Rails Through The Peaks 3 - Bakewell to Buxton

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 southern access point of the Monsal Trail at the former Bakewell Station. Following the Trail northwards, it looks at the history of each of the former stations along the Trail, plus other points of interest such as the picturesque Headstone Viaduct in Monsal Dale. 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.