Monsal Head

Backblip

1st day of a week long break in the Peak District National Park. Our accommodation for the week is 2mins walk away from the spectacular Monsal Head Viaduct on the Monsal Trail, the old Manchester to Derby railway line. There is still plenty of snow drifted up against the walls and roadside. Looking forward to a good week of walking and cycling. John Ruskin was very scathing about the building of the railway in 1863 he was very verbose about it destroying the Wye Valley landscape. He was quoted as saying 'that every fool in Bakewell will be in Buxton in half an hour and every fool in Buxton in Bakewell in half an hour'. He was probably right. If a railway was driven through the valley today there would be uproar. Today the Wye valley and its Limestone scenary is very much loved and is designated as a SSSI for its flora and fauna and the disused railway line has mellowed into the landscape.