Fishing, Walking and Cycling from The Mill
At the Mill we have a large-scale (1:25000) map on the wall in the entrance hallway to plan your journeys, and plastic laminated OS maps of the area for you to use while staying with us. There is also one mountain bike for your use locked in the cycle racks in the underground carpark. We have a secure bike anchor set into the concrete parking floor for you to lock your bike to - please bring your own cable lock.
Fly Fishing
We are very fortunate to have fly fishing available directly from the river outside of the mill. Permits are required and can be booked through Cressbrook and Litton Fly Fishers.
Walking Options
The Monsal Trail, a former Midland Railways line, offers nearly 10 miles (~14kms) of easy flat walking from Blackwell Mill, 3 miles south of Buxton, to the former station just outside Bakewell. Cressbrook Mill is located about mid-way along the Monsal Trail, and on the opposite side of the river.
There are 4 access points to the Trail from the Mill:
Each of the above 4 access points gets you onto the trail between the Cressbrook and Headstone (by Monsal Head) tunnels, and gives 4 short circular walks using the Trail one way and the road the other – the longest, to Monsal Head & back, can easily be walked at a leisurely pace in about 1 hour – ice-cream van / café / bar /hotel restaurant at Monsal Head.
Longer Walks (see OS map on hall wall for location of paths/roads and distances):
Chatsworth Estate: enjoyable walking through parkland from/to:
Cycle Options (some longer Strava routes listed below - contact us for other recommendations)
The Monsal Trail, a former Midland Railways line, offers nearly 10 miles (~14kms) of easy flat cycling from Blackwell Mill, 3 miles south of Buxton, to the former station just outside Bakewell. Cressbrook Mill is located about mid-way along the Monsal Trail, and on the opposite side of the river.
To access the Trail from the Mill by bike cycle down the road towards Monsal Head, turn right at the cross-roads, go across the small bridge, then up the steep track and under a tall bridge with the trail running overhead.
This gets you onto the trail between the Cressbrook and Headstone (by Monsal Head) tunnels. If you turn left onto the Trail (which takes you back past Cressbrook Mill) you will head towards Buxton (this direction is slightly uphill). If you turn right onto the Trail you will head towards Bakewell (this direction is slightly downhill).
There are plenty of quiet country lanes in the area which are also great for cycling on, and can be combined with riding on the Monsal Trail. Please feel free to use the OS maps in the apartment.
Some cycle rides we enjoy are:
Cycle to Chatsworth Farm Shop, Pilsley (about 15 miles) for lunch & shopping
Take the Monsal Trail to Bakewell, turn left out of Bakewell station car park, then left again crossing on a bridge over the trail and onto a narrow lane passing Bakewell Golf Course. Take this lane up and over the long hill, and then downhill until you reach the B6048. (If you fork right onto a bridleway part way down the hill you will get to Chatsworth Estate instead of the farm shop). Turn Right onto the B6048 and after a short distance Chatworth Farm Shop is on the right.
Cycle to The Barrel Inn, Bretton (13 miles) for lunch, it is hard work getting there but downhill most of the way home!
Take Monsal Trail towards Bakewell, Turn off the Trail at Longstone Station. Turn Left onto Station Road which leads into Great Longstone. Turn Left by the Crispin Pub, and then Right onto Moor Road. This takes you up a long hill and along a ridge before doubling back and heading West. Ignore the sharp double-back fork on the right at the first junction and turn right at the second junction. This brings you down to the busy A623. Turn Right onto the A623 for a short distance (0.2 miles) – please be aware this is a busy road – and then Turn Left into Foloow. Once in the village of Foolow, fork to the left then take the net right at the church which leads up another long hill to the Barrel Inn at Bretton. (You will need to book ahead for lunch at the weekends).
This is route can be extended at the front end by turning left out of the mill and taking either road up the hill to Litton (right fork is steep, left fork is steeper). Then turn right in Litton and at the Main A623 turn left then right to cross the road onto smaller roads then head into Foolow and up to Breton. It can also be extended in the middle by heading down to Eyam then either turn left and climb to the Barrell Inn, or carry on down the hill to Grindleford (you can cycle on the road closed due to subsidence) then turn left at the bottom and then take the long hard climb up Sir William Hill road to the Barrell Inn.
Cycle over the hills to the Blackwell end of the Monsal Trail, then back home on the trail (13 miles) This is our favourite ride, but hard work.
Turn left out of The Mill and cycle up the hill towards Litton. Exit Litton via Church Lane (in front of the Red Lion Inn) and head towards Tideswell. (There are many café’s in Tideswell which are a great stopping point for a cooked breakfast / lunch / icecream).
