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to Sparklow . When the wind is low the trail is ideal for novices as it was originally engineered in the 1820s to canal standards , so mainly runs level through a high limestone landscape . So you get spectacular long views with little climbing . The High Peak Trail is 17.5 miles long and offers the chance to see the old winding engine at Middleton To , a working beam engine built in 1829 using steam to raise and lower wagons on the Middleton incline . Also worth a visit is the nearby National Stone Centre .
THE MONSAL TRAIL
The Monsal Trail is traffic free route running along the former railway line through some of the Peak District ’ s most spectacular limestone dales . It stretches for 8.5 miles between Blackwell Mill in Chee Dale , three miles south of Buxton , and Coombs Road in Bakewell . The trail is accessible to cyclists , walkers , horse riders and wheelchair users . Most of the route was opened to the public in 1981 but four former railway tunnels closed in 1968 had to remain closed due to safety reasons , with public footpaths people around them . On 25 May 2011 the four railway tunnels – Headstone Tunnel , Cressbrook Tunnel , Litton Tunnel , Chee Tor Tunnel – opened for trail users as part of a major project led by The Peak District National Park Authority . Each tunnel is about 400 metres long and are lit during normal daylight hours .
Two shorter tunnels - Chee Tor No . 2 and Rusher Cutting – already formed part of the Monsal Trail . It is the first time the public have been able to go through the tunnels since the former Midland Railway Line closed in 1968 , seeing breathtaking views at places like Water-cum-Jolly Dale that have remained hidden since the railway closed .
www . peakdistrict . gov . uk
CHALLENGING TOUR ROUTES
If desired there are undulating routes with a mixture of long ascents and descents and short , sharp climbs . The landscape is so testing that The Peak District will host this year ’ s Aviva Women ’ s Tour . The Tour ( June 15-19 ) is the toughest edition in its three-year history and hits The Peaks on stage three between Ashbourne and Chesterfield . The