Monsal Head Viewpoint
Five kilometres north-west of Bakewell, the clifftop viewpoint at Monsal Head delivers one of the most photographed vistas in the entire Peak District: a sweeping limestone dale with the River Wye looping below and the elegant 1863 Headstone Viaduct arching across the gorge. Arrive at golden hour and you will understand why painters have been coming here for 150 years.
The View and the Viaduct
From the grassy promontory beside the Monsal Head Hotel you look straight down into Monsal Dale — pale grey crags, dense ash woodland and the bright thread of the Wye far below. The five-arch Headstone Viaduct, built for the Midland Railway and now part of the Monsal Trail cycling and walking route, sits in the middle distance like a piece of classical theatre scenery.
John Ruskin famously condemned the viaduct's construction as a desecration of the dale. History has disagreed: the structure is now Grade II listed and almost universally beloved. Walk down the steep path to the valley floor for the reverse view — looking up at the arches with the crags behind is equally spectacular.
Walking the Monsal Trail
The Monsal Trail follows the old Midland Railway trackbed for 13 kilometres between Blackwell Mill Junction near Buxton and Coombs Road viaduct near Bakewell, passing through four restored railway tunnels (bring a torch or a bike light). The section through Monsal Dale and neighbouring Chee Dale is the most dramatic.
From Bakewell you can join the trail at its eastern end near the Agricultural Business Centre and walk or cycle the full length to Monsal Head in roughly 90 minutes on foot. The trail is well-surfaced and largely flat, making it accessible for families and pushchairs.
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