Our drawing of the route, over road and path data from OpenStreetMap. It shows where the walk goes and what it goes through. It is not a survey and not a navigation aid — carry OS Explorer on the hill.
Eleven kilometres, just under seven miles, and two and a half to three hours between two great ruined houses, up and down through fields with steep sections and stiles to climb. Start at Bolsover Castle, where the English Heritage car park is the only sensible parking and the cafe and toilets are the only facilities on the route. English Heritage warns that livestock may be grazing along the way, so a lead is needed throughout; dogs on leads are welcome in the castle grounds but not in the Little Castle, Riding Range or Cavalier displays, and the route is not suitable for pushchairs or a dog that cannot manage stiles.
Cavendish fantasy castle on a ridge above the Vale of Scarsdale, with a wall walk and a long view west over the valley. English Heritage allow dogs on leads in the grounds only: the Little Castle, the Riding Range and the horsemanship displays are closed to them. Worth timing a visit round the terrace rather than the interiors if the dog is with you.
Four and a quarter miles and a little over two hours round the parkland below Bess of Hardwick's two halls, on estate tracks and grass with one climb back up to the ridge. Start from the main National Trust car park at Hardwick, three miles south-west of Bolsover, free to members and paid otherwise, with the ponds and Lady Spencer's Wood signed from it. Hardwick is a working farm with rare-breed longhorn cattle and sheep so dogs must be on a lead at all times across the estate, dogs on leads are welcome in the stableyard but not the formal gardens, and there are water bowls and dog bins around the estate.
Sports pub on Bolsover's Castle Street, ten minutes from the castle gate, with a beer garden, cask ales and the football on. Dog friendly is listed among its facilities, which makes it the practical stop in town after a walk round the castle grounds. Straightforward rather than smart, and none the worse for it.
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