Thornhill Trail in Peak District National Park

Peak District National Park, EN

Thornhill Trail

A traffic-free railway trail beside Ladybower Reservoir

Length
2.4km
Time
45min
Elev. change
37m
Difficulty
Easy
  • High point 198 m

Hear the audio tour

Win Hill from Yorkshire Bridge

Overview

About Thornhill Trail

Why go

  • Traffic-free route with views beside Ladybower Reservoir
  • Easy, gentle walking along an old railway corridor

Heads up

  • Point-to-point route needs a return plan
  • Uneven grass and compacted stone underfoot

Map & elevation

The route

Loading the Peak District map
Full map
Elevation161–198 m
TrailheadYorkshire Bridge access53.36379, -1.70441
Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Plan your hike

Before you go

Parking

For the Yorkshire Bridge start, use the A6013 access beside Ladybower dam wall. A nearby Severn Trent car park is noted, but capacity and fees were not verified. The far end is north of Thornhill Lane; arrange collection or return along the route.

Safety

Walkers and cyclists share the traffic-free route. Expect uneven grass and compacted-stone sections.

5 active Peak District alerts

  • ClosureA54 Cat and Fiddle road closureThe A54 Macclesfield Main Road (Cat and Fiddle) is fully closed to all traffic from 27 July through 30 October 2026 during phase 1 improvement works.Official details
  • ClosureHooks Carr (Stanage Popular) car park closureHooks Carr (Stanage Popular) car park will be partially or fully closed from 6 October for four weeks.Official details
See all 5 alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Peak District Tour Guide

Your drive to Thornhill Trail, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Peak District National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

Recorded for this trailhead

Win Hill from Yorkshire Bridge
0:00 / 0:24
“You're approaching the Yorkshire Bridge start for Win Hill, a gritstone summit above Ladybower Reservoir. Parkin Clough climbs roughly three hundred metres in just over a kilometre, so this is a steep hill walk.”

Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Peak District Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • Bamford Edge Above Ladybower
  • Ladybower Reservoir and Heatherdene
  • The Community beside Navio
  • The Salt in Saltergate Lane
  • 298 audio storiesacross Peak District’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, Red Fox, Eurasian Otter, and 13 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 88 trails, 76 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
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“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
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Trail guide

Hiking Thornhill Trail

What to expectThornhill Trail is a point-to-point walking and cycling route along a former railway corridor…

Thornhill Trail is a point-to-point walking and cycling route along a former railway corridor between Yorkshire Bridge and the area north of Thornhill Lane. The connected mapped line is about 1.5 miles one way; published trail descriptions also give 2 miles. Allow around 35–50 minutes each way. It is described as a traffic-free concessionary route for walkers and cyclists.

Along the routeFrom Yorkshire Bridge, a permissive access path crosses Ladybower’s dam wall before joining the…

From Yorkshire Bridge, a permissive access path crosses Ladybower’s dam wall before joining the trail. The reservoir and wooded hillside give the northern end its open views, and a small Touchstones sculpture stands at the western end of the dam wall. Beyond the dam, the path follows the old rail corridor. Its surface varies between compacted stone and grass, with uneven patches underfoot, so the short distance is not a smooth paved stroll.

Plan your walkThe northern access is by the A6013 at Yorkshire Bridge, with a nearby Severn Trent car park…

The northern access is by the A6013 at Yorkshire Bridge, with a nearby Severn Trent car park noted for the area; its capacity and fees could not be confirmed. The other end is north of Thornhill Lane. This is a linear walk, so arrange a pickup or return along the same path. Angler’s Rest in Bamford has a pub, café and post office for a separate stop; these are not facilities on the trail.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Peak District

All Peak District wildlife maps

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Peak District. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Thornhill Trail

See it all on the map

Trails that start nearby

Places near the trailhead

Parkwolf’s Peak District ranking

Top-rated trails in Peak District

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  3. 3Castleton, Mam Tor & the Great Ridge WalkModerate · 10.5 km
  4. 4Stanage Edge from HathersageModerate · 10.6 km
  5. 5Kinder Scout Circular via Jacob’s LadderChallenging · 12.1 km
  6. 6Padley Gorge and Burbage Brook WalkEasy · 3.7 km

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