Tissington Trail: Ashbourne to Thorpe

Six and a half miles there and back on the level, three hours, starting through the lit 350-metre Ashbourne tunnel and climbing imperceptibly onto the limestone with Thorpe Cloud ahead. Start from the Mapleton Lane car park at the trail head in Ashbourne, pay-and-display with toilets and cycle hire, five minutes from the market place. The surface is smooth and traffic-free from end to end, which makes it one of the best walks in the county for an old dog, dogs need close control rather than a lead but the trail is busy with bikes at weekends, and there is no water on the trail so carry it.