Peak Wesley Way Charity Challenge

Peak Wesley Way challenge Pilgrimage

About the walk

Starting in the spa town of Matlock, we will journey north from the gentle White Peak to the more austere Dark Peak. Having walked together for four days sharing three nights simple chapel accommodation, we conclude our pilgrimage in the village of Edale in the Hope Valley. Our journey will take us through some England’s most breathtaking natural beauty, and yet still a landscape that bears the marks of generations of farmers, industrialists and travellers who have trodden these paths before us. The travellers included John Wesley’s Methodist preachers, ordinary people who made extraordinary journeys to bring their good news to the villages you will visit. People who founded the chapels, still in use as places of worship to this day, in which we will be personally welcomed to find overnight sanctuary.

*Though chapel spaces are sadly limited, there is a option for more pilgrims to join us for the whole or day stages, who wish to travel daily from home or book their own accommodation. Please state your preference on booking.

Walk itinerary

We assemble outside Matlock Station 10am to set our intentions for our journey and begin our pilgrimage

Day 1: Matlock to Youlgrave 11 miles

Ascend the medieval Limestone Way northwards from the spa town of Matlock, incorporating the 14th century Hermitage at Cratcliffe Tor, concluding at Youlgrave, a village of 500 dwellings served by its own private water supply.

Overnight in Youlgrave Methodist Chapel

Day 2: Youlgrave to Great Longstone 10 miles

A day of beautiful countryside views and riverside walks, incorporating the “shy” River Lathkill, Victorian weirs, the market town of Bakewell (home of the famous pudding) and the stunning Monsal viaduct.

Overnight in Great Longstone Methodist Chapel

Day 3: Great Longstone to Hathersage 14 miles

Travelling through the last of the limestone White Peak and its ancient lead mining Rakes, until it meets the harsher grit of the Dark Peak at Baslow. The churches and chapels you pass all have stories to tell, of famous and not so famous residents, as does the toll bridge controlling the entrance to Baslow.

Ascending to the top of Baslow, Froggatt and Curbar edges affords spectacular views of the Hope Valley. Points of interest include memorial to Catholic priests martyred days before the Spanish Armada was spotted off the coast of Cornwall. If you pack your swimwear you may even be able to take a dip in Hathersage Lido.

Overnight in Hathersage Methodist Chapel

Day 4: Hathersage to Edale 12 miles

A journey through the Hope Valley, with Mam Tor the “Shivering Mountain” in view for much of the day. Along the picturesque route you will encounter many clues to the changing ways people of the valley have lived, worked and made meaning of life.

Castleton was once a prolific mining area, including semi-precious Blue John Stone. This area was also the site of the 1932 Kinder Scout Mass Trespass, fighting for the “right to roam”. Your final push includes a short but steep ascent and a visit to the recently restored Methodist chapel in Barber Booth, built within a few years of the death of John Wesley.

We reach Edale station where we revisit our intentions and say farewell to our journey companions. We depart revived and restored with some special pilgrim practises to bring peace and comfort into our everyday lives, knowing our own minor hardships have made a life changing and saving difference to some of the world’s poorest in Southern Africa.

Ken is the founder & chairman of Africa’s Gift. A long-standing Fellow of The Royal Geographical Society and Earthwatch Millennium Fellow, he has a deep understanding of environmental issues and is a graduate Geographer and Geologist. Throughout twenty-three influential years of teaching, six in Leadership, he has advised, prompted and cajoled successive governments on sustainable development matters and was briefly seconded to OFSTED to contribute to reporting on Education for Sustainable Development.

Officially recognised by three societies as an explorer Ken has visited most of the world’s major mountain ranges and biomes, leading school, youth, and adult expeditions to many challenging but fragile environments. Propelled by his Christian faith to serve the world’s poorest, Ken is also the founder of Eternal Flame Worldwide Ltd, a shared wealth company that enables organic heat retention cook bags to be made in communities where they are most needed.

Ken was awarded the Member of the British Empire in the 2022 New Years Honours for services to development and local communities in Lesotho and sub-Saharan Africa.

Hear from Ken directly: World leader deep dive interview with - Ken Dunn MBE

Walk Summary

Date: Thursday May 14- Sunday May 17 2026

Description: A four day Challenge Pilgrimage from White to Dark Peak

Grade: Moderate

Price: £350 inclusive of accommodation and guiding. Meals and refreshments at own cost. Min £46 sponsorship (£1 per mile) raised for charity Africa’s Gift.

Walk guides: Faye Smith & Ken Dunn MBE

Deposit: Full payment on booking please to secure minimum numbers- no bookings will be taken after 48 hours before the event.

What’s included:

• Services of pilgrim guide throughout your walk

• Pilgrim candle and scrip

• Journey journal

• Exclusive pilgrim badge

• Simple chapel accommodation with basic camp bed, shower, toilet, microwave, kettle & toaster

  Note: Methodism has a long history of supporting people suffering from addiction to alcohol and other drugs. For this reason alcohol is not permitted in any of our chapels.

What to bring: Please bring refillable water bottle and flask, any necessary medications and pack for the weather. You will need a lightweight sleeping bag, stout well-worn footwear and walking poles.

We are carrying our own packs to exemplify pilgrimage and save costs and the environment, so recommend you practise with your pack weight in advance. We recommend this should not exceed 10% of your body weight: every kilo is a kilo of misery on pilgrimage! There are refreshment stops and toilets along the way.

Travelling to the route start:

We always recommend the greenest option of public transport where possible.

By train: We start from Matlock Train Station | EMR and return from Edale Station | National Rail.

Note: For those travelling by car, due to lack of later Sunday trains from Edale, we shall arrange group transport back which may be at a small additional cost.

Customer review

“The Pilgrimage really was a special experience - beautifully paced, well held and meaningful. I came away feeling grounded and uplifted and your presence and guidance, made it feel safe, reflective and genuinely restorative.

Thank you so much for the generosity of spirit you bought to the day, and for creating a space that allowed each of us to experience the walk in our own way. I loved the historical anecdotes - they were fascinating and really enriched the walking experience for me, as did the incidental conversations held along the way. It was lovely and felt really special to meet so many people open to sharing parts of their personal lives with me.”

KATE

Why not start your journey today?