Monsal Trail

Monsal Trail
Legend
Midland Railway
← Buxton│Peak Forest →
 Topley Pike junction
Chee Tor No. 1 tunnel
Millers Dale
Millers Dale viaducts
Litton Tunnel
(
516 yd
472 m
)
 Cressbrook Tunnel
(
471 yd
431 m
)
 Monsal Dale
Headstone Viaduct
Headstone Tunnel
(
533 yd
487 m
)
 Great Longstone
Hassop
Bakewell
Coombs Road viaduct
(end of trail)
 Haddon Tunnel
(
1058 yd
967 m
)
(closed)
 Rowsley
(proposed extension)
 Rowsley South
Darley Dale
Matlock Riverside
Peak Rail line
Sources[1][2]

The Monsal Trail is a cycling, horse riding and walking trail in the Derbyshire Peak District. It was constructed from a section of the former Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway, which was built by the Midland Railway in 1863 to link Manchester with London and closed in 1968. The Monsal Trail is about 8.5 miles (13.7 km) long and opened in 1981. It starts at the Topley Pike junction in Wye Dale, 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Buxton, and runs to Coombs Viaduct, 1 mile (1.6 km) south-east of Bakewell. It follows the valley of the River Wye. The trail passes through Blackwell Mill, Chee Dale, Millers Dale, Cressbrook, Monsal Dale, Great Longstone, Hassop and Bakewell. The trail has numerous landmarks including Headstone Viaduct, Cressbrook Mill, Litton Mill and Hassop railway station, and passes through six tunnels.

It is a major part of the as yet incomplete White Peak Loop and is designated as National Cycle Route 680.[3]

  1. ^ "The Monsal Trail". A Taste of the Peak District. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  2. ^ Bickerdike, Graeme (June 2009). "The story of structures of the Monsal Trail: A Week in the Peak". Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  3. ^ "Route 680". Sustrans. Retrieved 10 May 2022.