doorstep and some of the best walking country in the Peak District radiating out in every direction.

For a wider choice of hotels, guesthouses and bed and breakfasts, the neighbouring villages of Tideswell, Eyam and Castleton are all a short drive away and offer considerably more in the way of shops, cafes and evening options, while still keeping Little Hucklow's quiet lanes and limestone dales within easy reach. Castleton in particular, with its show caves and access to Mam Tor and the Great Ridge, has the widest range of accommodation in the immediate area, from traditional inns to farmhouse B&Bs, and works well as a alternative base for anyone who wants more facilities than the hamlet itself can offer while still exploring the same stretch of the Peak District.

Whichever base is chosen, the appeal of staying near Little Hucklow lies in its position: high on the limestone plateau, above the more visited valley villages, with wide views, working farmland, and one of the country's longest-established gliding clubs riding the thermals overhead.

The village itself is small, but it sits at the centre of some of the best walking and open-air activity country in the White Peak, with limestone dales, gritstone edges and show caves all within a short drive.

• Derbyshire and Lancashire Gliding Club — Based at Camphill Farm on Hucklow Edge directly above the village, this is one of the oldest gliding clubs in the country, flying from a grass airfield perched on the escarpment. Trial flights can be booked, and there is a public viewing area where you can watch gliders launch and land against the Peak District skyline.
• The Blind Bull — Reputedly on the site of Britain's fifth-oldest public house, this 17th-century inn (previously the Bulls Head, associated in local lore with the highwayman Dick Turpin) has been beautifully restored and won silver for Pub of the Year at the Visit England Awards for Excellence 2025. It is as much a destination in its own right as a place to eat.
• Hazelbadge Hall — A striking early manor house dating from 1549, half a mile from the village on the road towards Bradwell, and considered one of the best-preserved examples of its kind in Derbyshire.
• Peak Cavern and Speedwell Cavern — A short drive away in Castleton, these show caves cut into the limestone beneath Mam Tor are among the most spectacular in the country, with Peak Cavern's vast entrance chamber and Speedwell's underground boat trip through a flooded mine level.
• Cave Dale and the Great Ridge — Walkers can strike out from nearby Castleton up the dramatic limestone ravine of Cave Dale, or tackle the classic Great Ridge walk over Mam Tor and Lose Hill, all within comfortable striking distance of Little Hucklow.
• Circular walks from Hucklow Edge — Waymarked and informal routes link Little Hucklow with Great Hucklow and the limestone valley of Coplow Dale, taking in dry-stone-walled pasture, old quarry workings and wide Peak District views.

The Blind Bull is the obvious focus for food and drink in the village, serving a proper gastropub menu alongside traditional real ales, and it has built a strong reputation locally and beyond, culminating in its 2025 Visit England award. With no shop in Little Hucklow itself, day-to-day essentials mean a short drive to Tideswell or Bradwell, both of which have a good choice of independent cafes, bakeries and pubs to fill out a visit.

Little Hucklow sits high in the White Peak, and the ground around it is exactly the kind of exposed limestone plateau and dry-stone-walled farmland that calls for a proper site rather than an ad hoc pitch. As in the rest of England, wild camping without the landowner's permission is not legal here, and the Peak District National Park Authority actively asks visitors to stick to established campsites to protect the fragile limestone grassland, dew ponds and working farms that make this landscape what it is. Fortunately, the wider Tideswell, Bradwell and Eyam area has a good spread of small, family-run campsites and farm-based sites within easy reach of the village, many geared towards walkers heading up onto Hucklow Edge or out into the surrounding dales.

The terrain around Little Hucklow is classic White Peak: rolling limestone hills cut by steep-sided dales, criss-crossed by dry-stone walls and grazed by sheep and cattle, with Hucklow Edge itself rising steeply above the village to the gliding club's airfield. Pitches tend to be on gently sloping or level fields rather than dramatic gorge-side spots, but the sense of openness and quiet is considerable, especially after dark, when the lack of nearby towns makes for genuinely dark skies. Conditions can change quickly at this altitude, so it is worth coming prepared for wind and rain even in summer.

Late spring to early autumn is the best window for camping here, when the ground has dried out from winter, days are long enough for a full walk from the tent, and evenings are mild enough to sit out. Midsummer weekends coincide with the busiest gliding activity on Hucklow Edge, which can be a bonus for anyone keen to watch the club in action. For those who would rather skip the tent pegs altogether, a small but growing number of glamping options, including shepherd's huts and safari-style tents, have appeared across the wider Peak District, offering a similar sense of being out among the dales and edges without sacrificing a proper bed and a roof over your head.