Temporary closures on Monsal Trail for conservation and essential safety work

The Peak District National Park Authority is asking people to be aware that sections of the Monsal Trail will be closed from Monday September 28, for two weeks, on Monday to Friday only.

The sections to close are:

• Headstone Tunnel, from the west entrance off the Monsal Dale Viaduct, and extending to approximately half a mile to the east of the tunnel on the Great Longstone side. This is to allow essential safety and conservation work to take place at the tunnel entrances.
• And Litton Tunnel and Cressbrook Tunnel, to allow essential safety work to be completed.

Users will not be able to travel the full length of the Trail on weekdays during the works, however the Trail will be fully open at the weekends.

The closure is necessary for safety reasons whilst essential work takes place in the old railway cuttings and at the tunnel entrances.

During the weekday works people can still use the Trail as far as the closed sections.

The Monsal Dale viaduct will still be accessible via the path from Monsal Head and along the Trail from Blackwell Mill to Litton Tunnel and Bakewell to Headstone cutting will be unaffected.

The Authority offers its apologies for anyone impacted by the temporary closure, but hopes that everyone can understand that it will enable the route to remain open and safe for the future.

The work at Headstone Tunnel involves trees being coppiced or felled to prevent damage to the historic, protected railway structures. It has been scheduled to take place outside of bird breeding and badger breeding season to minimise any impact on wildlife.

The work is essential and has been recommended by independent surveys and structural reports. The aim is to avoid any potential long-term damage that would put trail users at risk or risk a much longer closure of the Trail.

The whole of the Monsal Trail will be open at weekends which is when the route receives its highest numbers of visitors.

The Monsal Trail is owned and managed by the Peak District National Park Authority for the benefit of over 300,000 visits each year. It provides an accessible route through part of the National Park for families, cyclists, horse riders, walkers and mobility users due to its flat and surfaced nature. It remains traffic-free, except for authorised maintenance.

Information about the Monsal Trail is available at www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/monsaltrail.

Donations to help look after the Peak District National Park for everyone to enjoy can be made at www.peakdistrictfoundation.org.uk.

View the Monsal Trail closure map (1.3MB)