Peak District railway restoration plan divides local opinion

Meandering across spectacular viaducts bridging limestone cliffs that drop into the River Wye, the Monsal Trail is considered one of the most scenic walking and cycling routes in the UK.

With slopes covered in purple orchids and cowslips in May, and ox-eye daisies, bloody cranesbill and a lilac dusting of small scabious later in the year, the trail rewards walkers with stunning scenery across the Peak District.

But this haven for wildlife and geology, and attraction for rail heritage enthusiasts, is under threat. The route is at the centre of a battle between outdoor enthusiasts and those who would like to convert it back into a railway line.

After the closure of the Peak and Dales line in 1968, nearly nine miles of the now- abandoned railway were transformed into a trail, incorporating railway tunnels as well as the Monsal viaduct. In 2011 the four Victorian tunnels on the trail were opened to create a complete off-road cycling route, funded as part of the wider Pedal Peak District project to promote cycling opportunities in the national park.

However, almost 14,000 people have signed a petition against the proposals. Lee Cooper-Smith, who started the petition and can often be seen walking the trail with his six-month-old daughter, said its loss would have a significant impact.

For Cooper-Smith, 48, a railway enthusiast who spent three months converting a dilapidated railway carriage into an office in his back garden last year, part of the fascination of the trail is its heritage as a former railway line, where walkers are able to retrace its fascinating history and the old industries along its route.

The trail is estimated to attract 300,000 visitors a year. In 2020, during the late summer period alone, it saw more than 200,000 visitors. At its peak, there were almost 2,000 visits a day.

For more than 100 years, the line, created by the Midland Railway by digging several tunnels and bridging the River Wye with the Monsal viaduct, carried passengers, freight and tourists to the fashionable spa town of Buxton.

Later this month, the Dartmoor Line, which successfully bid for government funding, will reopen almost 50 years after it was axed. The ?40.5m line is the first to be reinstated as part of the initiative.