Tissington Trail

What it’s like

A traffic-free 13-mile trail along an old railway line for walking or cycling, taking in Tissington village and the stepping stones at Dovedale.

This is a flat-ish old railway line turned into a proper trail, 13.2 miles of it, running through the Derbyshire Dales with no cars to worry about. That makes it one of the easier ones to do with kids on bikes, since you're not constantly hauling them onto a verge. The surface is mostly unsealed firm ground with some asphalt sections, so a road bike isn't the right choice but anything with a bit of tread will cope fine.

You don't have to do the whole thing. Walking or cycling it end to end takes anywhere from just over an hour to four and a half hours depending on how fast you go and how many stops you make, so it's easy to pick a chunk that suits the ages you've got with you and turn back when someone's had enough. Tissington village itself is the obvious stop, all stone cottages and worth slowing down for, and if you push on to Dovedale there are stepping stones across the River Dove that kids will remember longer than the trail itself.

The one bit to know about in advance is the incline near Mappleton, which the trail notes flag as steep enough to catch out some cyclists and walkers. If you've got a younger one on a balance bike or a wobbly rider, that's the section to check the map for and maybe route around. The trail follows the old Buxton to Ashbourne railway line, closed since 1967 and opened up to walkers in 1971.

It's free to use and there's no booking involved, you just turn up and start walking or cycling wherever suits. Do bear in mind the route isn't fully accessible in every stretch, so if you're pushing a buggy or need level, sealed ground throughout, it's worth picking your section rather than assuming the whole 13 miles is uniform.

Need to know

Best for

Good for most ages on bikes or foot; check the Mappleton climb for younger riders

How long to allow

1 hour 6 minutes to 4 hours 30 minutes depending on pace

• The surface is mostly unsealed firm ground, so bring a bike with some tread rather than thin road tyres
• The incline at Mappleton is the one climb to check the map for if you've got a nervous cyclist
• The route isn't fully accessible in every section, so pick your stretch carefully if you need level ground throughout
• Tissington village and the Dovedale stepping stones are the two spots worth building your route around

Plan your visit

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