Tissington Trail

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Tissington Trail
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Dowlow
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Hurdlow
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Parsley Hay
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High Peak Trail
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cuttings
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Hartington & signal box
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A515
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Alsop
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Limestone Way
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Tissington
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A515
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cuttings
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Thorpe
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Mapleton Lane
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Ashbourne Tunnel (
350 m
383 yd
)
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Ashbourne
Sources [1]
Coldeaton Cutting on the Tissington Trail ColdeatonCuttingOnTheTissingtonTrail(JohnDarch)Feb2006.jpg
Coldeaton Cutting on the Tissington Trail

The Tissington Trail is a bridleway, footpath and cycleway in Derbyshire, England, along part of the trackbed of the former railway line connecting Ashbourne to Buxton. It takes its name from the village of Tissington, which it skirts. Opened in 1971, and now a part of the National Cycle Network, it stretches for 13 miles (21 km) from Parsley Hay ( 53°10′14″N1°46′58″W / 53.1706°N 1.7828°W / 53.1706; -1.7828 (Tissington Trail (Parsley Hay trailhead)) ) in the north to Ashbourne ( 53°01′11″N1°44′23″W / 53.0196°N 1.7397°W / 53.0196; -1.7397 (Tissington Trail (Ashbourne trailhead)) ) in the south.

The Tissington Trail, just south of Parsley Hay Tissington Trail - geograph.org.uk - 112419.jpg
The Tissington Trail, just south of Parsley Hay
The restored Hartington signal box beside the trail; it is now an information centre. Hartington Signal Box and the Tissington Trail. - geograph.org.uk - 10973.jpg
The restored Hartington signal box beside the trail; it is now an information centre.
The trail at the site of the former Tissington station, now a picnic site Tissington station.jpg
The trail at the site of the former Tissington station, now a picnic site

Route details

At Parsley Hay, a small settlement to the north-east of Hartington, it is joined by the High Peak Trail, another rail trail which is 17 miles (27 km) in length from High Peak Junction, near Cromford in Matlock, to Dowlow, near Buxton.

The trail has a firm crushed-limestone surface, which is suitable for cyclists, walkers and wheelchair users. It has easy level access at many points along its route. The elevated nature of the line (at Parsley Hay, it is over 1,000 feet (305 m) above sea level) means that it affords good views, but it is exposed in poor weather. The trail runs gently downhill from Parsley Hay southwards but, about 14 mile (400 m) north of the cycle hire centre at Mapleton Lane in Ashbourne, the trail dips down and up where a viaduct has been removed; both slopes are about 130 feet (40 m) long with gradients of 1:9.

Hartington signal box, beside the trail although some distance from the village, has been converted to an information centre, which is open in summer on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays. The National Park Authority operates cycle hire at both ends of the trail.

From Hartington station northwards, the route is part of the Pennine Bridleway, a 130-mile (209 km) leisure route which includes 73 miles (117 km) through Derbyshire to the South Pennines. The bridleway has two southern starting points, with another at Middleton Top, near Cromford, on the High Peak Trail.

Facilities

History of the route

Built by the LNWR, the line opened in 1899, and linked with the Cromford and High Peak Railway at Parsley Hay, a line completed nearly 70 years earlier to link the Cromford Canal wharf at High Peak Junction with the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge. It was the last of the railways to be built in the Peak District. Whilst the section from Parsley Hay to Ashbourne was single track (from Parsley Hay north to Buxton it was double) the formation was constructed to allow for doubling if necessary, but this never happened. There were passing loops at Hartington, Alsop-en-le-Dale, Tissington and Thorpe Cloud.

Despite the relatively short length of this branch line, it was deservedly popular with walkers and ramblers, enjoying its heyday in the 1930s. Apart from the elevated views over the Peak itself, a large attraction was that this line passed close to Dovedale. The line for a time also carried a through-service (i.e. without changing carriages) for passengers from London Euston (via Nuneaton, Uttoxeter and Ashbourne) to Buxton and Manchester. A daily train also transported local milk to London. However, the line suffered from passing through a sparsely populated area, and it was closed to regular passenger traffic in 1954, and all services between Ashbourne and Hartington, including excursion traffic and specials (such as run during bad weather, or well dressing specials), ceased in October 1963. The route between Hartington and Parsley Hay survived until October 1967.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashbourne, Derbyshire</span> Market town in Derbyshire, England

Ashbourne is a market town in the Derbyshire Dales district in Derbyshire, England. Its population was measured at 8,377 in the 2011 census and was estimated to have grown to 9,163 by 2019. It has many historical buildings and independent shops. The town offers a historic annual Shrovetide football match. Its position near the southern edge of the Peak District makes it the closest town to Dovedale, to which Ashbourne is sometimes referred to as the gateway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Peak</span>

The White Peak, also known as the Low Peak, is a limestone plateau that forms the central and southern part of the Peak District in England. It is mostly between 270 metres (900 ft) and 430 metres (1,400 ft) above sea-level and is enclosed by the higher altitude Dark Peak to the west, north and east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hartington, Derbyshire</span> Human settlement in England

Hartington is a village in the centre of the White Peak area of the Derbyshire Peak District, England, lying on the River Dove which is the Staffordshire border. According to the 2001 census, the parish of Hartington Town Quarter, which also includes Pilsbury, had a population of 345 reducing to 332 at the 2011 Census. Formerly known for cheese-making and the mining of ironstone, limestone and lead, the village is now popular with tourists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cromford and High Peak Railway</span> Early British railway company (1833–1871)

The Cromford and High Peak Railway (C&HPR) was a standard-gauge line between the Cromford Canal wharf at High Peak Junction and the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge. The railway, which was completed in 1831, was built to carry minerals and goods through the hilly rural terrain of the Peak District within Derbyshire, England. The route was marked by a number of roped worked inclines. Due to falling traffic, the entire railway was closed by 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Peak Trail</span> Bridleway in the English Peak District

