Manchester Weekend Walkers lead public transport walks into fantastic countryside all year round.
Train & bus-based walk
Leader: Martin S, joining the train at Hazel Grove
Ascent: 300 metres
Transport to Walk Start: 08:50 train from Manchester Piccadilly station (final destination Buxton). At Buxton, change to the 10:16 TP bus (final destination Derby) from the stop opposite the station.
Meet Point: Near the ticket barriers at Piccadilly Station. Alternatively, meet on the train, at Buxton station or at the walk start in Bakewell.
Suggested Ticket: Greater Manchester Wayfarer £16.20
Walk Start: Public toilets on Granby Road in Bakewell town centre (adjacent to the car park and to Boots) at 11:05.
Waypoints: Monsal Trail, Hassop Old Station, Hassop, Baslow, Nether End, Golden Gates, Derwent Valley Heritage Way, Chatsworth, Edensor.
Return Services: From Pilsley: ideal return journey is the 16:20 58 bus to Buxton, connecting there with trains to Manchester. If the walk finishes at another time, options include the 218 bus at 15:41, connecting at Bakewell with the TP to Buxton.
Extra: Toilets at Buxton station where we change trains, at the walk start (coin operated), at Hassop Old Station, at Baslow Nether End and at Chatsworth. Options for take away snacks at Hassop Old Station and Chatsworth - we will not be sitting down to eat in either of these locations. Optional post-walk drinks, likely to be at the Devonshire Arms in Pilsley. Depending on timings, the group will be given the option to terminate the walk at Edensor and catch a bus to Bakewell from there, and then the post-walk drinks will be in Bakewell.
This walk takes in Bakewell's picturesque waterfront (with its old and newer, more quirky bridges), an old station once used as the Duke's local halt, a small village church that has to be seen to be believed, the iconic Golden Gates entrance to Chatsworth, Chatsworth itself (one of the largest and grandest houses in England) and the superb architecture of Edensor village (where past Dukes and the sister of a President were laid to rest).
Due to return bus times, you must be fit enough to expect to be able to walk 9 miles (and factor in lunch and toilet stops) in 5 hours 15 minutes. There are no major ascents on the route, which is a mixture oif muddy fields and surfaced lanes/tracks/roads.
