[1] Leaving the car park entrance turn right and go across the bridge, taking the path to your right signed for Chatsworth. Proceed past some beautiful thatched roof cottages until you enter the park by an unusual revolving cage gate (The Cannon Kissing Gate). Turn left (following the direction of a concessionary footpath sign to Robin Hood) with a fence and woodland on your left.
[2] When you reach a road, with the 'Golden Gates' to your left, cross it and make your way ahead through a group of mature trees (always keeping the long wooden fence on your left). Eventually you will come to a stile in the fence line ahead, cross this. The path across the field from this point is badly defined. Continue straight ahead to a large isolated rock in the field. Bear right here and continue forward uphill until you come to a track. Turn left here towards a stone wall (there is an information board on your left). Go over the high stile in the wall and continue ahead on the grassy track. Go over the next stile, which is similar to the last, and proceed along a stone track, passing some interesting rock formations on your right.
[3] You eventually come to a finger post where a path comes down from your right. Here you have two options, if you want to take a break at the Robin Hood you go left here, over a stream and then up some steep stone steps to the main road. Cross over carefully and walk uphill a hundred yards or so, to the Inn. To return to the route retrace your steps back to the finger post. If you do not want to visit the Robin Hood you turn right at the finger post (signposted to Beeley via Swiss Lake) and go uphill towards Dobb Edge.
Take in the views as you carefully travel up the narrow path and along the edge. Eventually you climb a stile into a field. Do not leave the wall but shortly go down through a gap in the wall on your right (which is easy to miss). Follow the narrow path, keeping the wall on your left, until you emerge over a stile into rolling countryside. Here you cross a shallow stream valley where the path veers off uphill to the left to again follow a wall on your left until you enter the woods over a stile.
Turn hard left through the trees for a few yards until you meet a track and turn right along it. Where this track meets another, cross and continue ahead for some distance until you come upon the magnificent Hunting Tower (A) (now used as a holiday home) with its cannons and park benches looking out over Chatsworth House.
[4] With your back to the Tower basement entrance take the unmade path straight ahead into the woodland along the edge with the grounds of Chatsworth House below. Walk along the path as it follows the edge. There are a number of benches along the way. Eventually you will reach the spectacular 300 year old Cascade (B), a gushing waterfall in the rockery, that runs down the long trough waterfall to feed the gravity-fed Emperor Fountain at Chatsworth below.
Turn left here up to a track and then turn right. (unless you would like to visit the little Ring Pond, in which case go straight across the track and follow the path into the woodland until you reach a pond – there is a path all around this little pond. Then return to track)
[5] Keep straight on along the main track until you meet another small road coming up from the right. Continue left along the road, swinging gently to the left to meet another road forming a crossroads where you go right (signposted to Beeley) until you meet a gate and a high stile where you leave the woods. Take the path in front of you for about 100 yards then look for a path going off to your right and heading downhill to a farm you can see below you.
[6] On reaching a wide track turn right then shortly left over a stile next to the farm access and almost straight away over another on the right into the farm yard. Follow the yellow markers, turning left but then keeping generally to the right. You leave the farm through a gate and the path follows the stone wall on the left to the top of a rise. This can be a very muddy section.
[7] On reaching Beeley, as you step out onto the small road, turn to your left and take the first turn right. (Unless you wish to visit the village pub, the renowned Devonshire Arms (C), which is only a short distance away ahead, returning to this point to continue the walk.)
Go down the road, passing the church on your right, and cross the main road at the bottom. Go through a gate into a field and follow the farm track on your right through pasture land.
[8] Where the path meets the road cross the road immediately before the bridge. Go left over the bridge (which is traffic light controlled). Across the bridge you go through another gate on your right to continue your journey along the path following the River Derwent.
As you follow the riverside path, Chatsworth House itself will come into view on your right across the river, with its magnificent Emperor Fountain. (D) Chatsworth House is home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. It has been the family home for 16 generations. Inside is one of Europe's most significant art collections.
When you reach the lovely stone road bridge you should cross over. At this point you should turn left to follow the direct path/track all the way back to the revolving cannon kissing gate, where you entered the Chatsworth Estate.
(It is worth walking up to the house and having a look round even if not going in. There are toilets and a cafeteria, restaurant and shops.)