A Taste of the
Peak District
Peak District, Derbyshire railways and railway centres, property for sale, B&B, self catering holiday cottage accommodation, hotels, tourist attractions, walking, climbing, mountain biking history, towns, villages, geology, mining, local information, Derbyshire businesses and much more …
At the heart of England’s railway network during the Industrial Revolution, the Peak District of Derbyshire was crisscrossed by railway lines. During the 20th century, the lines closed, one by one, leaving a legacy of railway beds. Some of these have been re-developed where it is practical to provide the Peak District’s network of traffic free cycle trails like the Tissington trail, High Peak trail, Monsal trail, Manifold trail and the Sett Valley trail.
The city of Derby still is a major manufacturing centre for railway stock,
however it is a shadow of its former self having significantly contracted
since the 1980s. There is no railway museum but there is some railwayana
in the Industrial museum at the Silk Mill.
After the disappointment of the closures of many of the Peak District railways,
railway buffs and tourists have been delighted by the rise of railway organisations
like Peak Rail, the Midland Railway Centre and the Steeple Grange Light Railway,
run by volunteers.
So, come and enjoy the railways in and near the Peak District National Park ...
We
have a variety of attractions for railway enthusiasts or interested tourists.
There is Peak
Rail who run regular steam services between Matlock and Darley Dale,
the Midland
Railway Centre near Ripley where youngsters can see Thomas the Tank engine
and ride on Santa's Special. If Narrow Gauge is your interest then you should
visit the Steeple
Grange Light Railway at Wirksworth. The railway offers a short ride past
a wide variety of wild flowers with a stop on the way back at Killersdale
Halt. Here you will have a short interactive talk about the history of the
railway from its earliest days as a standard gauge line to the present day.
The line will eventually be extended into a local quarry.
This is definitely not a whole day experience but would be worth combining with a visit to the nearby Ecclesbourne Valley Railway project (now well underway - see their progress at Wyvernrail) in Wirksworth, the National Stone Centre (great children’s centre with interactive geological activities including panning for gems, fossil rubbing and trails) and a walk round Black Rocks.
To the west of the Peak District National Park lies the Churnet Valley railway, operating steam trains through the beautiful Churnet Valley and the Rudyard Lake Steam Railway which offers a 3 mile round trip on miniature trains.