The High Peak Trail is a 17-mile (27 km) trail for walkers, cyclists and horse riders in the Peak District of England. Running from Dowlow (53.2059°N 1.8349°W), near Buxton, to High Peak Junction, Cromford (53.1004°N 1.5354°W), it follows the trackbed of the former Cromford and High Peak Railway, which was completed in 1831 to carry minerals and goods between the Cromford Canal wharf at High Peak Junction and the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennine Bridleway</span>

The Pennine Bridleway is a National Trail in Northern England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thorpe, Derbyshire</span> Human settlement in England

Thorpe is a village and civil parish in the English county of Derbyshire; it is on the Derbyshire/Staffordshire border, on the east bank of the River Dove, about four miles north of Ashbourne. The population of the civil parish as at the 2011 census was 183.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parsley Hay railway station</span> Former railway station in Derbyshire, England

Parsley Hay railway station served Parsley Hay, a hamlet within Hartington Middle Quarter civil parish, about 9.3 miles (15 km) south east of Buxton, Derbyshire, on the LNWR line to Ashbourne. The nearest large settlement is the village of Hartington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hulme End</span> Human settlement in England

Hulme End is a small hamlet in Staffordshire, England. It is located in the Peak District National Park about 10 miles north of Ashbourne. A natural gateway to the Manifold valley, the settlement is located beside the river Manifold where it crosses the road from Hartington to Warslow.

The Ashbourne line was a 33+12 mi (53.9 km) railway from Buxton via Ashbourne to Uttoxeter. It was built by the London and North Western Railway using a section of the Cromford and High Peak Railway (C&HPR) and it joined the North Staffordshire Railway at Ashbourne, proceeding to Uttoxeter with a junction onto the main line at Rocester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Higher Buxton railway station</span> Former railway station in Derbyshire, England

Higher Buxton railway station was opened in 1894 to the south east of Buxton, Derbyshire, on the LNWR line to Ashbourne and the south.

Thorpe Cloud railway station was opened in 1899 between the villages of Thorpe and Fenny Bentley in Derbyshire, south east of Buxton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tissington railway station</span> Former railway station in Derbyshire, England

Tissington railway station is a disused British railway station near Tissington, a village in Derbyshire near Ashbourne. It opened on 4 August 1899 and closed on 7 October 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alsop en le Dale railway station</span> Former railway station in Derbyshire, England

Alsop en le Dale railway station was opened in 1899 near Alsop en le Dale and Alstonefield, villages in Derbyshire southeast of Buxton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hartington railway station</span> Former railway station in Derbyshire, England

Hartington railway station opened in 1899 about two miles away from the village it served - Hartington in Derbyshire, south east of Buxton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashbourne railway station</span> Former railway station in Derbyshire, England

Ashbourne railway station formerly served the town of Ashbourne in Derbyshire. There have been two stations in the town. The first, opened in 1852, was operated by the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR); it was replaced in 1899 by a station at a new location, jointly operated by the NSR and the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). In 1923 the station passed into the ownership of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and in 1948 that of the London Midland Region of British Railways. It was finally closed to all traffic in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Peak Junction</span>

High Peak Junction, near Cromford, Derbyshire, England, is the name now used to describe the site where the former Cromford and High Peak Railway (C&HPR), whose workshops were located here, meets the Cromford Canal. It lies within Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, designated in 2001, and today marks the southern end of the High Peak Trail, a 17 miles (27 km) trail for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. The Derwent Valley Heritage Way also passes this point, and popular walks lead from here along the towpath in both directions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Peak Loop Trail</span> Recreational trail in the English Peak District

The White Peak Loop is a 60-mile (97 km) route for walking, cycling and horse riding in the Peak District of England. The trail combines sections of the High Peak Trail and the Monsal Trail with linking sections through the towns of Buxton, Bakewell and Matlock. The White Peak Loop is being developed by Derbyshire County Council and as of 2022 some sections are not yet complete.

Ladmanlow railway station was a minor railway station located on the Cromford and High Peak Railway near Buxton in Derbyshire. It was located on a line mostly used for mineral and quarry traffic. It opened to passengers in 1855 and closed in 1876 due to relatively but not uncommonly low usage. The goods station then closed in 1967 along with the rest of the line. Today, nothing remains of the station. It was also the terminus of the line originally for passengers until 1874 when it was extended to Buxton/Whaley Bridge. The trackbed now forms an access route to the Health and Safety Executive Science & Research Centre from the A53. Remains of the route towards Whaley bridge can be seen on the nearby A54 where a bridge abutment and an embankment are visible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hartington Middle Quarter</span> Civil parish in Derbyshire, England

Hartington Middle Quarter is a civil parish within the Derbyshire Dales district, which is in the county of Derbyshire, England. Formerly a part of Hartington parish, for which it is named, it has a mix of a number of villages and hamlets amongst a mainly rural and undulating landscape, and is wholly within the Peak District National Park. It had a population of 379 residents in 2011. The parish is 130 miles (210 km) north west of London, 20 miles (32 km) north west of the county city of Derby, and 5 miles (8.0 km) south east of the nearest market town of Buxton. Being on the edge of the county border, it shares a boundary with the parishes of Chelmorton, Flagg, Hartington Town Quarter, Hartington Upper Quarter, Middleton and Smerrill, Monyash in Derbyshire, as well as Hollinsclough, Longnor and Sheen in Staffordshire.

References

  1. "Peak District National Park - Visit Tissington Trail" . Retrieved 29 March 2020.
Map all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap

53°05′46″N1°46′32″W / 53.096°N 1.7755°W / 53.096; -1.7755 (Tissington Trail)