Trail resurfacing to improve access in the Peak Park

More of the High Peak Trail will be widened and resurfaced this winter, improving safety and enjoyment for visitors to the Peak District National Park.

About 2.3km (1.5 miles) of the trail between Newhaven Crossing and Minninglow car park is being improved.

Work will begin on Monday, 23 January, with repairs scheduled for completion by 17 February 2017.

Use of this section of the trail will be restricted at times but will remain passable.

Parts of the trail on that section are just 750mm wide in places, which is not enough to accommodate walkers, cyclists and horse riders at busy times. The improvements will mean the trail is widened to a width of at least 3 metres.

Emma Stone, who manages the Peak District National Park trails, said: “This is a trail with a variety of users and widening it to a minimum of 3 metres should make the whole experience much safer and more enjoyable for everyone.’’

The work is part of a rolling programme to improve safety and accessibility on the traffic-free trails in the UK’s first and original National Park.

The High Peak Trail runs for 27 km (17 miles) from Dowlow, near Buxton, to High Peak Junction at Cromford. It follows the former route of the High Peak Railway line, which opened in 1831 to carry minerals and goods between the Cromford and Peak Forest canals.

Following the closure of the line, the Peak District National Park bought the part of the route within its boundary in 1971 and turned it into a traffic-free trail. The section from Daisy Bank, Longcliffe, to High Peak Junction is outside the national park and owned by Derbyshire County Council.

For more information on the Peak District’s traffic-free trails, visit www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/trails.