Walkers on the Monsal Trail

A national park officer is on the lookout for workers and residents to share memories at special listening posts to be set up along a walking and cycling route.

The Monsal Trail uses the old trackbed of the London to Manchester railway which passed through the Peak District and was closed in 1968.

Peak District National Park Authority interpretation officer Catherine Bowmer is looking for people who may have travelled to school or work on the line before its axing, or who worked at sites along the old Midland Railway, which ran from Rowsley, north of Matlock, to Miller’s Dale. The line also had a branch to Buxton.

Ms Bowmer said: “I’m hoping to capture people’s experiences of living beside, working on and travelling by the old railway line. I’m particularly looking for people who are happy to have their memories recorded to tell the story of this historic trail and recreate the atmosphere of the working railway line.”

Subjects could include those who lived next to the railway line and remember it being used to transport milk from farms in the national park to London; or workers from the Chee Dale lime kilns which closed in 1944.

The interpretation officer added: “The line closed in 1968 so people have worked on it, travelled on it and lived by it within living memory. We want to record these memories to create an audio history that will be available at three listening posts on the Monsal Trail as well as through podcasts and the internet.”

The work is part of the Pedal Peak District project that is reopening four tunnels along the Monsal Trail to create a new cycle route between Bakewell and Buxton funded by Cycling England and the Department of Transport.

Anyone interested in taking part in the project can contact Ms Bowmer by emailing her or by ringing her on 01629 816203 Monday to Wednesday.