The Hidden Monsal Dale Walk Most Visitors Walk Straight Past
- Jen Bell I Editor I Good Life List Peak District
- Jul 21
- 4 min read
Millions of people visit Monsal Head every year. They admire the famous viaduct, walk through Headstone Tunnel, stop for photos overlooking the valley and, if they have time, head down to Monsal Dale Weir where families paddle in the river, children leap across the stepping stones and the brave take a dip on hot summer days. It's one of the Peak District's best-known beauty spots for good reason.
But there's another walk here that hardly anybody seems to know about.
Even on the busiest bank holiday weekends, when the Monsal Trail is buzzing with walkers, cyclists and dogs, this little riverside loop remains strangely quiet. On our latest visit we saw just two other people, and we're fairly sure they were locals. It's peaceful, shaded, very flat once you reach the valley floor and offers some of the most beautiful views of Headstone Viaduct from an angle that most visitors never experience.
Getting there
If you're starting from scratch, park at Monsal Head Car Park (DE45 1NL). It gets stupendously busy during weekends and school holidays, so it's worth arriving early if you can. From there, follow the signposted stone steps down towards Headstone Viaduct.
If you're already walking the Monsal Trail, you can easily join this route from Great Longstone, Hassop Station or even Bakewell if you're really wanting to stretch your legs. One of our favourite approaches is from Great Longstone, taking in Headstone Tunnel before emerging onto the viaduct itself. After the darkness of the tunnel, the views suddenly open up and it's one of those Peak District moments that never really gets old.
Don't keep walking...
Headstone Viaduct deserves every bit of its reputation. Stretching around 300 feet across the valley on five elegant stone arches, it's one of the most recognisable landmarks in the Peak District and one of the highlights of the eight-and-a-half-mile Monsal Trail.
Most people stop here for photographs before carrying on.
However, this is where we're going to ask you to do the opposite.
Cross the viaduct and look for the Monsal Dale footpath sign on the left-hand side. The path down is fairly steep and rocky in places and can become slippery after rain, so we'd recommend decent footwear. Once you start walking, you'll see there are actually two routes down. We usually take the one on the right as it's a little gentler underfoot with fewer large rocks to negotiate. Our six-year-old manages it perfectly well, but we'd still take your time.
The part almost everyone misses
Within a few minutes you'll find yourself standing beneath the viaduct beside the River Wye.
If you turn right, you'll reach Monsal Dale Weir in around five minutes. It's a lovely walk and somewhere we return to time and again. In summer you'll often find people sitting on the stepping stones with picnics, cooling their feet in the water or taking a swim. Continue beyond the weir and you'll eventually arrive in Ashford in the Water, where either The Ashford Arms or The Bulls Head are excellent choices for a pub lunch.
But our favourite route heads left.
Almost immediately everything changes. The crowds disappear, the sounds of bikes and chatter fade away and suddenly it feels as though you've wandered into a completely different part of the valley. The path beneath the viaduct is wonderfully level with a soft, sandy surface that's bordered by cow parsley, wildflowers and greenery that, at the height of summer, grows taller than I am. Looking back, the underside of the viaduct is every bit as impressive as the famous view from above, its enormous arches towering overhead in a way most visitors never get to appreciate.
One of the quietest corners of Monsal Dale
Keep following the path until you reach the pretty little footbridge crossing the River Wye.
This is the spot that keeps drawing us back.
The river slows almost to a gentle glide here, reflecting the trees that line its banks and the steep limestone sides of Monsal Dale beyond. It's one of those places where even the kids instinctively stop talking for a minute. You listen to the birds instead. If you're lucky, you might spot a heron stalking the shallows or even the flash of a kingfisher. At the right time of year, rainbow trout can be seen holding steady against the current in the crystal-clear water.
Beside the bridge sits a beautiful limestone cottage with teal-painted doors and windows in the unmistakable Chatsworth Estate style. Just behind it, look carefully for an unmarked path disappearing into the woodland.
The woodland finish
The final stretch might be our favourite part of the whole walk.
The woodland offers welcome shade on warm days, birdsong seems to come from every direction and occasional gaps between the trees reveal unexpected glimpses back towards the viaduct across the surrounding fields. Before long you'll emerge onto the path you originally walked down, ready for the climb back to Monsal Head.
The full loop isn't especially long, around 1.5 miles (2.4km), and most people will complete it in 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how often they stop. It's the perfect addition to a day exploring Monsal Head without committing to a full afternoon of walking.
And once you've climbed those final steps? You've earned a drink. You'll find The Stables at the top, which has one of the best lunch menus around, while there is always one or two ice cream vans if you'd rather finish with a cone in hand.
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