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Rails Through The Peaks 1 - The Monsal Trail

Distance: 9.3 miles
Price: £20.00 per person

(Group & family rates available)


Headstone Viaduct Headstone Viaduct Headstone Viaduct Headstone Viaduct Headstone Viaduct Headstone Viaduct
Headstone Viaduct, Monsal Dale


Winding its way through the heart of the Peak District National Park, the Monsal Trail follows the route of the former Midland Railway main line linking London, Derby and Manchester. Built in the 1860s through spectacular terrain, the line moved noted Victorian railway author F.S. Williams to write:

"The scenery through which we now have to pass, and the engineering works by which the journey is accomplished, must be seen to be appreciated - they cannot be described at length."

As a result of the cuts in the network first initiated by the infamous Dr Richard Beeching, the line lost all of its local services in June 1967, and then closed completely north of Matlock in July 1968. In the early 1980s, a section of the former trackbed was used to create the Monsal Trail, which is now one of the most popular walking and cycling routes in the Peak District.

This walk begins at the main northern access point of the Monsal Trail at Wyedale car park, just south of Buxton. It then follows the Trail southwards, stopping to look at the history of each of the former stations, plus other points of interest such as the picturesque Headstone Viaduct in Monsal Dale. The walk finishes at the site of the old Bakewell Station, from where it is just a short walk down into the town, where you can sample one of the town's famous Puddings.



Duration (approx):
4 - 6 hours (including lunch).
Start point:
Wyedale Car Park (On the A6 Buxton Road),
Topley Pike,
Near Buxton,
Derbyshire.
(OS grid Ref: SK10327249)
Start time:
11:30am.*
End point:
The former Bakewell Railway Station,
Station Road,
Bakewell,
Derbyshire.
Dates available:
Available as an open walk March to October on a date of your choosing on Mondays, some Tuesdays, Wednesdays, some Thursdays, Fridays, most Saturdays and some Sundays.

Scheduled walks available on the following dates:
March 2nd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 16th, 18th, 20th, 23rd, 25th, 27th, 31st.
April 3rd, 6th, 8th, 14th, 17th, 20th, 22nd, 24th, 27th.
May 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, 18th, 22nd, 25th, 29th.
June 2nd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 16th, 19th, 22nd, 26th, 30th.
July 3rd, 6th, 14th, 17th, 20th, 24th, 26th, 29th, 31st.
August 3rd, 7th, 9th, 12th, 17th, 21st, 23rd, 26th, 28th, 31st.
September 4th, 8th, 13th, 18th, 21st, 25th, 29th.
October 2nd, 5th, 13th, 16th, 19th, 23rd, 27th, 30th.
(Online pre-booking is essential for these walks.)

Private group bookings are also available March to October on a date of your choosing via a Personal Walking Guide (subject to availability and Coronavirus restrictions).
(* = As your guide will be arriving by the "Transpeak" and 65 bus services, the actual start time may be slightly delayed if the buses are running late.)







When is this walk available?

This walk is available on a date of your choosing between the beginning of March and the end of October. Scheduled walks take place approximately once per month during the same period. If you wish to have the exclusive services of one of our guides, it is also available March to October as a private booking on a date of your choice via a Personal Walking Guide. For Personal Walking Guide bookings, we are usually able to offer a range of different start times on most days.

All bookings are subject to the availability of a suitable guide - Please see our online calendar or e-mail us for availability of your chosen date.




Is this walk Covid-secure?

At Derbyshire Heritage Walks we follow all current government and industry guidelines, and all of our guides have been fully vaccinated. Therefore you can be confident that this walk is as Covid-secure as we can possibly make it. Details of how we do this can be found here.



Will we have the exclusive services of the guide?

All of our open and scheduled walks are open to all. If you book onto either of these types of walk, then there is a chance that there may well be other people on the walk with you. If you wish to have the exclusive services of the guide, you MUST book a Personal Walking Guide.



Prices.

The following prices apply for this walk:

Ticket
Price
Deposit
(Included in overall price)
Adult or Child aged 16 and over
(Up to 8 people in group)
£20.00 per person
£5.00 per person
Personal Walking Guide
(Group of up to 5)
£60.00 per group
£15.00 per group
Personal Walking Guide
(Group of 6 to 10)
£100.00 per group
£25.00 per group
Personal Walking Guide
(Group of 11 or more)
£150.00 per group
£37.50 per group

Discounted family tickets also available, giving cheaper prices for groups including children aged 15 and under. Please e-mail us for details.



Travel to and from the walk.

This walk is easily accessible by public transport from Derby, Nottingham, Chesterfield, Sheffield and Manchester. However, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, you may prefer to get a family member or friend to drop you off and pick you up if possible.

If driving yourself to the walk, we recommend that you park in Bakewell and use the "Transpeak" and number 65 bus services to reach the start point of the walk. This is due to the restricted number of parking spaces at Wyedale Car Park and the limited frequency of buses there from Buxton.

Wyedale Car Park is easy to access via the A6 between Bakewell and Buxton, and can be used as a drop-off point if someone is giving you a lift there. There is a similar pick-up point at Bakewell Station at the far end of the walk.

Information on how to get to and from this walk can be found on our travel information page.




Are there any disabled access issues?

Unfortunately, there are a few issues regarding wheelchair access on this walk as there is no easy wheelchair access onto the Trail at Blackwell Mill. For this reason, if you are looking for a wheelchair-friendly walk on the Monsal Trail, we usually recommend our shorter Miller's Dale to Bakewell walk, which has level access onto the Trail at either end.



Is this walk suitable for dogs?

This is an ideal walk for dogs, if you think they can handle the rather long distance involved. If you would like to bring your dog with you, we do ask that you inform us at the time of booking. We also ask that, due to the large number of cyclists and horses using the Trail, you keep your dog under close control on a short non-extendible lead at all times and do not allow it to run free under any circumstances.



Booking

You can book places on any of our open or scheduled walks via the PayPal button below. Other payment options are available on request - Please e-mail us for details if required.

If you wish to make a Personal Walking Guide booking for this walk, please see our Personal Walking Guide booking page here.

Bookings for open or scheduled walks can be made at any time up to 48 hours before the intended date of your walk, or up to 72 hours beforehand for Personal Walking Guides. We regret that we cannot accept bookings made less than 48 hours prior to the planned start time of the walk (72 hours for Personal Walking Guide bookings).

Please ensure before booking that the date you require is not listed below and on our online calendar as unavailable or fully booked, and that you have read and agree to our terms and conditions.




Latest Booking News

  • The March 10th walk is unavailable due to all guides being busy with other walks.
  • Bookings are open for all other scheduled dates listed, and close at 11:30am two days prior to the date of the walk.
  • We are now accepting open walk and Personal Walking Guide bookings for this walk for Mondays, some Tuesdays, Wednesdays, some Thursdays, Fridays, most Saturdays and some Sundays between the beginning of March and the end of October 2024.



Book An Open Or Scheduled Walk

Please select the number of places you would like to book and enter the date required.

Other payment options are available on request - Please e-mail us for details if required.

By placing a booking with us, you are accepting and agreeing to our terms and conditions.

Number of places
Date required
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Book A Personal Walking Guide

To book a Personal Walking Guide for this walk, please go to our Personal Walking Guide page.




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