Directions to Dob Park

Route instructions to be used alongside a map.

1. Beginning on Dob Park Road, walk down, with your back to Newall Carr Road, the main road. You will follow this quiet tarmacked track passing the signs to the two houses on your left until it become a rough track. Follow this downwards as it bends right and left, passing Middle Farm and heading down towards Dob Park Bridge. There is a little point here where you can throw stones in the River Washburn.

2. Don’t cross the bridge. You need to take the path to the left of it, before you reach the bridge, which follows the river. It is signposted Public Footpath, the Six Dales Trail. Continue straight on and after a short distance, the path forks into two. Take the left fork and head uphill to a gate. Go through this, and then turn right. Continue to follow the edge of the field, keeping the fence to your right and passing through two further gates before reaching a small metal gate into a small area of woodland. Head through this gate, crossing a very small stream. Then turn left.

3. You will see a pointless gate (the fence has fallen down, but it still has a yellow waymarker on it to follow!) Follow that arrow, you are heading through the trees to a stile over the fence, keeping left.

4. Cross the stile over the fence and then follow the line of the water heading upstream. Keep this on your left and pass over another stone stile and mini bridge into the next field, still keeping the stream to your left until you reach Low Park.

5. Here there is a stile over a fence and a yellow arrow waymarker. Historically this path was pretty overgrown and we had to detour to the right through the woods (but this can be quite muddy). On the most recent walk, the path was cleared, but still a little bit overgrown in places. Just be aware, you can still take the detour if needed. Head along the path to the end, as it enters the wood.

6. The path from here heads upwards through the middle of the woods, bearing slightly to the right. Follow it up through the woods, until you reach the perimeter wall. Exit the woodland perimeter, and keep heading upwards, past a rocky outcrop. Here the terrain is open, and your view (if you turn backwards) will be across the Washburn Valley.

7. To your left, you will see the perimeter wall of the woodland and the corner of it. Aim for the corner in the wall to your left and then follow that wall line roughly until you see a metal gate into a walled track ahead of you. Head through this and you will see the ruins of Dob Park on your left.

8. Once crossed into the walled track, the remains of the early 17th Century hunting lodge is clearly visible to your left You cannot gain access directly to it, but the views of it are pretty epic Follow the walled track straight on until you get to Dob Park House Farm. Here you will see the access point to the property ahead, but the path circumvents the property, through a small gate in the wall to your right. Follow this round to the left, through the stile through the wall, and continue back down to the concrete road heading right and leading away from the Farm.

9. This will join the track you started the walk on. Turn right, and head upwards back to where you started.

Last walked December 2025.