The Goyt Valley
Two reservoirs, Errwood and Fernilee, woodland and open moorland, just a few miles from Buxton in the Peak District. Above Errwood Reservoir stand the ruins of Errwood Hall, one of the valley’s most visited sites; below the water lies the lost hamlet of Goyt’s Bridge. Find a walk, explore the valley’s history, or browse the old photographs.
The full story
Errwood Hall & the Drowned Hamlet of Goyt’s Bridge: a treasure trove of old photos, maps and information.
Getting there
A map of the main Goyt Valley car parks, with one-click directions to each from wherever you’re starting.
Goyt Valley timeline
Key dates in the valley’s history, from packhorse days and the Grimshawes to the building of the two reservoirs.
Find a walk
Circular walks – from short strolls to full-day hikes – exploring the unique landscape both in and around the Goyt Valley. Every walk has a free overview with photos and a Relive fly-thru video; the full step-by-step guide and GPX file are available to buy from £1.50.
Choose a walk length below, or compare all the walks by length, climb and start point.
Short walks: under 4 miles
Circular walks of under four miles, ideal for a morning or afternoon: to the ruins of Errwood Hall and St Joseph’s Shrine, along the river to the packhorse bridge and through the rhododendrons.
Medium walks: 4-8 miles
Half-day walks of four to eight miles: around both reservoirs, up to Shining Tor, past the old paint mill at Goytsclough and over Axe Edge Moor to the packhorse bridges at Three Shires Head.
Long walks: over 8 miles
Full-day walks of eight miles or more: along the old Cromford & High Peak Railway, from Windgather Rocks to Shining Tor, and out to Lamaload Reservoir and Castle Naze.
Explore the Monsal Trail
Just a few miles east of Buxton, the Monsal Trail follows the old Midland Railway line through the limestone dales of the White Peak, through tunnels and over viaducts – a contrast to the gritstone moors of the Goyt Valley. This companion website has walks for every ability, with maps, history and practical information.
Latest from the Journal
News and discoveries from the Goyt Valley – walk guides, local history, old photographs and memories of the people who once lived and worked in this unique landscape. See all entries →
Right of Way Inquiry hearing
Where our application to make the old railway track at Plex a public right of way stands, what the objectors and DCC say, and how you can help at the public inquiry in Buxton next March.
Goyt Valley walk guides
Detailed directions for all the walks featured on this website, each with step-by-step descriptions and photos, as well as a map, are now available to download as printable pdf files.
Goyt Valley GPX files
GPX files for all 30 walks in and around the Goyt Valley featured here are now available, with a step-by-step guide on how to install them on a walking app to find your way around a route.
The Northern Farms
An early 1900s postcard view titled ‘Goyt Valley’ had me scratching my head trying to work out where it was taken. Members of the Goyt Valley Facebook Group came to the rescue.
Valley of the Demons
Celebrated local author Alan Garner has published a new book with a chapter explaining the dark background to his award-winning ‘Thursbitch’ novel and its links to the John Turner memorial stone.
Packhorse bridge saved
A recently discovered press clipping from 1964 reveals that the picturesque packhorse bridge that once lay in the heart of Goyt’s Bridge was very nearly lost due to an administrative error.
The Goyt Valley in pictures
Ten galleries of old postcards and photographs – Errwood Hall and its gardens, the Grimshawes and their estate workers, Goyt’s Bridge, the lost farmhouses and more. Click any picture to open its gallery, or find them all under Images in the menu.
