‘Thread your way along the Steel Cotton Rail Trail’, a new station-to-station walking trail from Sheffield to Manchester, was launched on 27 September, the 200th anniversary of the modern passenger railway.
In the first half of the 20th Century, Sheffield’s steel workers and Manchester’s cotton mill workers escaped their polluted cities to reach the clean air of the Peak District, travelling by train on the Hope Valley Line.
Created by the High Peak & Hope Valley Community Rail Partnership (CRP) and the South East Manchester Community Rail Partnership, the Steel Cotton Rail Trail allows walkers to explore the Peak District and canals from Sheffield to Manchester along the Hope Valley Line, discovering the area’s industrial past along the way.
Helen Wright, development officer for High Peak & Hope Valley CRP, said: “We are pleased to bring this project to life. The route follows existing tracks, paths and trails through beautiful countryside and will hopefully encourage lots of people to visit the Peak District by train and leave their cars at home.
“We would like to thank Sheffield City Council, Derbyshire County Council, Peak District National Park, National Trust, Canal and River Trust, Tameside MBC, Stockport MBC and Manchester City Council for their support of the development of the trail, and volunteer and chair of the Friends of Bamford Station, John Stubbs, who initiated the idea.”
Paul Webster, regions support manager at Community Rail Network, said: “The new long-distance Steel Cotton Rail Trail links together the stunning walking destinations throughout the beautiful High Peak and Hope Valley areas and is all reachable from cities at either end of the line. We are proud to have been part of this project.”
Download the booklets for each section of the route here.
Keep up to date with future news, projects and events from High Peak & Hope Valley CRP via their website.