Derbyshire Heritage Walks Derbyshire Heritage Walks (Adrian Brown)
E-mail: enquiries@derbysheritagewalks.com
Home Walks Other Services Walking Tips About Us FAQs Contact Us Links Terms & Conditions
Dates & Times Prices How To Get There What You Need Accessibility How To Book

Rails Through The Peaks 3 - Bakewell to Buxton
Distance: 13.5 miles Duration: 6 - 7 hours Price: £30.00 per person
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, the Peak District National Park Authority purchased a section of the former trackbed from British Rail and used it to create the Monsal Trail.

For many years, the route of the Monsal Trail had to divert away from the railway in places as several of the tunnels that the line passed through had to be closed on safety grounds. Work to stabilise and restore these tunnels has recently been completed, and users of the Trail can now follow the route of the railway all the way from Bakewell to the end of the trail at Blackwell Mill.

This walk begins at the main southern access point of the Monsal Trail at the former Bakewell Station. It then follows the Trail northwards, stopping to look at the history of each of the former stations along the Trail, plus other points of interest such as the picturesque Headstone Viaduct. Reaching the Trail's northernmost point at Blackwell Mill, it then continues on for the final four miles into the spa town of Buxton. As the modern railway still occupies the trackbed along this section of route, the walk uses footpaths and roads to follow the route of the railway as closely as possible to reach the finish point at the remains of the former Midland Railway station in Buxton.

With good parking at the southern end of the Trail, and an easy return from Buxton by bus, this walk makes a great day out for those looking for interesting things to do in and around Bakewell, Buxton and the Peak District.

Please note that, although now nominally open, the tunnels along the trail can be closed on safety grounds during periods of severe weather. It may therefore be necessary to divert back onto the original route of the Monsal Trail in order to bypass the closed tunnels.

Due to the current coronavirus regulations, we can only accept bookings from up to five individuals who must be from a single household, and we have regrettably been forced to temporarily increase the price of the walk as a result. However, once the regulations are relaxed further, we hope to be able to cater for larger groups from multiple households and, at that point, the price will be reduced back to its normal amount.

Distance: 13.5 miles.
View Bakewell Station in a larger map
Duration (approx): 6 to 7 hours (including lunch).
Start point: The former Bakewell Railway Station,
Station Road,
Bakewell,
Derbyshire.
Start time: 9:30am* (Monday - Saturday).
10:30am* (Sundays and Bank Holidays).
End point: Opposite Buxton Railway Station,
Station Road
Buxton,
Derbyshire.
Dates available: July 8th.
August 17th.
September 12th, 23rd.
October 10th, 21st.
November onwards, dates TBC.

Private bookings for this walk are also available - see here for details.
(* = As your guide will be arriving by the "Transpeak" bus service, the actual start time may be slightly delayed if the bus is running more than 15 minutes late.)

When is this walk available?

This walk is available between the beginning of March and the end of October. Scheduled walks will normally take place at least once per month during this period, on the dates listed above. It may also be booked privately via a Personal Walking Guide on a date of your choice between March and October.

This walk is normally available for private bookings on Mondays, some Tuesdays, Wednesdays, some Thursdays, most Saturdays and some Sundays. It is also available on most Bank Holidays during this period. It is not normally available on Fridays. Please note that, like all of our other walks that use the southern section of the Monsal Trail, we cannot accept any private bookings for this walk for the first week in August. This is due to that section of the Trail being closed to walkers so that it can be used by the park-and-ride service for Bakewell Show.

Although 9:30am is the recommended start time for this walk (10:30am on Sundays and Bank Holidays), and the earliest we are able to offer, it is possible to request a later start time. However, we do not recommend a start time after 11:30am (10:30am during October) due to the need to finish the walk in daylight.

Prices.

The following prices apply for this walk:

Ticket Price Deposit
(Included in overall price)
Private Upgrade Cost
Adult or Child aged 16 and over
(Up to 8 people in group)
£30.00 per person £7.50 per person Not currently available

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

For more information on how to book places on this walk, and on private group bookings via a Personal Walking Guide, please see here. If you have any questions about the cost of this walk, please contact us via email at enquiries@derbysheritagewalks.com.

Travel to and from the walk.

In normal times, this walk is easily accessible by both car and public transport, and we would usually recommend the use of public transport as the best option. However, in order to minimise the use of public transport at a time when spaces are severely limited and needed by key workers, we currently recommend that you get someone from your own household to drop you off at the start of the walk, and pick you up at the end. Full details of how to get to and from the walk will be included in the walk information sheet you will be sent along with your booking confirmation, but detailed information on the various public transport options is also available on our travel information page, which we try to keep as up to date as possible.

There is a car park at the beginning of the walk at Bakewell Station, which can be used as a drop-off point, and there is a similar car park at the end of the walk which can be used as a pick-up point.

Is there anything special I need to bring?

Yes - a torch. Although the newly-reopened tunnels along the Monsal Trail have electric lighting installed, this can sometimes fail and leave you literally in the dark. It is therefore a good idea to make sure you pack a torch and spare batteries, just in case.

Given the cross-country nature of the later part of the walk, we also recommend that you wear proper walking boots, as while trainers or other similar footwear may be suitable for walking on the Monsal Trail, they would not be suitable for the later stages of the route.

We also recommend that you bring plenty of water to drink, plus something to eat, as there are few facilities along the way for you to purchase food and drink apart from the cafe at Hassop Station and the newly opened cafe at Miller's Dale Station. Given the distance and time involved, we recommend that you bring at least two litres of water per person (preferably a little more), and think seriously about increasing that amount by at least 50% in warm or hot weather. In very hot weather, we would also recommend you "pre-hydrate" by drinking an additional 250-500ml of water before starting the walk.

