Tissington, High Peak & The Manifold Cycle Trails.

Cycle Trails in The Derbyshire Peak District.

There are a number of cycle trails and tracks in the Peak District National Park. Many are also ideal for horse / Pony tracking along with hiking & Walking.

You are welcome to bring your cycle or even your Horse or Pony while you holiday at Paddock House Farm Holiday Cottages. (Additional charges for Horse & Pony apply)

Tissington & High Peak Trail.

The Tissington Trail runs along a 13 mile route from Ashbourne to Parsley Hay. At this point it joins up with the High Peak Trail, which runs from High Peak Junction to Dowlow near to Buxton. Surrounded by beautiful countryside the traffic-free trail is ideal for horse riders, cyclists, naturalists and walkers. It is suitable for wheel chairs and pushchairs along the flat sections.

The trail was originally the trackbed of the Buxton to Ashbourne railway line, built by the LNWR and opened in 1899. In its heyday, it carried express trains from Manchester to London and until after the Second World War a daily train delivered milk from Peak District farms to Finsbury Park, London.

Following the closure of the line in the 1960s, it was decided to remove the trackbed and turn the line into a trail for the benefit of walkers, cyclists and horse riders. This experimental scheme was one of the first of its type in the country. It has been great success, since opening to the public in June 1971. Large numbers of people are attracted at weekends throughout the year and every day during peak holiday periods.

You can walk, cycle or ride a horse every day of the year on this wonderful traffic free trail and it will not cost you a penny. During all seasons of the year you will be able to admire the many stunning views. In the spring and summer, wild flowers are found in abundance and wildlife is plentiful at any time.

Tissington Trail is mostly flat, once you have passed the relatively steep incline at Mapleton, near the southern end of the trail. The trail is well surfaced and there is a car park and a seasonal cycle hire centre at Mapleton Lane, which lies just to the north of Ashbourne. Refreshments are also available.

Further on up the trail, there is a small car park at Thorpe, once one of the railway stopping points. It is here that many walkers leave the trail to visit Dovedale. Some continue up the valley to Milldale, before eventually rejoining the trail at Alsop-en-le-Dale.

Soon after leaving Thorpe, the car park at Tissington is reached, where both the car park and picnic area are much larger than at Thorpe and Mapleton Lane. Tissington is one of the prettiest and most unspoilt villages not only in Derbyshire but in the whole of the country.  Neat well tended gardens and limestone cottages, behind wide grass verges and backed by mature trees, give a feeling of peace and tranquillity. No planner designed it; the beauty of the village is the result of evolution.

Since the reign of Elizabeth I, the FitzHerbert family have managed the village, most of it having been rebuilt between 1830 and 1860 in traditional local style. The home of the FitzHerberts is an elegant Jacobean Manor, which stands just back from the main street behind a walled garden. The wall is broken only by a handsome 17^thcentury gateway with wrought iron gates by the famous Derbyshire blacksmith, Robert Bakewell.

When the railway came to the village in 1900 Sir Richard insisted that the line should be placed in a cutting. The Railway Company, it is said, built the cottages adjacent to the station in red brick rather than stone in retaliation for the inconvenience.

Between Tissington and Alsop-en-le-Dale, another stopping point on the trail, where there is a small car park, there are many footpaths leading off the trail. The walk to Parwich through the Blatch Valley is particularly popular. The trail then continues to what was Hartington Station, which lies just over a mile from the village. The old signal box remains and there is a car park.

A short distance after leaving Hartington, the Tissington Trail joins the High Peak Trail at Parsley Hay. Here you can either turn round and go back down the trail or follow the High Peak Trail as far as Dowlow.

The High Peak Trail, originally carried The Cromford and High Peak Railway, the construction of which was considered to be an engineering masterpiece. It attracted railway enthusiasts, not only from this country but all over the world. It linked High Peak Junction at two hundred and seven-seven feet above sea level with Whaley Bridge at five hundred and seventeen feet. In the middle it rose to over a thousand feet at Ladmanlow. Stretching for thirty-three miles in length, the line was fully opened in 1831, when it was used to transport minerals, corn, coal and other commodities from one canal to the other.

