Peak District

Beyond the Edge is lucky to be based in the heart of the Peak District and for many of our courses we walk from the door of our training base at the Sir William in the village of Grindleford in the Hope Valley.

The Sir William

The Sir William is a comfortable Inn with stunning views over the Hope valley and it serves great food.  We strongly recommend that you stay here.  The team are well versed in looking after walkers and climbers and it’s a 30 second commute from the breakfast table to our meeting room.

Guests of Beyond the Edge (on a course or private guiding) enjoy up to 25% discount on accommodation at the hotel when booked in advance. Which means prices for accommodation and breakfast whilst on a course with us start from just £60.

The hotel is within walking distance of Grindleford Station. This means you can be relaxing in the hotel only three hours after leaving central London!

You can book using the online booking system.  Use the code Course24 to gain the BtE discount when booking a room.

A double / twin ensuite room with single occupancy including breakfast is from £57.50 per night with the BtE discount. Please email: info@thesirwilliam.co.uk to enquire about our family / group rooms.

If you choose to book through an online travel agency such as Booking.com, please remember their prices include their commission, so it is always cheaper to book direct. 

Other Accommodation

The Peak District is very popular with visitors from all over the world and sometimes The Sir William is full or doesn’t suit your needs.  There are hundreds of places to stay from campsites to luxury spa hotels within a few minutes drive.  

Hathersage is a small busy village 5 minutes drive up the valley and has a wide variety of B&Bs, hotels, restaurants  and shops. There are also multiple outdoor shops here for last minute purchases.

If the bright lights and casinos of Sheffield are tempting it’s only a 20 minute drive over the hill!

If you are arriving by train and choose to stay in Hathersage we can collect you in the morning and drop you off at the end of the day

Hotels within 5 minutes drive

The Maynard Main Road, Grindleford, S32 2HE. Tel: 01433 424 110

The George Main Road, Hathersage.S32 1BB. Tel: 01433 650 436

The Millstone Inn Sheffield Road, Hathersage. S32 1DA. Tel: 01433 650 258

Scotsman’s Pack School Lane, Hathersage. S32 1BZ. Tel: 01433 650 253.

Little John Hotel Station Road, Hathersage, S32 1DD. Tel 01433 650 255

B&B’s

There are literally hundreds of B&B’s in the local villages of Hathersage (3 miles), Bamford (6 miles), Curbar (2 miles), Stoney Middleton (5 miles) and Eyam (6 miles).

Hostels

There are Youth Hostels in Hathersage (5 min drive, or we can collect you), Eyam (10 min drive), Castleton (15 minute drive) and Edale (20 min drive). They all have single rooms, but the Hathersage hostel only has one single room, so book well ahead.

Bretton Hostel was formerly a YHA, but is now an independent hostel and close to the Barrel Inn. It is about a 5 minute drive into Grindleford.

Campsites

There are surprisingly few campsites near Grindleford and Hathersage. An internet search will show lots 15 – 30 minutes drive away.

If you are on a leadership assessment course with us, please consider the amount of time you will take to travel, cook, dry kit etc and any impact they may have on you, especially if you camp far away.

On the outskirts of Hathersage set under the iconic Stanage Edge is the popular North Lees Campsite. It is a 15-20 minute walk along footpaths into the village / train station.

Hardhurst Farm campsite (S33 6RB) is adjacent to the Travellers Rest Inn in Brough, but also a railway! They can be contacted on 01433 620 001.

Swallowholme Camping and Caravan Park (S33 0BN) is on the outskirts of Bamford and very close to Bamford railway station if you are arriving by train.

Pindale Farm has indoor accommodation for larger groups and also a campsite. It is a 15 minute drive from Grindelford.

Eryri (Snowdonia)

For our North Wales based courses we normally use the Moel Siabod cafe in Capel Curig as our meeting point as it is truly excellent (and serves amazing cakes, but that’s not the reason we meet there, honestly…). There are a wide variety of options in and close to Capel Curig, some selected ones are listed below.  To get to Capel Curig by public transport is relatively easy. You can either catch a train to Betws-y-Coed (3hr 39mins from London and very picturesque) and a bus (runs hourly) to Capel Curig or a bus (runs every two hours) from Bangor main line train station.

