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High Peak Trail – High Peak Trail loop from Cromford

Routes

Bike touring routes & trails

High Peak Trail – High Peak Trail loop from Cromford

Hard

4.9

(42)

546

riders

High Peak Trail – High Peak Trail loop from Cromford

04:33

54.6km

520m

Cycling

Hard bike 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: June 11, 2026

Tips

Includes a segment that goes up or down a series of steps

You may need to carry your bike.

After 32.0 km for 18 m

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

Get Directions

3.54 km

Ruins

5.65 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.

Tip by

7.66 km

View of Harboro Rocks

Highlight • Viewpoint

Part of the High Peak Trail that takes you past the Harbour Rocks, picturesque for sure.

The rocks are a dramatic outcrop of Dolomitic limestone.

Tip by

14.1 km

View of railway embankment

Highlight • Cycleway

Great views of the old railway viaduct curving round over valley. The trail goes up this old railway

Tip by

15.0 km

Chapel Plantation

Forest

20.8 km

Blakemoor Plantation

Forest

22.3 km

Junction of National Cycle Route 54 and Tissington Trail

Highlight • Cycleway

Fantastic easy gravel riding with stunning views

Tip by

22.7 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.

Tip by

23.8 km

View of Peak District National Park Countryside

Highlight • Viewpoint

Go really slowly and enjoy the lush views

Tip by

32.5 km

High Peak Trail

Highlight (Segment) • Trail

The High Peak Trail runs from Cromford to Parsley Hay. It is built on the route of a railway which itself was built by a canal company. They used the canal method of long flat sections joined by steep sections (as with locks on the canal). This means that the High Peak Trail has a couple of hills that are much steeper (about 1:12) than you would expect on a railway. All traffic free.

Great for families so long as you are careful on the downhill sections. There are refreshments at each end and at Middleton Top, the National Stone Centre and others along the way. Can be used as part of a circular route including the Tissington Trail and a link route between the Tissington Trail and Carsington Reservoir.

Tip by

50.2 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.

Tip by

54.6 km

End point

Train Station

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

42.3 km

10.4 km

1.24 km

363 m

229 m

158 m

Surfaces

30.1 km

12.1 km

7.44 km

4.79 km

197 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (370 m)

Lowest point (80 m)

Weather

Friday 3 July

23°C

14°C

24 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 25.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

August 24, 2025,Sun 25th Aug 2025 - Joint High Peak trail trek

Cat sitting in Chesterfield for a week and as it was a lovely day we decided to cycle the High Peak trail starting from Parsley Hay.
Many many people out and about, walking, cycling and on horse including one poor chap whose chain had come off the chain ring and got stuck between it and the frame. Judicious amount of …

July 26, 2021,Mon 26th July 2021 - High Peak Trail

Lovely sunny but not too hot day for an ebike run on The High Peak Trail starting at Parsley Hay Bike Hire and cafe.
This is an old railway line so fairly gentle gradients until Middleton Top when the section down to Cromford has two sections of 1:8 gradient each around 0.5 miles long out of a total length of …

July 30, 2024,Tue 30th July 2024 - Derbyshire - High Peak trail

Today Tue 30th July we opted to cycle the High Peak trail starting at High Peak Junction Nr Cromford where the railway /canal and road all meet.
Unfortunately our plan was thwarted by a closed footbridge and non cycleable diversion. Plan-B, backtrack to Black Rocks and start there where sadly the Badger Batista kiosk is no more 🙄🙄
Almost immediately …

May 21, 2025,High Peak Trail loop to Chatsworth House

This should have been a circular route, but komoot decided that I had completed the route and shut down.
I had not been through Cromford, Matlock, and darly dale before, lovely places.

August 26, 2024,Day 1-High Peak Junction to Beech Croft Farm

Atlas and I took my dad on his first ever bikepacking trip!
I'd planned this route a couple of weeks ago. A challenging route to complete before the summer holidays end. I asked my dad if he'd like to join us, and he jumped at the opportunity.
Day 1 took us up and up and along the High Peak trail …

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High Peak Trail – High Peak Trail loop from Cromford

High Peak Trail

View of Harboro Rocks

View of railway embankment

Junction of National Cycle Route 54 and Tissington Trail

Parsley Hay Visitor Centre and Bike Hire

View of Peak District National Park Countryside

High Peak Trail

Middleton Top Engine House and railway wagon

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