GOYT DAM

Panoramic views, magical woodlands and peaceful picnic spots are just some of the reasons you’ll want to head to Goyt Valley

Start: Whaley Bridge, SK23 7LX

Distance: 7.71 miles

Elevation: 1,075 feet

Duration: 2-3 hours

Navigation: follow the route here

This relaxed Peak District walk is beautiful in any season, but the way the woods are painted with gorgeous auburn hues come late September should make this route appear high on your list of autumn woodland walks.

Lying just a few miles northwest of Buxton, The Goyt Valley is magical place — one that’s gained popularity from visitors since Victorian times.

Once a prosperous and industrious community, the signs of a time gone by are all but extinct, bar from the ruins of Errwood Hall. Back in 1937, the construction of Fernilee Reservoir completely changed this beauty spot’s landscape, but the area remains a wonderfully peaceful place to visit to this day.

Expect stunning views every way you turn, thanks to a unique landscape which was carved out by successive Ice Ages and the River Goyt. It’s the perfect location for a day of recharging your batteries, with the natural scenery and rolling hills surrounding making for a wonderfully soothing trip outdoors.

With free parking at many of the valley’s landmarks, enjoying a day’s stroll around Goyt Valley is easy — especially if you follow one of the waymarked routes starting from Errwood Car Park.

For us, though, the beauty of this trail starts not in the valley, but in nearby Whaley Bridge. Along the way, expect dense pinewoods and azalea bushes, ruins of worker cottages and even a shrine close to the ruins of an abandoned hall.

And if folklore is more your thing, local legend has it that a highwayman called Pym used to lay in wait to ambush those who used the old packhorse route, hence the name Pym Chair given to one of the peaks in this mesmerising landscape.

Fancy giving this one a go? Follow the route here