Tissington Trail 4.65

The Tissington Trail is a bridleway and walk/cycle path in Derbyshire, England. Opened in 1971, and now a part of the National Cycle Network, it runs for 13mi from Parsley Hay in the north to Ashbourne in the south, along part of the trackbed of the former railway line connecting Ashbourne to Buxton. It takes its name from the village of Tissington, which it skirts.At Parsley Hay, a small settlement to the north-east of Hartington, it is joined by the High Peak Trail, a walk/cycle trail which runs 17mi in total from High Peak Junction near Cromford, Matlock, to Dowlow, near Buxton.The trail has a firm crushed limestone surface which makes it ideal for cyclists and walkers of all ability, including wheelchair users, assisted by easy level access onto the trail at many points along its route. The elevated nature of the line (at Parsley Hay it is over 1000ft in height) affords good views, but the trail can also be exposed in poor weather. Although not greatly noticeable, the trail runs gently downhill from Parsley Hay southwards. Note however that about 1/4mi north of the cycle hire centre at Mapleton Lane, Ashbourne, the trail dips down and up where a viaduct has been removed; both slopes are about 40m long with gradients of 1:9.