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Monsal Trail

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Coordinates: 53°14′41″N 1°43′54″W / 53.2447°N 1.7317°W / 53.2447; -1.7317
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Viewed from Monsal Head, the Monsal Trail passes over Headstone Viaduct, and then on towards Millers Dale
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 cycle, horse riding and walking trail in the Derbyshire Peak District.

Route description

It follows a section of the former Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway, built by the Midland Railway in 1863 to link Manchester with London. The line was closed in 1968 by the Labour Minister for Transport Barbara Castle, not as it is often thought by the Beeching Axe, and remained unused for twelve years before being taken over by the Peak District National Park.

The Monsal Trail is about 8.5 miles (13.7 km) in length[3] and opened in 1981.[4] 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 and runs parallel to the A6.

The Monsal Trail as it passes the former Great Longstone railway station

From the Wyedale car park,[5] the easiest access point for the northern end of the trail, there is a walk of about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi), with the last part up steps, to reach the trail.[6] Starting at the south of the trail, "from Market Place in Bakewell, follow Sheffield Road and cross the five-arched bridge of the River Wye, turn right and ascend Station Road to the former Bakewell railway station and car park on your left."[7]

The trail passes through such places as Blackwell Mill, Millers Dale, Cressbrook, Monsal Dale, Great Longstone, Hassop and Bakewell. In the cases of Longstone and Hassop, although railway stations were provided, they were some distance from the villages.

This route through the Wye valley was necessitated by the Duke of Devonshire's objection to the railway passing through his grounds (which included not only Chatsworth House, but extensive grounds north of Rowsley). This route meant, for instance, that the line had to pass above the town of Bakewell, rather than through it.

The Duke of Rutland, of Haddon Hall, insisted on the construction of Haddon Tunnel to hide it from his view, but he used Bakewell railway station, which was built to a grander design than normal, and carried his coat of arms.

The Duke of Devonshire later came to realise the value of the railway, and his offer for the Midland Railway to run through Chatsworth came too late. He was therefore the force behind the construction of Hassop railway station, which, although nearer to Bakewell than Hassop village itself, meant that he did not have to share a railway station with his neighbour, the Duke of Rutland.[8]

Great Longstone (simply called 'Longstone' before 1913) served Thornbridge Hall, and the railway station design, with leaded glass windows, reflected the architecture of the hall itself.

For many years the trail could not follow the trackbed throughout as tunnels had been closed for safety reasons, such as at Monsal Head and Cressbrook, meaning that the trail was diverted. The tunnels were walked by Julia Bradbury as part of BBC TV's Railway Walks: The Peak Express.[9] Many resulting access points and diversion paths were unsuitable for those using cycles or wheelchairs or with difficulty walking due to steep uneven stone steps or narrow paths. Plans to make the tunnels safe and re-open them to the public were given the go-ahead at a cost of £3.785m,[10] and the tunnels were opened officially for use on 25 May 2011 at a ceremony at the Headstone Viaduct (they had been open for use since 13 May 2011). As a consequence, the trail is now virtually level (though the former diversions are still usable, if desired), and can thus be used by wheelchair users with level access onto the trail at Bakewell, Hassop railway station (disabled toilets at Bakewell and Millers Dale railway stations) and Millers Dale.

The notorious Litton Mill, downstream from Millers Dale railway station, is where orphans from major cities were abused by Ellis Needham, with the graves of many to be found in local churchyards. William Newton's 1783 Cressbrook Mill (on the site of a herb distillery) was used by Richard Arkwright.[11]

Pedal Peak District, the organisation funding the reopening of the tunnels, hope that it will be possible to extend the trail to create a circular route linking Buxton, Matlock and Bakewell.[12] Derbyshire County Council are taking this forward, which will consist of an extension south through Haddon Tunnel to Rowsley,[13] then alongside the Peak Rail railway as far as Matlock (except from minor diversions at Rowsley South and Darley Dale). Both of these are dependent on local authority support and funding;[14] however public consultation in 2014 showed strong support, and planning applications have now been approved for the route between Rowsley and Matlock with this section expected to open during 2016.[15]

Several miles to the south and south-west of this trail lie two other cycle/horse riding/walking trails, which similarly utilise former railway trackbeds, namely the High Peak Trail and the Tissington Trail.

Headstone Viaduct

Headstone Viaduct, at Monsal Head, is one of the more impressive structures on the line, although when it was built it was seen as destroying the beauty of the dale. John Ruskin, a poet and conservationist of the time, criticised the folly of building the railway:

The valley is gone – and now every fool in Buxton can be in Bakewell in half an hour and every fool at Bakewell in Buxton.

His words are displayed on the viaduct. However, when the railway closed and there was talk of demolishing the viaduct, there was considerable opposition. In 1970 a preservation order was placed on the structure.

Equally impressive, though less easily viewed, are the twin viaducts at Millers Dale, from where a branch line ran to Buxton. The trail runs across the older of the two.

Tunnels

Cressbrook Tunnel, one of four re-opened to the public in May 2011

The trail passes through the following tunnels:[16]

  • Haddon (closed): 1,058 yards (967 m) shallow tunnel built using cut and cover method
  • Headstone: 533 yards (487 m) yards
  • Cressbrook: 471 yards (431 m) through limestone, 1 in 100 gradient
  • Litton: 515 yards (471 m) through limestone, 1 in 100 gradient
  • Chee Tor 1: 401 yards (367 m)
  • Chee Tor 2: 91 yards (83 m)
  • Rusher Cutting Tunnel: 121 yards (111 m)

See also

References

  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. ^ "Peak District View : Monsal Trail". Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  4. ^ "What is the Monsal Trail?". Peak District National Park Authority. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  5. ^ Access page on PeakDistrict.org
  6. ^ Cheedale page on Cressbrook.co.uk
  7. ^ "Monsal Trail Walk". Retrieved 2011-01-16.
  8. ^ Railways in the Peak District, by Nicholson & Barnes, Dalesman Books 1971
  9. ^ "BBC – BBC Four Programmes – Railway Walks, The Peak Express". Retrieved 2009-04-18.
  10. ^ "BBC News – Go-ahead for reopening of tunnels". Retrieved 2009-12-21.
  11. ^ "Monsal Trail in Derbyshire and the Peak District". Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  12. ^ Sheffield Telegraph
  13. ^ "White Peak Loop: Bakewell to Rowsley" (PDF). DerbyshireCC.
  14. ^ "Report of the Strategic Director – Environmental Services: Matlock–Buxton Cycle Trail (Highways and Transport)" (PDF). Derbyshire County Council. 12 June 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  15. ^ "Derbyshire County Council – White Peak Loop". Derbyshire County Council. Jan 2015. Retrieved 24 Feb 2016.
  16. ^ "The History of the Line". Peak Rail plc. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Monsal Trail.

53°14′41″N 1°43′54″W / 53.2447°N 1.7317°W / 53.2447; -1.7317

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