While the coronavirus crisis is still ongoing, we also ask that you bring your own facemask or similar face covering, plus your own hand sanitiser. While we endevour to maintain proper social distancing at all times on the walks, there are some occasions where it is necessary to use narrow paths. As it would be impossible in most cases to maintain proper social distancing if we were to encounter someone coming the other way along the path, the recommended advice in such a situation is to use a mask or other face covering while passing the other person. There is also the need to touch gates and stiles to pass from field to field or from fields onto roads. In these situations it is advised to use hand sanitiser before and immediately after touching the gate or stile. As we are not able to supply them for you, due to the high costs currently involved in obtaining supplies, it is your responsibility to provide your own, and failure to do so may result in cancellation of the walk.

Are there any disabled access issues?

Unfortunately, there are a few issues regarding disabled access on this walk. There are no real issues with the sections of the route that use the Monsal Trail as this is suitable for cycles in addition to walking, and so is also theoretically suitable for wheelchairs too. However, there is no easy wheelchair access off the Trail at its northern end at Blackwell Mill, and the closest easy wheelchair access off the Trail is back at Miller's Dale Station about two and a half miles back from Blackwell Mill. Also, the route onwards from Blackwell Mill to Buxton is unsuitable for wheelchairs and those of limited mobility as it is cross-country, involves a few steep climbs, and also a number of stiles.

For this reason, bookings cannot be accepted from wheelchair users or those of limited mobility for the full 13.5-mile route. It is however possible to make a private booking for the Bakewell to Miller's Dale section, where there is a step-free access off the Trail to a car park that can be used as a pick-up point. This walk is essentially the reverse of our Miller's Dale to Bakewell walk, and so is priced accordingly at £15.00 per person. If you are a wheelchair user, are acting on behalf of someone who is, or have difficulty using steps and stiles or other mobility issues, please contact us in order to discuss your exact requirements.

Is this walk suitable for dogs?

This is an ideal walk for dogs, if you think they can handle the especially 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 and the fact the the later part of the walk crosses farm fields containing livestock, 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

Scheduled Walks

Ordinarily, we use PayPal buttons to handle booking and payment for all of our walks. However, due to the current situation, we have suspended that system, and so now if you wish to book a walk, you need to e-mail us with the details of the walk and date that you wish to book. We will then send you a PayPal invoice, which you can pay either using a PayPal account or, if you don't have access to one of those, you can pay using any debit or credit card. Other payment options are available on request - Please e-mail us for details if required.

The cost of this walk is £30.00 per person, including a £7.50 per person non-refundable deposit.

We also have discounted family tickets available for this walk - please e-mail us for details. All family tickets include a non-refundable deposit. -->

Private Bookings

Private upgrades of scheduled walks are not currently available.

Personal Walking Guides

You can also make a private booking for this walk on dates other than those on which it is normally scheduled by booking a Personal Walking Guide. This allows you to do the walk when you want to, not when we have it scheduled. We have Personal Walking Gudes available most days, except for those listed as either "unavailable" or "unavailable for private bookings" on the calendar here. Please see the table below for the days of the week on which we are able to offer Personal Walking Guide bookings for this walk.

Availability - Rails Through The Peaks 3
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Bank Holidays
Yes Some* Yes Some* No Most* Most* Most*
* = Please contact us for details of availability

The cost of booking a Personal Walking Guide for this walk is £100.00 per group. Please note that we cannot take a Personal Walking Guide booking for this walk on the same date as we are also running it as a scheduled walk. Please see here for how to book a Personal Walking Guide for this walk.


When can I book this walk?

Bookings for 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, but the earlier you book, the more chance you have of getting the date you would like. 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 you have read and agree to our terms and conditions.

Latest booking news

  • Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, places on each walk are limited to a maximum of five people, who MUST all be from the same household.
  • Bookings are open for all dates listed, and close at 11:30am two days prior to the date of the walk.
  • We are now accepting Personal Walking Guide bookings for this walk for 2020. Personal Walking Guide bookings may be made for Mondays, some Tuesdays, Wednesdays, some Thursdays, most Saturdays and some Sundays between the beginning of March and the end of October 2020.
How to book

Important: Before booking, please make sure that the date you wish to book is not listed as already being fully booked in the "Latest booking news" section above.

To book this walk, please e-mail us, using the walk name and date as the message subject. In the body of your e-mail, please include the following information:

  • Name of walk.
  • Date required.
  • Number of places required.
  • Contact name and postal address.
  • Preferred e-mail address for contact.
  • Telephone number (mobile preferred) that can be used as an emergency contact in the event of issues on the day of the walk.
Once we have received your e-mail, we will e-mail you back within 24 to 48 hours with confirmation of if we can accommodate your booking, and the relevant payment details.

By booking a walk with us, you are confirming that all persons in your group reside in the same household, and agreeing to take full legal responsibility in the event that a request from the police or other relevant authorities for identification and residence information should prove otherwise. You are also agreeing that all persons in your group, or their legal guardians, accept full personal responsibility for following all other applicable coronavirus-related regulations and guidelines in force at the time of the walk.

GuideAdvisor



Cookie policy

Like almost every other website on the Internet today, this site does use cookies. The only thing they are used for is as part of Google Analytics, so that we can tell how successful this site is at attracting visitors and which pages they look at most. If you don't want cookies on your system, then please don't view this site any further, as we can't change the underlying technology used by Google Analytics. We also suggest that you clear your cookies after leaving this site.