The Goyt Valley Walk

A calm, easy loop when you want fresh air without drama

There are walks that demand effort, planning, and a certain level of enthusiasm.

This isn’t one of those.

The Goyt Valley walk is steady, scenic, and quietly impressive — the kind of route that makes you feel like you’ve been properly out without needing a recovery period. Despite being only a short drive from Buxton, it feels reassuringly removed, with woodland, water, and open moorland doing most of the work for you.

It’s the walk I suggest when someone says they want “something easy” — and I believe them.

Before You Go (So You Know What You’re Agreeing To)

• Distance: Just under 4½ miles

• Time: Around 2 hours at a relaxed pace

• Difficulty: Easy, steady throughout

• Terrain: Woodland paths, tracks, short road sections, and moorland

• Footwear: Sensible shoes — not technical, just realistic

• Start & finish: The Street car park, Errwood Reservoir

The Walk

Start at The Street car park by Errwood Reservoir. Turn right and follow the road with the water on your left. It's a gentle beginning — flat, calm, and scenic enough that you immediately feel pleased with your decision.

At the rear of the car park, take the path uphill through the gateway. From here, you get a clear view over Errwood Reservoir, completed in the 1960s. It's quietly impressive in that utilitarian way — calm water, wide edges, and very little fuss.

Turn left and follow the track until you reach a road. This section is classic Goyt Valley: dark stone walls, woodland edges, and the occasional pheasant launching itself into the air as if personally offended by your presence.

Cross the road and take the forest path opposite, which runs above the River Goyt. This is one of the most restful parts of the walk — oak and beech trees, filtered light, and that specific woodland quiet that makes conversations slow down naturally.

Continuing Through the Valley

The path descends gradually, crossing a few small side streams before reaching the river at ground level. Nothing sudden. Nothing dramatic. Just a steady, sensible descent.

Once by the river, follow the path alongside the water until you reach a short set of steps leading up to a road. Turn left and walk past Goyt's Clough Quarry, which once supplied paving stones for London. It feels like an awful lot of effort for somewhere this peaceful.

Soon after, turn left again and follow the road over a stream before dropping down to Goyt's Bridge — a beautifully simple packhorse bridge that's been here for around 300 years and shows no particular interest in your weekend plans.

Cross the bridge and follow the path diagonally up and left along the riverbank until you reach a junction. Turn left again and follow the waymarked route out onto the moorland. This is where the landscape opens up.

The Moorland

The moorland is beautiful, open, and occasionally damp enough to remind you where you are. The ground here is peat — soft, ancient, and unapologetically itself. It’s not trying to be inconvenient, but it also isn’t decorative.

After crossing a small stream, climb gently up to a track. Turn left, follow it to a bridge over Wildmoorstone Brook, then turn left again on the far side. Continue along the track until you reach Goyt’s Lane.

Cross the lane and follow the path signposted Bunsal Cob, which takes you across open grassland and through small conifer plantations. It’s quiet here, in that very specific way that makes phones feel unnecessary rather than forbidden.

Eventually, you reach a road. Turn left and follow it down and across Errwood Dam, where the walk finishes with wide views back over the reservoir — a calm, fitting end.

You’ll arrive back where you started feeling restored rather than accomplished, which I think is exactly the point.

Why This Walk Works

No sudden climbs.

No navigation stress.

No awkward "how much further?" moments.

Plenty of space to talk — or not.

It's a walk that behaves exactly as promised.

A Few Practical Notes:

• After rain, the moorland section can be boggy. This is not a flaw in the route.

• There are no cafés or facilities on the walk itself — bring what you need.

• It works well year-round, but is especially good on clear, cool days.