Snake Woodlands

Not long after the road descends from the summit of the Snake Pass, you’ll find an area of Forestry England land known as Snake Woodlands.

Birchen Clough Car Park is the easiest access point for this network of trails that take you through scenery that looks more like Narnia than Derbyshire. Think tumbling rivers, thick pine forests, dripping moss, and paths winding through the trees. It’s beautiful at all times of year but particularly bewitching when covered in snow.

There are a few two or three mile trails that will loop you through the forest and back to the car park, or you can set out on a longer hike. Routes from here lead up to Kinder Scout, Win Hill, and the airplane wrecks at Bleaklow. They’re all serious hikes so you’d need to be well prepared.

The free car park gets full at weekends so arrive early to guarantee a spot. The nearest toilets and cafe are in Glossop or at the Upper Derwent Visitor Centre, further along the Snake Pass.