Photo: Chris Morgan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsThrough the Peak District from Sheffield to Manchester via Totley and Cowburn tunnels, Hathersage, Castleton's Hope Valley and Edale under Kinder Scout.
The Hope Valley Line burrows west out of Sheffield through Totley Tunnel, 3 miles 950 yards long, and emerges in the Derwent valley at Grindleford. It then runs up the Hope Valley through Hathersage, Bamford and Hope, with Stanage Edge and Win Hill on the north side, and the Castleton cement works and Mam Tor at the head of the valley.
Edale, the southern end of the Pennine Way, lies below Kinder Scout; beyond it the line enters Cowburn Tunnel, over 2 miles long, to reach Chinley and the Goyt valley through New Mills and Marple into Manchester.
Northern's stopping trains (Class 195) call at every village; TransPennine Express and East Midlands Railway fast trains run through without stopping at the walkers' stations. Grindleford, Hathersage, Hope and Edale are all starting points for walks, and the line is busy with ramblers at weekends.
Stanage Edge, Win Hill, Lose Hill and Kinder Scout are on the right heading west; Mam Tor is on the left.
Sides are given facing the direction of travel. Miles are approximate from the start of the journey.
Northern's hourly stopping service; TPE and EMR fast trains do not.
Yes between Sheffield and New Mills Central, and on most buses in Derbyshire; it costs £17 adult.
The valley is attractive in snow, but check for weather disruption; Totley Tunnel floods occasionally.
Scenic lineEngland's most celebrated main line, climbing from the Yorkshire Dales over Ribblehead Viaduct and Ais Gill summit into the Eden Valley.
Scenic lineAcross the Pennines from the Dales to Morecambe Bay by way of Giggleswick, Clapham and the Three Peaks, on the old Little North Western.
Scenic lineThrough the mill towns of the Calder valley, Hebden Bridge, Todmorden and the Summit Tunnel, on the first railway across the Pennines.