High Peak Trail.

The construction of The Cromford and High Peak Railway was considered to be an engineering masterpiece which attracted railway enthusiasts, not only from this country but all over the world. It linked High Peak Junction at two hundred and seven-seven feet above sea level with Whaley Bridge at five hundred and seventeen feet. In the middle it rose to over a thousand feet at Ladmanlow. Stretching for Thirty-three miles in length, the line was fully opened in 1831, when it was used to transport minerals, corn, coal and other commodities from one canal to the other.

Following the closure of The Cromford and High Peak Railway, the land was purchased jointly by Derbyshire County Council and the Peak Park Planning Board and in partnership with the Countryside Commission converted into the High Peak Trail. For those wanting a longer walk/ride, the Trail is part of the Midshires Way and the new Pennine Bridleway and Pennine Cycleway.

It stretches form High Peak Junction on the Cromford Canal to Dowlow near Buxton, a total distance of seventeen and a half miles. Surrounded by beautiful countryside the traffic-free trail is ideal for horse riders, cyclists, naturalists and walkers. It is suitable for wheel chairs and pushchairs along the flat sections.

There is an abundance of wild life along the route and it is particularly noted for wild flowers including cowslips, wild strawberry and thyme.

All the picnic sites, car parks and information centres have been designed to provide visitors with the opportunity to relax and enjoy the magnificent scenery of the Derbyshire countryside. At Parsley Hay the trail connects with the Tissington Trail, which leads off in a south-easterly direction towards Ashbourne.

The trail is managed by Rangers who apart from ensuring due care is taken of the countryside are always happy to provide helpful advice to make visits more enjoyable.

There is no better way of exploring the beautiful countryside surrounding the High Peak Trail, than by bicycle. The hire cycles used on the trail are replaced every year to maintain the latest standard of comfort, safety, durability and performance. However, if you have any problems with your hired cycle, or uncertainties about the route you have to follow all you have to do is to ask for assistance.

Manifold Trail

The Manifold Trail is a multi-user route along the Manifold valley following the former Leek and Manifold Light Railway. This trail is an easy route being on a tarmacadam track and minor roads between Waterhouses and Hulme End and, as such, is suitable for children and old people. The High Peak and Tissington trails are much more exposed to the weather than the Manifold. The route has been open since the 1930s when the railway closed, and is probably the earliest case of a disused railway line being converted to a walkers’ and cyclists’ route. Waterhouses official car park is just off the main Ashbourne to Leek road, the A523. Here you will find cycle hire and toilets.

For the disabled there are better facilities found at Hulme End at the northern end of the trail, near Hartington. Here there are wide car parking spaces, toilets and the track here is very suitable for wheel chairs.

No need for a map or instructions, just follow the other walkers and cyclists.

En route high up in the cliff you can see Thor’s cave. Worth a climb up for views of the valley. Further on is Wetton Mill where toilets and refreshments are available. There is another cave to explore above the cafe.

The trails having been in existence for a number of years, the trails now forms a wonderful habitat for wildlife. They are popular with all ages and provide the disabled and less fit with an opportunity to enjoy the countryside.

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Another amazing activity while staying on holiday in your luxury self catering holiday cottage in the Peak District National Park. At Paddock House Farm Holiday Cottages in Derbyshire.

Cycle Hire Centers

Ashbourne (Tel 01335 343156) to the north of the town centre on the Tissington Trail, just off the road to Mapleton.

Middleton Top (Tel 01629 823204) on the High Peak Trail near Middleton-by-Wirksworth, off the B5035.

Parsley Hay (Tel 01298 84493) at the junction of the High Peak and Tissington Trails, off the A515 Ashbourne to Buxton road.