This is an absolutely brilliant walk along the River Wye, and then climbing up to Monsal Head, before heading down to the iconic Headstone viaduct and tunnel, before returning along the river.
This is a mostly circular walk, that takes in so many fantastic locations and views, meandering along the River Wye, then crossing the river at the weir, and climbing up to Monsal Head, with stunning views over the valley below.
The starting point of the walk is the White Lodge car park on the A6. It is on your right if you are travelling from the direction of Buxton. It is not very obvious, there is a parking sign but not much else. If you get to Ashford in the Water you have gone too far. There is quite a bit of space in the car park and some toilets, it is a pay and display, you can use a card or coins.
From the car park, you head down a path towards the A6 and cross over to the other side, you will see a stile that you have to climb over, this leads to some more stiles and a small stream with stepping stones. When we did the walk it was very muddy, and both the stream and the river were running very high, so it was a little tricky.
From here the path is obvious, carry straight ahead and it leads to the River Wye. It is a lovely walk alongside the river, with the path dipping in to the woods, and then back to the river bank. There are some big open spaces near the river that would be fantastic for a picnic on a dry day.
After about half a mile or so you will see the weir ahead of you, and the path either goes straight ahead here, or goes over a bridge and crosses the river to the other bank. We crossed over the river, and followed the path up to the weir.
After leaving the weir, the path starts to climb up the side of the valley, and it can get quite narrow in places. It isn’t particularly steep, but it does climb for some distance, and is a good tester for your thigh muscles. As you climb the path you get glimpses of the Headstone Viaduct through the trees.
After about half a mile the path leads to Monsal Head, where there is a car park, and refreshments. It is the perfect spot to sit on a bench and soak up the scenic views stretching away down the Wye valley.
From Monsal Head, go through the squeeze stile in the stone wall and take the path down to the Monsal Trail, it descends quite quickly, but does have steps. This leads you to the Headstone Tunnel entrance. We went through the tunnel, and then turned back, but as you are on the trail, you can extend your walk as far as you like from here.
We returned through the tunnel, and this takes you straight on to the Headstone Viaduct, which has some great views down the valley.
At the far end of the viaduct there is a signpost that points to a path on the left that descends from the viaduct and back down to the river. You get some great views back up to the trail from here, and is a great place to photograph the viaduct from.
Carry on the path that runs alongside the river and it leads you back to the weir, where we crossed the bridge earlier. Retrace your steps from here to lead back to the car park.
This was one of the best walks we have done, and I highly recommend it to anyone with a reasonable level of fitness, as there are a few climbs and descents.
If you like these walks, or have any suggestions, please get in touch, it would be good to hear from you. Also if you would like somewhere to stay in the area, we have a lovely cottage that is available for holidays and short breaks throughout the year. Aldergrove Cottage
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Below is a link to my MapMyWalk site, it outlines the route described above, and there are plenty of other walks there, check it out.
Holiday Cottage in Ashbourne 