Torside to Woodhead Tunnels via the Longdendale Trail
It is a rare flat, fast run in the Dark Peak - a traffic-free old railway line running dead level past four reservoirs to the great stone mouths of the Woodhead tunnels.
Effort: Moderate distance, manageable climb
Underfoot: Mostly paths and tracks
E2·T1 — how we grade routesAn easy, flat 10.2km out-and-back along the Longdendale Trail from Torside, following the old railway past the reservoirs to the Woodhead tunnel portals. Good surface throughout, with just 51m of climbing.
It is a rare flat, fast run in the Dark Peak - a traffic-free old railway line running dead level past four reservoirs to the great stone mouths of the Woodhead tunnels.
The route
From the car park at Torside, join the Longdendale Trail, the surfaced route that runs along the bed of the old Woodhead railway. Head east on a dead-level line above the string of reservoirs - Torside, Rhodeswood and Woodhead - to reach the sealed portals of the Woodhead tunnels, once the longest railway tunnels in the world, before turning and running back the way you came. It is 10.2km there and back with just 51m of climbing, making it the easiest run on this site in the Peak.
The valley
Longdendale is a deep glacial trough carrying a chain of Victorian reservoirs beneath the high moors of Bleaklow and Black Hill. The trail, part of both the Trans Pennine Trail and a National Cycle route, gives fast, easy running with water on one side and moor rising steeply on the other. The Woodhead tunnels at the far end are a genuine piece of railway history worth the turn.
Why it works
This is the route for a recovery day, a first trail run, or a run with children or a buggy. The surface is good all year, navigation is nothing more than following the line, and you can turn round whenever you like. It is a gentle counterpoint to the hard moor routes that start from the same valley.
Good to know
This is the route for a recovery day, a first trail run, or a run with children or a buggy: the surface is good all year and the navigation is nothing more than following the line, so you can turn round whenever you like. The trail is shared with cyclists, so keep to one side and take care in the narrow cuttings on the tunnel approach. Torside car park has toilets, and Glossop a short drive west has cafes for afterwards. Wrap up in winter, though, since the valley funnels the wind and there is no shelter along the reservoirs.
The trail is shared with cyclists, so keep to one side and take care at blind bends. It is exposed to wind funnelling down the valley, and the reservoirs are deep and cold - stay on the trail.
Leave No Trace
- Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but memories.
- Please respect the countryside and all its inhabitants.
- Dogs on leads near livestock, and around ground-nesting birds from March to July.
- Gates as you find them — open or closed, leave it that way for the farmer and the next runner.
- Take it all home — wrappers, peel, tissue, the lot. It doesn't count as biodegradable if you can still see it.
- Stick to the path where the ground either side is wet, planted, or nesting habitat.
Common questions
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