The Tissington Trail, Peak District

Follow ‘Fenny Bentley’ to go through a kissing gate and descend down a rough meadow, bearing left to duck-boards and a timber bridge over the stream in the bottom. Follow the path as it rises up the steepish far side of the valley, bearing a little to the right to reach the top of the hill. Here we go through a small gate and keep on with the hedge to our right until we reach double waymarked gates in a hedge. Carry on in a straight line, descending towards Fenny Bentley, close to the hedge on the left, then we go through 2 narrow metal gates. On reaching a lane at the edge of the village, we turn left towards the church.

Go right through the churchyard to join the main road. The church of St. Edmund is noted for its fine screens and a 19th century hammerbeam roof of the nave and the chancel, with 26 angels.

Once you’re ready, we’re leaving the churchyard through the lych-gate. Watch your step with the 3 steps down. Crossing the main road turn right then,just beyond the telephone box, we turn left at a signpost ‘Tissington 2’ and pass ‘The (1858) Old School’ on our left. In 40 yards we follow the path as it forks right and rises up past a few houses going through a squeezer stile. After the last house, turn left up the meadow, aiming for a single gatepost.

We’re not going through the gateway; instead we’re headed to the right of it, going around the hedge corner to the left and continuing to rise up the meadow, heading for the top left corner. Just shy of the top, we go over a waymarked stile under a hawthorn tree, then bear left to follow the hedge up two more large fields, the roofs of Bassett Wood Farm coming into view ahead. At the top of the last large field before the farm, turn right and just beyond a farm gate, take the stile on the left in the hedge; cross the field, passing a power pole towards another stile.

Here we need to turn right on the farm access road. In about 300 yards, including 100 yards beyond a lane from ‘Tissington Trekking Centre’, bear left along a hedge to a gate; staying close to the hedge cross a large field and go through a squeezer stile + gate. The line across the next field is diagonal, we’re aiming for the far right corner to go through a small gate beside a farm gate. Walk on along a track to turn left across a cattle grid and walk down the road towards the village of Tissington, where refreshments can be obtained if needed.

Having crossed the bridge over the former railway line, we turn left to go down the track, then turn right to walk south on the track bed, now the Tissington Trail. Pleasant farming country on the right is complemented by deciduous woodland on the left; in about ½ mile the farm visible on the hilltop away to the left is Bassett Wood, seen on the outward part of the walk. The Trail passes over the main A515 road, under a bridge and through the Fenny Bentley cutting before returning to the site of Thorpe station.