Hotels within walking distance include include the 4* Bryn Tyrch hotel (3 minute walk) and the Tyn y Coed Hotel (10 minute walk) www.tyn-y-coed.co.uk/ in Capel Curig.

Cobdens (a 3 minute walk in the opposite direction to Bryn Tyrch) and an old favourite is now reopening, with the owner Jill injecting some much needed TLC to the hotel. There are some great value rooms, so get in quick!

The Rocks Hostel is next to where we meet together with the very affordable bunk barns and campsite of Bryn Tyrch farm. This is a basic site but offers good value and a the Bryn Tyrch hotel is a 3 minute walk away.

Slightly further away (5 minute drive) is the excellent and popular Dol Gam camp site www.dolgam-snowdonia.co.uk/ which benefits from being within walking distance of the Tyn Y Coed for evening relaxation (its downhill on the way back so don’t worry). Dol Gam also offers B&B accommodation.

Slightly further afield again in Betws-y-Coed (10 min drive) is Bryn Llewellyn B&B and a host of other hotels, and B&Bs.

Useful sources of other options are the Eryri (Snowdonia) Tourist Information www.snowdonia.org.uk or Betws-y-Coed tourist information www.betws-y-coed.co.uk

Just a word about our tiny friends Culicoides impunctatus (the midge).

In midge season (June – late Sept), still warm evenings can be genuinely horrific if you are camping and unprepared. Make sure your tent has a good midge net, bring midge repellant, antihistamines if you get affected by bites and a hefty dose of humour.

Scotland

We base ourselves out of Glencoe on the West Coast as there are just so many options for great days in the hills and Aviemore for those wanting to save the legs and drive to 600m.  

There are hundreds of hotel and self catering accommodation options in either Glencoe the nearby village of Ballachulish or thirty minutes away in Fort William. In Aviemore there are probably thousands!

If you are staying in a B&B without transport just check where the nearest place is to get evening meals.  There are very few takeaways open in the winter outside of Aviemore and Fort William.

Glencoe / Ballachulish

Loch Leven hotel: Stunning location and a personal favourite. Not mass tourism and a real character place.  The Annex rooms are normally very reasonably priced.

Isles of Glencoe Hotel: Great location with swimming pool and sauna to relax in at the end of the day.  Slightly soulless in comparison to the Loch Leven, but much larger so a greater choice / availability of rooms.

Clachaig Inn: This legendary climbing hang out has an epic bar full of climbers /walkers /skiers most nights.   It is however at the end of Glencoe so if you want to walk to anywhere else in the evening, forget it!

Inchree Chalets: Self catering lodges between Glencoe and Fort William.

There is also a youth hostel near the Clachaig Inn and a number of independent hostels / bunk houses have popped up in the last few years.  A good one with a drying room is Glencoe Independent Hostel. This and the Youth Hostel are a 15-20 minute walk from the village of Glencoe and buses do not go past them.

There is a Co-Op supermarket in Ballachulish (open 7am – 10pm usually) which you can easily stock up on food for the week if you are self catering and a very small village shop in Glencoe with sporadic opening hours.  This may well shut in 2024.

Fort William

We don’t have any particularly strong recommendations here as there are just so many accommodation options to choose.  From the Travelodge at one end of the High Street, to the Alexandra and Premier Inn (which can be great value) at the other end.  There is YHA on the outskirts and multiple bunk houses catering for walkers and climbers. 

The Ben Nevis Hotel & leisure Club is just outside the centre (but walkable distance if you need a change of scene) is also popular.

Bed and breakfast accommodation within Fort William are plentiful and there are enough takeaways and restaurants to allow you to eat out each night.

Aviemore

Aviemore is a thriving small town with plenty of shops, cafes and literally thousands of accommodation options.  This ranges from ultra luxury lodges with hot tubs to sooth away the days aching muscles to some great value hostels.

We have had very good experiences with:

Ravenscraig Guest House and Cairngorm Guest House in Aviemore

If you are struggling to find something or want something special, contact the office and we will endeavour to assist.