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Chatsworth Ideas

5 miles west of Chatsworth House

Monsal Trail

  • walks
  • family
  • cycling

The Monsal Trail is a cycling, horse riding and walking trail in the Derbyshire Peak District. It was constructed from a section of the former Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway, which was built by the Midland Railway in 1863 to link Manchester with London and closed in 1968. The Monsal Trail is about 8.5 miles (13.7 km) long and opened in 1981. 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. The trail passes through Blackwell Mill, Chee Dale, Millers Dale, Cressbrook, Monsal Dale, Great Longstone, Hassop and Bakewell. The trail has numerous landmarks including Headstone Viaduct, Cressbrook Mill, Litton Mill and Hassop railway station, and passes through six tunnels.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Opening times and prices are on the attraction’s own site.

Map · Directions

Making a day of it

The nearest of the villages in this guide are Great Longstone (1.3 miles), Ashford-in-the-Water (1.7 miles) and Tideswell (3 miles). From the house it is about 20 minutes by road.

Parking, pubs and cafes within a mile

  1. Packhorse Inn

    4.5 miles (7.3 km) from Chatsworth House, to the west

    Main Street, Little Longstone, DE45 1NN

    • Serves food

    Map

  2. The Hollow Dining Rooms

    4.5 miles (7.2 km) from Chatsworth House, to the west

    Near Great Longstone

    +44 1629 640746Map

Questions people ask

How far is Monsal Trail from Chatsworth House?

5 miles (8.3 km) west of the house in a straight line; allow roughly 20 minutes by road, or 2 hr 40 min on foot if there is a path.

Can I visit Monsal Trail and Chatsworth in one day?

Yes. Monsal Trail is close enough to combine with a half day at Chatsworth; the nearest village to it is Great Longstone.

Also nearby

Sources

  • Place listings from OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed under the ODbL; snapshot taken 4 September 2026. Names, opening hours and websites are as recorded by volunteers and can be out of date — check before you rely on them, and fix errors on OpenStreetMap itself.
  • Place and attraction summaries adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; each one links to its article.