‘Misty, Magical’ Autumn Walks on New 14-Section Trail

The new 62-mile Steel Cotton Rail Trail has launched just in time for walkers to catch the “magical” moods of a northern autumn. This 14-section route between Manchester and Sheffield is an “almost perfect” way to experience the season’s mizzle, mist, and “glow of dead leaves.”
The trail’s 14 day-length, rail-linked sections allow walkers to choose their ideal autumn experience. You can opt for a level walk along the Peak Forest Tramway, crunching through acorns and beech nuts, or tackle a moorland section for big views as the mist burns off the valleys.
The “eye-calming” landscape is a tapestry of “golds, reds and ochres.” The route, which passes through a “post-industrial” region, offers a mix of scenery, from the pastoral River Goyt to the dramatic gorges of New Mills.
The trail is fully waymarked and supported by online maps, so walkers can focus on the beautiful, “grey-filtered” world around them. It’s a route that embraces the reality of the countryside, where “work and wilderness” coexist under a classic northern autumn sky.
This new trail is a fantastic new resource for an autumn amble. It’s an accessible, varied, and beautiful way to explore the Peak District at this special time of year.