What is it?
The Hope Valley rail line between Dore & Totley and Edale stations allows for linear runs that include some lovely parts of the Peak District National Park. The Six Stations Challenge has been developed to encourage club members to use the trains more often to support their running adventures.
The Six Stations Challenge rules are very simple. Start at Edale station and run back to Dore & Totley station via all of the stations in-between. For each stage the start is from the ticket machine at the station and the finish is the ticket machine at the next station. All stages must go via the highest point between the stations, which are all Ethels.
Edale Station (235m) to Hope Station (161m) via Mam Tor (517m)
Approx. 9.6km and 340m climb
Stage 2.
Hope Station (161m) to Bamford Station (148m) via Win Hill (462m)
Approx. 7.4km and 300m climb
More details coming soon!
Stage 3.
Bamford Station (148m) to Hathersage Station (145m) via Stanage High Neb (458m)
Approx. 10.5km and 380m climb
More details coming soon!
Stage 4.
Hathersage Station (145m) to Grindleford Station (140m) via Eyam Moor Trig (429m)
Approx 11.7km and 356m climb
More details coming soon!
Stage 5.
Grindleford Station (140m) to Dore & Totley Station (119m) via Higger Tor (434m)
Approx. 14.0km and 314m climb
More details coming soon!
Total approx. 53.2km and 1,690m climb
Practicalities
Get a return ticket to whichever station you will be starting from. This costs only marginally more than a single ticket, and allows you to end your run at any of the stations heading back towards Dore & Totley.
Ticket machines are in the following locations:
Edale – Platform 1
Hope – In the carpark
Bamford – Platform 2
Hathersage – in the carpark
Grindleford – Platform 1
Dore & Totley – Platform 2
There are cafes at Edale station and Grindleford station, and within the villages at Hope, Bamford and Hathersage, so there are ample opportunities for refuelling en-route.
Subsequent Six Stations Challenge blog pages include maps and GPX files for each of the stages.
However the routes shown are not definitive. There are no rules regarding the route you choose, as long as you start and finish at the ticket machines and go to the intermediate high points detailed above.