Derbyshire Bridge to the Packhorse Bridge Walk (4 miles)

Above: A footpath sign along the old Buxton to Macclesfield turnpike points the way across open moorland.

Click for a pdf with stage-by-stage details of the route including photos and a map, as well as links to car parks and public transport. A walking app GPX file is also available.

Length: 3.6mls | Av. time: 1.35hrs | Ascent: 492ft
Start: Derbyshire Bridge car park | Google Map
Walk description, map & GPX | Download

A 3.6-mile circular walk from Derbyshire Bridge car park, just off the A537 near the Cat & Fiddle. It starts along the old Buxton to Macclesfield turnpike, opened in 1759 and replaced by the present road in 1823.

The route then crosses open moorland – the path can be a little indistinct in places – and drops down towards Goytsclough, with the River Goyt, still just a stream this close to its source, running through the valley below.

The packhorse bridge

The packhorse bridge is a perfect spot to rest awhile. A plaque explains that it was moved here from the drowned hamlet of Goyt’s Bridge in 1965, shortly before Errwood Reservoir was flooded.

Just beyond is the old loading area for Goytsclough Quarry, where Pickford – of removals fame – started his business, carrying paving slabs to London’s Regent Street.

Goytsclough was also the site of a paint mill, with its giant waterwheel. From here you could drop down to the picturesque Riverside Path (see walk 1).

The route returns along a quiet, one-way lane, crossing the small stone bridge that gives the walk its name – Derbyshire Bridge. The river once marked the county boundary – Derbyshire to the east, Cheshire to the west.

One of the clues on the Joe Brown’s Numbers South course (walk 29) is on the bridge – though it’s not easy to find, even when you know where it is.

Map, description & GPX

Click for a pdf with stage-by-stage details of the route including photos and a map, as well as links to car parks and public transport. A walking app GPX file is also available.