Higger Tor with children – family-friendly Peak District

Children love clambering over the large gritstone boulders of Higger Tor in the Peak District National Park.

Why visit Higger Tor?

Higger Tor is a rocky plateau next to the Burbage Valley in the Peak District, Derbyshire. It stands alongside Ringinglow Road between Sheffield and Hathersage, and attracts a mix of serious walkers and kids letting off a bit of steam.

There are three aspects that make Higger Tor such a great place to introduce children to the Peak District. The first of these is that there’s always plentiful free parking along the road – something that can be tricky to find in other Peak District hotspots.

The second great thing about Higger Tor is that it doesn’t take long to climb – just five to ten minutes, and it’s an easy walk rather than a slog.

But the main reason to visit Higger Tor is the wonderful, sprawling collection of gritstone boulders that dot the plateau. Higger Tor is far more about the clambering than the walking.

Higger Tor with kids

You can visit Higger Tor as part of a longer walk – a loop along the ridgeline then back through the Burbage Valley from Burbage Bridge is about three miles. But it’s often the perfect spot for a couple of hours’ worth of fresh air.

This is somewhere you can be led by the kids – there’s no particular target, while the boulders are plentiful and spread across the plateau. They’ll decide which look most fun to climb.

There are greater concentrations towards the edge, looking over towards the former Iron Age fort of Carl Wark. This is where they can climb higher over several stacked boulders, and investigate the gaps between them.

Higger Tor review: The best bit

Those gaps between the boulders at Higger Tor end up being mini canyons and caves, which will inevitably get turned into dens and centrepieces for imaginative play.

Infants, juniors or secondary?

Higger Tor works for all ages. Younger children can use it as a testing ground of their climbing and clambering abilities, while older children get more adventurous, finding routes down into the valley and back up again.

Higger Tor entry prices

Higger Tor is free entertainment. There is no charge to enter the site or the Peak District National Park, while parking on the roadside is free.

Prices were last checked and updated on 8 October 2024.

Full day, half day or a couple of hours?

Higger Tor works perfectly for a couple of hours in the fresh air, but you can turn it into a half day adventure if you make Higger Tor part of a longer walk including Burbage Bridge or Carl Wark.

Attractions near Higger Tor

Nearby attractions that can be combined with a visit to Higger Tor include:

• Stanage Edge.
• Chatsworth House near Bakewell, Derbyshire.
• Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet in Sheffield.
• Peak Cavern in Castleton, Derbyshire.

Nearby cities

Higger Tor is technically in Sheffield, although it is right on the Derbyshire border.

Other cities within a 90 minute drive of Higger Tor include Manchester, Derby, Nottingham, Stoke on Trent, Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Doncaster and Lincoln.

Is it open on Mondays?

Higger Tor is open all day, every day, although tackling at night would be pretty stupid.

More information

For more information, visit the Peak District National Park website.