Tidbak three

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Walked from Tideswell to Bakewell. An excellent and very enjoyable route. I was quite happy to make full use of the Monsal Trail track having walked over from Edale earlier in the day, and this is mostly a good quick route. There are a couple of slightly more awkward paths - the descent down to the road south of Tideswell is a little steep and rough in places, and I didn't see anyone else using this path, and the short climb from Litton Mill up to the Monsal Trail is steep and has a couple of exposed steps that may be disconcerting when wet or icy.

From the church in Tideswell, our route mostly uses quiet back streets to reach the south end of the village, then continues on a little used path that follows farm roads, and then descends the hillside with a few rougher spots and steeper sections. We follow the pavement south then take the next path left, which is mostly well surfaced and popular. There are a couple of junctions where we keep right, following the path through some steep sided limestone gorges to reach the minor road to Litton Mill, where we turn left.

The footbridge is visible from the road, but the path down to it could easily be missed. Beyond the bridge the wooden steps are somewhat the worse for wear, and the zigza path above crosses some exposed slopes on bare rock, but with care the path is safe and you soon reach easier wooded slopes that lead up to the old railway. Here we turn sharp left and join the hordes, as the Monsal Trail is very popular with walkers and cyclists.

The first part of the trail goes through two fairly long but well lit and surfaced tunnels, so views are limited. A section of the trail just west of Monsal Head viaduct was closed and fenced off due to a recent rockfall, but there is a well signposted diversion route in place that uses rougher tracks and descends to the river opposite Netherdale Farm before climbing back to the trail on Brushfield Lane.

We cross the viaduct and head into the third and longest tunnel, which was also the last to be opened to walkers and cyclists. Beyond the tunnel, the trail remains popular and passes though fields and woodland before turning south past the old Hassop station (now a popular cafe) into Bakewell. We leave the trail at the old Bakewell station, then follow pavements over the river and into the centre. I didn't quite reach the meeting point, as I was unable to resist the bus to Chesterfield which was already waiting at the bus stop.

Overall this is an excellent route. Not quiet, but probably easier than the more scenic alternatives.

A good path, if not as pretty as Tidbak 2, but a good fall-back route if conditions are less than ideal.

We walked this as part of a longer Edale - Bakewell route, and so continued from Edatid 1 on the first day and stopped at YHA Ravenstor, just above the route in Tideswell Dale.

The route follows Tidbak 2 for the first half of the route, leaving lanes and paths out of Tideswell for a short stretch of pavement before crossing the road to enter Tideswell Dale (photo 3). If you decide to stay at YHA Ravenstor, keep walking until you get to a little car park on your right (photo 8). Follow the sign for 'Bellamy's Bank' - the steps and path will take you straight to the hostel.
We continued the walk the following morning an a few minutes in we were at Litton Mill. As Ken has pointed out, the fingerpost and path sit just before the terraced houses. If you find yourself at the Mill you've gone too far.

At this point, I was finding that the previous day's walking had taken a toll on my feet and blisters made the otherwise easy walk harder going then it should have been. We walked up onto the Monsal Trail and I was grateful for the wide and well maintained paths, and decided to stay on it until we got to Bakewell.

The Trail gets busy with cyclists and walkers and would not have been my first choice, but it is lovely in parts and is a solid route with refreshment and toilet stops along the way, once at the Bakewell end of the Headstock Tunnel and once at Hassop Station.

To repeat again what Ken has said in Tidbak 2, the Tidbak route has various options and you can mix and match to suit your group or the weather.

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