Whaley Bridge - Whaley Bridge visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Whaley Bridge' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Derbyshire.

Whaley Bridge is a small village on the River Goyt on the western edge of the Peak District in Derbyshire, close to Buxton and Manchester. The town attracts walkers and tourists because of its natural beauty with waterways, woodlands and hills. Historically, human occupation of Whaley Bridge dates back to the Bronze Age with burial mounds and stone circles being found in the surrounding area. The town is mentioned as Weyley or Weylegh in 13th century manuscripts.

During the Industrial Revolution, Whaley Bridge expanded quickly on both coal mining and the cotton industry. Important to the industry was the Cromford and High Peak Railway which opened in 1831 and the Peak Forest Canal, built in 1790s. Today, there is no coal mining, but this has been replaced by a robust tourist industry.

Whaley Bridge - Tourist Attractions

Today, Whaley Bridge draws in visitors looking to explore the surrounding countryside. Especially in the summer months, the local population swells as large numbers of walkers, hikers and cyclists visit the 'Gateway to the Goyt'. Some of the local tourist attractions in and around Whaley Bridge can be found on this map. Among the popular attractions are:

• High Peak Trail - 17-mile trail for walkers, cyclists and horse riders running from Dowlow, near Buxton, to High Peak Junction, Cromford following the route of the Cromford and High Peak Railway through Whaley Bridge.
• Peak Forest Canal - 14.8 miles of canal linking Whaley Bridge with Ashton Canal at Paddington Basin.
• Toddbrook Reservoir - built in 1831 as a feeder for the Peak Forest Canal, now a a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) also used for sailing and angling.
• Marple Aqueduct - a Scheduled Ancient Monument also known as the Grand Aqueduct, this multiple-arched aqueduct was built between 1794-99 to carry the Peak Forest Canal across the River Goyt.
• River Goyt - rising on the moors of Axe Edge in the Upper Goyt Valley, the river flows through picturesque countryside and many villages including Whaley Bridge en route to the River Mersey.
• Lyme Hall and Park - 18th Century Italianate palace and former home of the Legh family, set in stunning grounds and gardens with commanding views of the Cheshire Plains, about 3 miles west of Whaley Bridge.
• The Chestnut Centre - conservation park with many varieties of otters and owls, including Britain's only pair of giant otters, located in Chapel-en-le-Frith about 3 miles east of Whaley Bridge.
• Bugsworth Canal Basin - 18th century restored canals built to carry limestone from Dove Holes to Bugsworth.
• Chinley New Chapel - chapel built in 1711, after the Act of Toleration in 1689 finally allowed Nonconformist Christians to worship without persecution.
• New Mills Heritage Centre - contains displays on the history of New Mills with a model showing New Mills as it was in 1884, and a shop. From here a path leads down to the Torrs.
• Torrs Riverside Park - The Torrs are 30m deep sandstone gorge through which the River Goyt flows. The park contains industrial archaeology, riverside walks, and good views of the Union Road Bridge. The park also contains the Millenium Walkway, 170m long, it is an elevated steel walkway above the River Goyt which links the Goyt Way and the Sett Valley Trail.
• Sett Valley Trail - 3 mile long walking and cycling route running along the Sett Valley through some spectacular scenery.

The nearest local Tourist Information Centre to Whaley Bridge is the New Mills Heritage and Information Centre:
New Mills,
High Peak,
Derbyshire, SK22 3BN
Phone: 01663 746904

Road: Whaley Bridge is on the A5004 just south of the A5. It is 7 miles north of Buxton and about 16 miles south of Manchester on the western edge of the Peak District
Train: Whaley Bridge Rail Station‎