Monsal Trail

About

The Monsal Trail is a traffic free route for walkers, cyclists, horse riders and wheelchair users through some of the Peak District's most spectacular limestone dales.

The trail runs along the former Midland Railway line for 8.5 miles between Blackwell Mill, in Chee Dale and Coombs Road, at Bakewell.

Most of the route was opened to the public in 1981 but four former railway tunnels had to remain closed due to safety reasons, with public footpaths taking people around them. Since 2011, the four railway tunnels - Headstone Tunnel, Cressbrook Tunnel, Litton Tunnel, Chee Tor Tunnel – have opened open for trail users. Each tunnel is about 400 metres long and lit during normal daylight hours.

The public can now experience the full length of the former railway route at their own pace and see breathtaking views at places like Water-cum-Jolly Dale that have remained hidden since the railway closed in 1968.

Cycle hire centres can be found at Hassop Station, at the Bakewell end of the trail, and at Blackwell Mill, at the northern end of the trail.

Click here to see a PDF map of the Monsal Trail.