Tissington Trail – High Peak Trail loop from Peartree

Tissington Trail – High Peak Trail loop from Peartree

Hard

riders

Tissington Trail – High Peak Trail loop from Peartree

05:51

105km

920m

Gravel riding

Hard gravel ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: September 10, 2026

Tips

Includes a segment in which cycling is not permitted

After 28.9 km for 63 m

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

Get Directions

30.8 km

Tissington Trail Start (Ashbourne)

Highlight • Parking

Very polite and friendly staff. Young chap spotted the ti gravel bike a mile off, so we got chatting for 10-15 mins.. I found most people rather friendly around here...

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37.4 km

Tissington Trail

Highlight • Cycleway

The Tissington Trail is a 13-mile (21 km) traffic-free trail that links Ashbourne to Parsley Hay via the spectacular White Peak countryside. The compacted gravel trail is relatively smooth and flat (save for a relatively steep incline at Mappleton), making it a great ride for all ages and abilities. The Tissington Trail is part of a network of former railway lines in this area that are now recreational routes, meaning the exploration options are plentiful.

The trail follows the former Buxton to Ashbourne railway line, which opened in 1899 and closed in 1967. After its closure, the route was transformed into a trail and opened to the public in 1971.

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50.5 km

View of the Peak District Rolling Hills

Highlight • Viewpoint

awesome views windy

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51.9 km

Parsley Hay Visitor Centre and Bike Hire

Highlight • Cycleway

Great snack bar and bike hire centre. Makes for a good target to aim for when riding on the Tissington or High Peak Trails.

The snack bar doesn't have inside facilities so you'll have to use the picnic tables outside. These can be cold in winter as you're about 1,100 feet (335 m) up. There's some cover from the rain. and toilets facilities.

The bike hire centre offers various kinds of bikes including ones modified for disabled users and electric bikes.

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52.0 km

Istrian stone hut at Parsley Hay

Highlight • Parking

Great sausage and bacon bread rolls with a flat white. To top it off, a wonderful view...

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59.7 km

Chapel Plantation

Forest

69.1 km

High Peak Trail

Highlight • Cycleway

Great route for traffic-free cycling, the High Peak trail is a gravel track which follows the course of an old railway. This railway was owned by a canal company, so was built in an odd manner with long flat portions joined by steep sections (like canal locks) where the trains were often hauled uphill by stationary engines.

This means that most of the route is nice and flat but with inclines that will often mean pushing uphill. These include Cromford High Peak junction westwards (1:9 for about a mile), Middleton Top (1:8 with a surface including drainage channels across the track, so beware when descending especially as there are very steep drop-offs to the side), and Hopton (1:14 for about 500 yards or 457 metres).

You can get a good speed up downhill but be careful as surface is very loose.

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70.4 km

Middleton Top Engine House and railway wagon

Highlight • Historical Site

Notorious for its steep gradient, Middleton Top is a super climb with majestic views at the top. Plus, there's bike hire and a small cafe here. It has also been part of the Eroica Britannia route for the past few years – imagine that gradient with barely functioning, pre-1979 gearing. At the top of the incline there's the Middleton Top Engine House, as the track used to be the High Peak steam railway.

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70.5 km

Middleton Top Engine House

Highlight • Historical Site

Very interesting piece of railway history containing the world's oldest working
steam lift. Take the time to go a little further to theSteeple Grange Light Railway or brave the Sheep Pasture descent to the Cromford Canal.
Refreshments and toilets on site.

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