In Tideswell initially turn left along the main road then take the little cut-through on the right after the Co-op (Parke Road) out the back of Tideswell. At the top of this lane turn left then right onto Summer Cross. Follow this road up the hill then back down to the nature reserve at the start of Monk’s Dale. (up to this point this route makes a very good walk along quiet roads, and you can then walk all the way down Monk’s Dale to Miller’s Dale and rejoin the Monsal Trail at Miller’s Dale).
Continue up the hill the other side (fondly referred to by us a ‘Idiot’s Hill’ as our youngest son took his helmet off when we were resting and left it at the bottom, which we only noticed when we had reached the top after a long climb!). Continue on past Hargate Hall (this is pretty much the end of the climbing, it’s fairly downhill / flat from here) then take the next left turn and follow this road all the way to the end. At the end you pass through a farmyard – keep going through the farm and as you exit the other side of the farm there is a gate on the left which takes you down an old zig-zag cart path onto the far end of the Monsal Trail. From here it’s a flat and easy ride back to The Mill.
Distances are approximate to get there and back.
Fly Fishing
We are very fortunate to have fly fishing available directly from the river outside of the mill. Permits are required and can be booked through Cressbrook and Litton Fly Fishers.
Walking Options
The Monsal Trail, a former Midland Railways line, offers nearly 10 miles (~14kms) of easy flat walking from Blackwell Mill, 3 miles south of Buxton, to the former station just outside Bakewell. Cressbrook Mill is located about mid-way along the Monsal Trail, and on the opposite side of the river.
There are 4 access points to the Trail from the Mill:
- Just up river from the Mill and across the bridge at Water-cum-Jolly – then it’s a few hundred metres to the trail. Go round to the back of the mill and take the footpath that runs behind the black railings. At the end of the mill race, take the path to the left and over the bridge (the path that goes to the right runs along the river to Litton Mill but can be very muddy if the river has been high). Once over the bridge turn right and climb up the path which then doubles-back on itself. Carry on in the same direction (downstream, with the mill to your left) and this path joins the Monsal Trail at the entrance to the tunnel. If, before reaching the trail, you take one of the paths that again doubles-back upstream then these take you up over the top of the Cressbrook tunnel and then you can rejoin the trail after about 20-30 minutes near the Litton Tunnel. NOT SUITABLE FOR BIKES
- Down the road towards Monsal Head, turn right at cross-roads, go across bridge, then up track to the Trail.
- Down the road towards Monsal Head, continue straight on at the cross-roads, taking the next track down to farm building where there is another bridge & then steep path up to Trail NOT SUITABLE FOR BIKES.
- Continue on up the road to Monsal Head where there is a path down to the Trail. NOT SUITABLE FOR BIKES.
Each of the above 4 access points gets you onto the trail between the Cressbrook and Headstone (by Monsal Head) tunnels, and gives 4 short circular walks using the Trail one way and the road the other – the longest, to Monsal Head & back, can easily be walked at a leisurely pace in about 1 hour – ice-cream van / café / bar /hotel restaurant at Monsal Head.
Longer Walks (see OS map on hall wall for location of paths/roads and distances):
- To café (very good) at Hassop Station: about 3 miles (1.5hrs) – down Trail & through Headstone Tunnel (lit)
- To Bakewell (worth a visit – lots of places to eat): about 5 miles (2 hrs) - continue on trail past Hassop Station to Bakewell Station then down the road into the town – can catch a once a day bus back to Monsal Head
- Great Longstone (2 pubs) & Little Longstone (1 pub): paths across fields sign-posted approx 3/4mile before Hassop Station. Return via road to Monsal Head
- Ashford (2 pubs & village shop): path across fields sign-posted approx 1mile before Hassop Station. Return by bus to Monsal Head possible, or cros-country path to Monsal Head.
- Litton (1 pub) & Litton Mill: Up to Litton Mill (~3/4hr) - through Cressbrook & Litton tunnels (both lit)- path down to Litton Mill from Trail. Then several return options:
- River path (quickest/easiest but can be very muddy at Water-cumJoly if river level has been high)
- At the entrance to Litton Mill, take narrow road up and over stile into field – follow path to road turning right on road down to Cressbrook Mill
- Follow road up river out of village turning right at track up to Litton (last section on road), then road (fairly quiet) back to Cressbrook
- There are several valley side paths (narrow mountain paths) above Trail back to Cressbrook Mill avoiding the tunnels
- Millers Dale (ice-cream van in summer & 1 pub): continue on Trail past Litton Mill. Return via road and river path from Litton Mill
- To end of Trail (3 more smaller tunnels) – nothing much there, return to Millers Dale for return options
Chatsworth Estate: enjoyable walking through parkland from/to:
- Chatsworth House: restaurant / café / gift shop
- Carlton Lees: café in Garden Centre
- Endsor: great little café by church
- Baslow : pubs/ restaurants / cafes – entrance into Chatsworth over bridge behind café on the green
Cycle Options (some longer Strava routes listed below - contact us for other recommendations)
The Monsal Trail, a former Midland Railways line, offers nearly 10 miles (~14kms) of easy flat cycling from Blackwell Mill, 3 miles south of Buxton, to the former station just outside Bakewell. Cressbrook Mill is located about mid-way along the Monsal Trail, and on the opposite side of the river.
