Walk reviews

All of us look for different things in a walk. Some like to stride across open moors with the wind in their face. Others may prefer a more gentle stroll along picturesque river banks accompanied by the sounds of birdsong and flowing water.

On this page I’m going to provide feedback from those kind enough to get in touch after trying any of the walks featured on this site. So please let me know how you fared. Was it a good walk, did you encounter any problems, could the instructions be improved?

Please click here to send me a walk review.

7.4.23: On Good Friday we did walk 15. We had amazing weather. The route descriptions were easy to follow and accurate… Yes, it was very muddy at point 17! The views were breathtaking. Even had a waterfall. We were intending to do a cross over of walks by swapping from point 22 of this walk to point 7 of walk 13 to go all the way around the reservoir, but my walking boot had come apart and thought it safer to complete this walk! However, the walk got a 10/10 rating from my 10 yr old twins so it must have been good! Thankyou for this excellent website with fab routes. We will definitely be back to try another walk. Jane

31.3.23: Three of us took a walk to Windgatherer Rock using your guide last Saturday. Easy to follow and clear instructions. We were all very impressed with your guide and website. One thing I wondered was if you could link some walks e.g. if, say, step 5 on walk 1 overlaps with step 8 on walk 13 this could be in redon your maps so bespoke walks could be created (for those who want a longer or shorter walk on the day). Not sure how many reference points cross over but just a thought. Stuart

24.6.21: We did walk 5, Whaley Bridge to Taxal – yesterday and it was so enjoyable.  We parked in the Tuck Inn lay-by opposite Shallcross Road which shortened it slightly.  Your instructions were clear and informative.  Absolutely perfect as was the weather. Looking forward to trying some of your other walks 🙂 Linda

2.6.21: Combined walks 9,13 and 14 for a large day out. The instructions were really clear but I definitely appreciated the photos within each walk to make sure I was going the right way. Thanks a lot! Rosalind.

23.11.20: Thanks do much for the amazing walks you’ve provided on your website. We did walk 13, the Errwood Reservoir on Sunday but took our pram not realising how narrow and rocky the path was. Could you tell me which walks are pram friendly? We don’t mind a little mud and managed fine on the first part hear a Errwood Hall. Gemma.

The most pram-friendly walks are around Fernilee – 14, 16 & 18. But with all the recent forestry work, they’re fairly muddy in places. Walks 1 & 2 are also easy, but fairly short. You could also try the old railway track from the car park beside the small pond half way down the lane to the reservoirs. It’s a couple of miles there and back. I hope that helps. David

21.7.20: My son and I did walk 3 today and it was absolutely brilliant. Thank you for the excellent route! Jo.

17.3.20: We did walk 8 Shining Tor today. Excellent! Varied scenery, clear paths and great views. Up there with the best. Route description is accurate and informative and easy to follow, without being over-described. The only point I would make, which others have also made, is towards the end around Errwood Hall it is easy to take a different route to that described – not of any great importance though as ultimately all options find their way to the hall and to the car park. Thanks for introducing us to the delights of the Goyt Valley and we look forward to doing more in future. Roger.

1.7.19: We did walk 9 yesterday – fantastic day out – the weather helped and the fact the road is closed on Sundays in the summer by the reservoir meant it was nice and quiet for that part of the walk – instructions for the walk were excellent and we didn’t feel in danger of getting lost at any point – thank you for the effort you put into producing the guides – much appreciated! Day off today and walk 6 tomorrow! Nick

31.12.18: Thank you so much for this website. The work you have put into the walk descriptions is phenomenal! I’m grateful for the short walks as I have two little kids and I’m planning on taking them out on New Year’s Day for the short shrine walk. Thanks and I will be checking out your book, too. Catherine.

20.7.18: Great website! I enjoyed the Buxton to Errwood walk today. I got a little bit confused between points 4 & 5, as I notice someone else did. The path forks as it approaches the top of the rise and I initially took the right hand path to follow the tree line; I should however have taken the left hand fork. Everything else was straightforward. The riverside path at point 15 was lovely and the quiet isolation of the moors was great in its own way too. Neil (Thanks for the feedback, Neil. I’ve now updated the description to avoid any confusion. David.)

2.9.17: I found your walks following a Google search and my partner and I decided to do walk 9 yesterday as it starts and ends in Buxton meaning we could get the train from Manchester and have a beer afterwards!

Firstly thank you for the walk detail. The pictures were very helpful. We are occasional walkers and can’t read OS maps so they were a great guide. We got slightly lost at point 5 as it was not clear at which point to turn and whether or not we had to go left or right once we went through the gate at point 4 (It’s no longer a stile). After we wandered about a bit we got back on track and it was straightforward navigation from there.

However we felt that the walk was challenging rather than moderate and there were several long inclines and descents although the paths were fairly easy to follow. The path at 18 with the metal sign was narrow and tricky to navigate due to the almost head height ferns on both sides. When we reached the farmers field there were some cows and a couple of bulls in there which was a bit frightening!

I appreciate this may not always be the case but I’m not sure how walkers with dogs would have got around this safely. Overall the walk stretched us and had we known it was so tough I’m not sure we would have attempted it until we were fitter and more experienced. I hope you don’t mind this feedback. Overall we felt proud of our achievements if not exhausted and tender! Thanks for putting the walks out there! Francesca.

21.8.17: I visited Goyt Valley yesterday how disappointed I was not only could I not use part of the park but there were no working toilets to be have disgusting I was looking forward to returning there as it’s been along time since was there don’t think I will be coming back. Jennifer Dixon.

15.7.17: I enjoyed Walk 8 today, thank you for putting this website together, I found it recently when someone mentioned Pym Chair. As far as the numbers go, my phone app reckoned it to be more like 6.5 miles. As a mid-40s male just getting in to walking, it took me just under 2.5 hours. Steve.

11.7.17. Shining Tor walk was excellent, varied, spectacular views. Thank you! Very clear until the end. Got lost trying to find the bridges and turned out we must have gone down the wrong path. We followed the river down rather than going through the stone gate pillars. I think that must have been the mistake but instructions could have been clearer at this point. James

18.6.17. Just wanted to thank you for your excellent website. Myself and 17 friends stayed in Buxton recently to celebrate our thirtieth birthdays and spent a lovely afternoon walking in the Goyt valley following the routes on your site. It was great to be able to read about the history of the area as we walked. It really is a beautiful place. Ian.

11.3.17. Did walk 6 to Taxal today. Good walk, thank you for your excellent directions. The footpath past the old pumping station is still closed. The notice now says it will be open at the end of March 2017. Pat.

Did the Errwood circular walk today and instructions were mostly good but though walking through mud is never a problem for us the boards put in place were of no help as they were too slippery to use and you can see we were not the only ones to think this as there are lots of walked areas bypassing the boards. They need to have chicken wire or something on them to enable people to safely use them or the areas around will become more eroded. Even my surefooted Collie was having problems. Dawn.

Loved following your Fernilee circle walk today – photos and instructions were excellent. Just wondering which to do tomorrow! Libby

Took the family up to Errwood Hall yesterday, a thoroughly enjoyable walk. Living in Macclesfield we often take local family walks so it’s great to be able to read about the local history. We’ve enjoyed spending time on the website this morning and I’ll be back when we’re next off to walk in the Goyt Valley. Jon

Just wanted to say thank you very much for all the effort you have put in to this website. Today my friends and I completed the round route from Buxton to Errwood reservoir and found your instructions extremely helpful. A beautiful walk! Nina.