Hayfield

Probably the destination of most visitors to Hayfield, Kinder Scout is a moorland plateau containing Derbyshire's highest point, and highest waterfall.

An attractive 18th-century packhorse bridge.

Within the village, for architecture buffs, are St Matthews Church (Grade II listed; largely 19th-century), a number of rustic weavers' cottages and the 17th-century Fox Hall.

Hayfield and Edale are the traditional starting points for ascents of Derbyshire's highest hill (636 m). From Hayfield, the nearest point to the hill with public parking is Bowden Bridge Car Park (20 spaces; £4.50 per day as of 2018) on Kinder Road about a mile east of the village centre. There is a plaque here commemorating the Mass Trespass. The main focus of most hikes is Kinder Downfall (a 30-metre waterfall, impressive in spate but little more than a trickle most of the time). A visit to the Downfall requires a minimum walk of 6 miles (around 3 miles each way) from Bowden Bridge with around 400 m of ascent over sometimes rough ground; reasonable fitness is required, and inexperienced hillwalkers should not attempt the trip during bad weather. The two most common routes to the Kinder plateau, which combine to form a circular route of around 7½ miles from Bowden Bridge, are via Kinder Reservoir and William Clough, or via Tunstead Clough Farm and Kinderlow End.

Hayfield lies directly on the route of the Pennine Bridleway and within a few miles of the Pennine Way. The Sett Valley Trail is a 2½-mile rail trail, accessible to horse-riders and cyclists as well as walkers, connecting the village to New Mills.

Other possible destinations for shorter day walks include Kinder Reservoir, Lantern Pike or Edale Cross/South Head. A linear walk to Edale (via various routes) is possible, returning via train to New Mills Central, and then a bus back to Hayfield.

For the less ambitious, easy strolls with mild gradients may be had westwards from the village along the Sett Valley Trail to Bluebell Wood Nature Reserve (best in spring) and beyond, or upstream along the River Sett (Kinder and Valley Roads) towards Bowden Bridge. The Calico Trail is a short walk around the village, visiting sites associated with the local calico-printing industry; leaflets are available from local outlets.

Local wells are decorated with flower petals in artistic designs, in July of each year. The wells are blessed in a Christian ceremony, and a leaflet describing a route visiting each well is produced and sold for charity.