To access the Trail from the Mill by bike cycle down the road towards Monsal Head, turn right at the cross-roads, go across the small bridge, then up the steep track and under a tall bridge with the trail running overhead.
This gets you onto the trail between the Cressbrook and Headstone (by Monsal Head) tunnels. If you turn left onto the Trail (which takes you back past Cressbrook Mill) you will head towards Buxton (this direction is slightly uphill). If you turn right onto the Trail you will head towards Bakewell (this direction is slightly downhill).
There are plenty of quiet country lanes in the area which are also great for cycling on, and can be combined with riding on the Monsal Trail. Please feel free to use the OS maps in the apartment.
Some cycle rides we enjoy are:
Cycle to Chatsworth Farm Shop, Pilsley (about 15 miles) for lunch & shopping
Take the Monsal Trail to Bakewell, turn left out of Bakewell station car park, then left again crossing on a bridge over the trail and onto a narrow lane passing Bakewell Golf Course. Take this lane up and over the long hill, and then downhill until you reach the B6048. (If you fork right onto a bridleway part way down the hill you will get to Chatsworth Estate instead of the farm shop). Turn Right onto the B6048 and after a short distance Chatworth Farm Shop is on the right.
Cycle to The Barrel Inn, Bretton (13 miles) for lunch, it is hard work getting there but downhill most of the way home!
Take Monsal Trail towards Bakewell, Turn off the Trail at Longstone Station. Turn Left onto Station Road which leads into Great Longstone. Turn Left by the Crispin Pub, and then Right onto Moor Road. This takes you up a long hill and along a ridge before doubling back and heading West. Ignore the sharp double-back fork on the right at the first junction and turn right at the second junction. This brings you down to the busy A623. Turn Right onto the A623 for a short distance (0.2 miles) – please be aware this is a busy road – and then Turn Left into Foloow. Once in the village of Foolow, fork to the left then take the net right at the church which leads up another long hill to the Barrel Inn at Bretton. (You will need to book ahead for lunch at the weekends).
This is route can be extended at the front end by turning left out of the mill and taking either road up the hill to Litton (right fork is steep, left fork is steeper). Then turn right in Litton and at the Main A623 turn left then right to cross the road onto smaller roads then head into Foolow and up to Breton. It can also be extended in the middle by heading down to Eyam then either turn left and climb to the Barrell Inn, or carry on down the hill to Grindleford (you can cycle on the road closed due to subsidence) then turn left at the bottom and then take the long hard climb up Sir William Hill road to the Barrell Inn.
Cycle over the hills to the Blackwell end of the Monsal Trail, then back home on the trail (13 miles) This is our favourite ride, but hard work.
Turn left out of The Mill and cycle up the hill towards Litton. Exit Litton via Church Lane (in front of the Red Lion Inn) and head towards Tideswell. (There are many café’s in Tideswell which are a great stopping point for a cooked breakfast / lunch / icecream).
In Tideswell initially turn left along the main road then take the little cut-through on the right after the Co-op (Parke Road) out the back of Tideswell. At the top of this lane turn left then right onto Summer Cross. Follow this road up the hill then back down to the nature reserve at the start of Monk’s Dale. (up to this point this route makes a very good walk along quiet roads, and you can then walk all the way down Monk’s Dale to Miller’s Dale and rejoin the Monsal Trail at Miller’s Dale).
Continue up the hill the other side (fondly referred to by us a ‘Idiot’s Hill’ as our youngest son took his helmet off when we were resting and left it at the bottom, which we only noticed when we had reached the top after a long climb!). Continue on past Hargate Hall (this is pretty much the end of the climbing, it’s fairly downhill / flat from here) then take the next left turn and follow this road all the way to the end. At the end you pass through a farmyard – keep going through the farm and as you exit the other side of the farm there is a gate on the left which takes you down an old zig-zag cart path onto the far end of the Monsal Trail. From here it’s a flat and easy ride back to The Mill.
Distances are approximate to get there and back.
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