Approach notes

Dovedale is the valley between Milldale in the north and Thorpe in the south, with the river Dove defining the border between Staffordshire, to its west, and Derbyshire, on its east. It runs parallel to the main A515 Buxton to Ashbourne road which is the best road to gain access to the villages at either end. There is a large Peak District National Park car park (£6.60 for cars, all day) at the west end of Milldale (north end), and an even larger National Trust car park (£8 for cars, all day) just past the Izaak Walton Hotel (south end).

A substantial path follows the east bank of the river for the entire length of the dale and this gives access to (from north to south): Bailey Buttress, Dove Holes, Pickering Tor and Tissington Spires. The one bridge spanning the Dove gives direct access to Ilam Rock but, Dovedale Church and Ravens Tor may require a spot of wading. More detailed approaches are given with each buttress.

The whole valley is owned by the National Trust (NT). Whilst only a minority of the land is designated "Access Land" under CRoW, all of the crags except the Tissington Spires and Reynard's Arch area are on land designated "Always Open" by the National Trust. This means, in general, the NT grants permissive access for individuals (though not necessarily commercial groups) to use this land for: walking, running, watching wildlife, climbing. The NT has also always facilitated climbers access to the Tissington Spires and Reynard's Arch areas (subject to respecting restrictions due to nesting birds). If crossing the river be respectful of fishermen who pay large sums of money for the sporting rights to fish, however be assured that the NT affords climbers permissive access to all the documented crags.

Throughout the dale, the NT asks that climbers maintain a low profile to avoid encouraging greater pedestrian traffic, other than on the main path, in order to protect these fragile environments.