Hopton Tunnel – High Peak Trail loop from Wirksworth

Bike touring routes & trails

Hopton Tunnel – High Peak Trail loop from Wirksworth

Easy

5.0

(1)

riders

Hopton Tunnel – High Peak Trail loop from Wirksworth

00:29

4.75km

70m

Cycling

Easy bike ride. Great for any fitness level. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: September 25, 2026

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

947 m

Hopton Tunnel

Highlight (Segment) • Trail

Hopton Tunnel is a former railway tunnel in Hopton, Derbyshire. Located on the former Cromford and High Peak Railway. The tunnel was closed along with the line in 1967 and is now in use for the High Peak Trail.

source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopton_Tunnel

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1.34 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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1.43 km

Hopton Wood Winding Engine Site

Highlight • Monument

Alongside the main run of the High Peak Trail, near the bottom of Hopton incline, is this boiler, which used to be for the winding engine for the nearby Hopton Wood incline to Hopton Wood Quarry.

source: steane.com/gallery/picture.php?/2558/category/179

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1.68 km

Hopton Incline

Highlight (Segment) • Climb

This is the shortest of the three remaining inclines on the High Peak Trail. 1:14 gradient.

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4.67 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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