Parsley Hay railway station served Parsley Hay, a hamlet within
Hartington Middle Quarter
Hartington Middle Quarter is a civil parish within the Derbyshire Dales district, which is in the county of Derbyshire, England. Formerly a part of Hartington parish, for which it is named, it has a mix of a number of villages and hamlets amon ...
civil parish, about south east of
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
, on the
LNWR
The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom.
In 1923, it became a constituent of the L ...
line to Ashbourne. The nearest large settlement is the village of Hartington.
Whaley Bridge
Whaley Bridge () is a town and civil parish in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England. It is situated on the River Goyt, south-east of Manchester, north of Buxton, north-east of Macclesfield and west of Sheffield. It had a population ...
to
Cromford
Cromford is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England, in the valley of the River Derwent between Wirksworth and Matlock. It is north of Derby, south of Matlock and south of Matlock Bath. It is first mentioned in the 11th-century Do ...
). It opened for passengers in 1856 but closed in 1877. The line was acquired by LNWR and extended to
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.line to Ashbourne and built a new station.
In common with the other stations on this line, the platforms and buildings were of timber construction. From this point on to Ashbourne the line was single with passing loops at the stations, though provision was made for doubling which never occurred.Bentley, J.M., Fox, G.K., (1997) Railways of the High Peak: Buxton to Ashbourne (Scenes From The Past series 32), Romiley: Foxline Publishing
In contrast to the first part of the line from Buxton, from the previous station at Hurdlow the line had dropped gently and this continued to the next at Hartington, though the curves involved limited the linespeed to .
Regular passenger services ceased in 1954 but excursions and special trains continued until October, 1963 while the line southwards closed in October, 1967 with that to Hindlow following in November.
Today these two disused trackbeds form the route of two walking and cycling routes. The High Peak Trail follows the old Cromford and High Peak, and the name Parsley Hay has become synonymous with the cycle centre here.
The track bed from Ashbourne to Parsley Hay was acquired by Derbyshire County Council and the
Peak National Park
The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It includes the Dark Peak, where mo ...
to become the
Tissington Trail
The Tissington Trail is a bridleway, footpath and cycleway in Derbyshire, England, along part of the trackbed of the former railway line connecting Ashbourne to Buxton. It takes its name from the village of Tissington, which it skirts. Open ...
which was one of the first of such ventures in the country. Later, Ashbourne Tunnel was acquired by
Sustrans
Sustrans is a United Kingdom-based walking, wheeling and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network.
Its flagship project is the National Cycle Network, which has created of signed cycle routes throughout the United K ...
. Parsley Hay, being located a little to the north of the junction of these walk/cycleways, is ideally located for a cycle hire centre (run by the Park Authority) and a refreshment kiosk serving drinks and snacks all day. There are also toilets here, and a large car park.
The trackbed at this point is also part of the
Pennine Bridleway
The Pennine Bridleway is a National Trail in Northern England.
It runs roughly parallel with the Pennine Way but provides access for horse riders and cyclists as well as walkers. The trail is around long, extending from Derbyshire to Cumbria ...
, a leisure route which includes through Derbyshire.