The route is largely downhill after the first 3 miles of ascent and it follows rights of way along or near the course of the River Dane, past its source at Dane Head in Derbyshire and down to its end at its confluence with the River Weaver in Cheshire. The River Dane is the longest, cleanest and thought to be the fastest flowing river through Cheshire.[1][2]
The initial section from Buxton climbs through Grinlow Woods to Solomon's Temple at the summit of Grin Hill, providing superb views across the Dark Peak. The trail crosses Axe Edge Moor (over 500m high and the watershed between the Irish Sea and the North Sea), where the River Dane originates at Dane Head. It passes the scenic Three Shires Head (where Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire boundaries meet) with its stone footbridge and cascades. During the eighteenth century, fugitives used Three Shires Head to cross into a neighbouring county, in order to flee from police who could only operate within their own county. The path continues along the wooded Dane Valley through the hamlets of Gradbach, Danebridge and Wincle. It leaves the Peak District and goes on through Eaton, Congleton, Swettenham, Brereton Heath Nature Reserve, Holmes Chapel and Middlewich, where the River Dane joins the River Wheelock. The second half of the route includes considerable walking on roads.[3][4]
