Last Updated on 9 October 2024 by Colette
Until this week I hadn’t heard of the Monsal Trail but it popped up on my Facebook feed and I thought it looked perfect for a morning out. The Monsal Trail is a former Midland Railway line which runs for 8.5 miles and provides a safe, traffic route for walking and cycling in the Peak District. Along the route there are four railway tunnels which are about 400 metres long and lit during daylight hours.
The Monsal Trail is mostly gravel pathed but perfectly accessible for pushchairs, wheelchairs and bicyles.
We decided that for our first visit to the Monsal Trail we’d take the kids’ bikes but that Dave and I would walk with Poppy. Amy has only just learned to ride her bike and Chloe has just upgraded to a much bigger bike so this was their first proper ride outside of our local park! They’ve asked if we can do the Monsal Trail again as a “family bike ride“.
Not being sure how long the kids would be able to ride for or indeed how long Poppy would manage to walk, we packed a picnic and set off with the aim of doing about half an hour / forty five minutes and then stopping for an early lunch. As it was we walked for about an hour before we stopped – mainly as we hadn’t come across the tunnels yet and also because there isn’t really a lot of places to stop along the trail. We stopped after our second tunnel and found an empty bench overlooking the most stunning view.
Looking at the map we just missed out on the viaduct which is a shame as the views look spectacular – we definitely need to make sure we go that bit further next time (or start from a different point on the trail!)
We almost got rained on while we were eating but luckily the clouds passed quickly as we hasn’t taken any coats and would have had to dive into the tunnels for shelter! After lunch we just turned back and walked the way we came. We covered about 4.5 miles in total and it took us a couple of hours.
I’ve been asked quite a few questions about our trip to the Monsal Trail so hopefully I can answer those below – if there’s anything else you need to know, please shout!
Where to park for the Monsal Trail
We parked at Millers Dale car park (SK17 8SN) – this hadn’t been our original plan but was where we ended up thanks to some road closures and diversions. Arriving at 10.20am on a sunny Saturday morning, the car park was already nearing capacity but we managed to find a space. The car park cost £4 for four hours and whilst the machines do accept cards, they weren’t working today and we had to get some change from the Restroom to be able to pay for our parking. Parking at the Millers Dale car park meant the girls could go to the toilet before we set off for our walk and also meant we had a handy ice cream stop to keep us going when we were flagging at the end of our adventure! We set off left towards Bakewell from here.
(The Peak District website suggests that the most plentiful parking is in Bakewell with several pay and display car parks in the town (DE45 1BU) and a small car park next to the Trail at Bakewell Station)
Is the Monsal Trail busy?
I’ve been asked several times already if the Monsal Trail was busy – and the simple answer is yes, it was really busy. However, the majority of people were cycling in groups so were moving out of each other’s way fairly quickly – it didn’t feel over crowded or particularly difficult to maintain social distancing. I would absolutely recommend getting out and on the trail first thing though if you are able.
Cycling the Monsal Trail
As I’ve mentioned, the majority of people we came across on the Monsal Trail were cycling – from kids on balance bikes or tag-alongs, middle-aged men on shiny new look mountain bikes, couples on tandems or large family groups – the Monsal Trail is a popular cycling route. Being a reclaimed railway, it is relatively flat and is of course completely traffic free making it perfect for kids to ride safely. Because we were walking whilst the children were cycling, we were able to let them cycle back and forth in front of us. They were perfectly safe and we just told them to turn around and come back once they couldn’t see us anymore. The pathway is reasonably wide allowing for a two way traffic flow and mostly people were respectful and stuck to the left (the kids needed reminding of this a lot though!)
You can hire bikes at Hassop Station or Blackwell Mill (though these guys don’t reopen till Wednesday 1st July 2020)
Can you walk the Monsal Trail?
The Monsal Trail is a really lovely walk with some beautiful views – being fairly flat it isn’t a particularly challenging walk so is nice for a bit of a dawdle or a more energetic stomp (we did see a couple of people running today too). What I would say is that because the Monsal Trail is such a popular cycle route, you do need to be quite aware of what’s going on around you so you don’t inadvertently step out into the route of a passing cyclist – that said everyone was very polite and respectful and warned you they were coming / thanked you for moving out of the way.
There are plenty of routes off the Monsal Trail that are for walkers only so if you do want to explore or or avoid the cyclists that might be a good option! Obviously we didn’t investigate further today as we had the kids’ bikes with us but there certainly looked to be some lovely walks to be had.
Is the Monsal Trail dog friendly?
Whilst the Monsal Trail is perfectly dog friendly, we did find it was just too busy to be able to let Poppy off the lead which was a real shame. We were worried she’d just get in someone’s way and cause them to fall off their bike so we kept her on the lead the whole time. We did see other dog walkers with their dogs loose but they were clearly older and more sensible than our Pops! One thing I would say is that I didn’t spot a single bin for the 3 mile stretch that we walked so you could be carrying that dog poo bag a long way.
Are there any toilets on the Monsal Trail?
The toilets at The Refreshment Room, Millers’ Dale Station were open when we visited today with advisory notices asking people to ensure there were only two people in the building at a time and that the 2m social distancing guidelines were followed.
The Refreshment Room, Miller’s Dale Station
The Refreshment Room is currently open and running a takeaway service – we bought a round of ice creams which cost about £12 for the five of us. It was super busy but there was plenty of space to sit on picnic tables or along the edges of the old railway. It was a lovely place to end our walk but also seemed to be a popular meeting place for groups of cyclists.
A word of warning about the tunnels
I hadn’t mentioned the old railway tunnels to our kids ahead of time, thinking they would just be a really exciting discovery but our six year old was actually really frightened of them initially. She was convinced that there might be a car coming that she wouldn’t see. We reassured her that the trail was completely pedestrianised and there would be no traffic but looking at the tunnel with fresh eyes I could absolutely see why she was anxious. We explained that although the tunnel looked really dark, it wouldn’t actually be that dark once we were in there. The tunnel is lit during daylight hours and your eyes quickly adjust. Amy took a little while to settle into the fact that the tunnels weren’t scary but once she’d got her head round it she really liked them.
It’s also worth mentioning that the paths through the tunnels are tarmacked and a little narrower than the rest of the trail (as you can see in the pictures above) though as a pedestrian it’s perfectly possible to step off the path onto the gravelled sections at the side when there’s a cyclist coming.
I think I’ve covered everything I’ve been asked today but if there’s anything else you want to know do shout either in the comments below or on twitter / Instagram and I’ll either try and answer it myself or point you in the direction of someone more expert!
Have a look at some of these posts next:
Some of our favourite dog walks in the Greater Manchester area
The best parks for bike riding in Manchester
Apps to download for outdoor adventures
Five reasons why I love walking
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