Biggin to Parsley Hay on the Tissington Trail – September 2022

This is the latest in a group of posts exploring the Tissington Trail. The last one ended at Biggin.

This was another early start, parking outside St. Thomas’ Church in Biggin, just before sunrise. It’s a short walk to the Tissington Trail outside the village.

The early pictures quite ‘dull’ because of the lack of sunlight, particularly in the cuttings, but they d show the different environments: some dark, damp and autumnal and some more exposed that cling on to summer. Almost.

I was quite disappointed to see someone else immediately I got onto the trail. Like a geriatric version of ‘The Terminator’ he followed me for about a mile. A lovely bloke but it was hard to get any pictures or videos without him and his dog being there.

Never mind, he’s got as much right as me (if not more) to enjoy the surroundings with his dog!

As you might already know, the Tissington Trail was a train line from Ashbourne to Buxton (the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) and it closed in 1969. There isn’t much railway paraphernalia left, apart from the bridges and an occasional tribute to the railways of yesteryear…

The walk continued, sometimes looking ahead to the trail and sometimes looking back as the sun began to rise:

I was delighted to get a shot of an aeroplane crossing the moon. It’s not a great picture but I was so pleased to be able to get it.

Then onwards, but still looking back at the sun coming up:

Some of the cuttings don’t get much sun, particularly first thing in the morning, so they smell very autumnal: of rot and damp. Most plants here have long gone to seed and they plants await winter and a new start next Spring…

Then you’re suddenly into rocky landscape, blasted by the men who built the railway line.

Hartington Station: somewhere to sit and have a break, or avail yourselves of the toilets. Sadly the teashop (part of the signal house) looks empty and is presumably closed down. I was gagging for a mug of tea, too…

My first genuine picture of wildlife, if you can actually see it: a deer grazing. I managed a couple of pictures but it heard the ‘click’ when I changed my camera lens and it was soon gone:

Then it’s off north, continuing on to Parsley Hay: the landscape continuous to be a mixture of of open, pastoral countryside and bleak, rocky cuttings hacked away by manual labour and explosives. Some people may be unaffected, but I found my mood changing between the bright, open and sunny sections and the darker, rocky parts of the trail.

This is an impressive cutting right through the rock leading to open countryside and the former Parsley Hay station. There isn’t much left of it but you can get a tea and something to eat, or hire a bike. Bear in mind these facilities will be closed in the winter.

It’s also where the Tissington Trail meets the High Peak Trail.

I walked back via the High Peak Trail but that’s another post and another website as I’ve run out of storage space again here!

I’ve set up Up Hill and Down Dale Walks Three but it might be a while before I get to add to it….

There’s also a future walk north of Parsley Hay to be done!

You’ll notice the Croatian roundhouse, which was gifted to European Union members by Croatia when they joined the EU in 2013. Sadly, the UK should have been celebrating 50 years of membership a few days ago on the 1st of January 1st 2023, but that’s British politics and a dose of stupidity for you. 😣

And lastly, the videos…