The High Peak Trail runs through the Derbyshire countryside for a length of some 17 miles, from Hurdlow, near Buxton, to High Peak Junction, near Cromford. The trail runs over the path of the former Cromford and High peak Railway, which was opened in 1830 and was used for the transportation of limestone, lime and farm produce. The turn of the century marked the gradual decline of the railway's profitability, and in 1967, as part of Dr. Beeching's drastic cuts, the last section of the line was closed to all traffic.

The trail begins at Hurdlow, at a point as unremarkable as it is remote, and heads for Parsley Hay, along a track which can be quite uneven at times. The scenery in the early parts of this section of the trail is also unremarkable, but it does improve tremendously as Parsley Hay approaches.

But continuing straight ahead leads to Friden, where the trail passes alongside brickworks which used to use a local material, known as pocket silica, to make heat-resistant bricks. Nowadays, the factory uses imported materials.

From Friden, the trail passes through Minninglow, where the remains of brick-making kilns can be seen, and over the dramatic curved Minninglow Embankment, which affords wonderful views across the valley below. Eventually, the trail reaches Middleton Top, and a short but dramatic incline leads to the picnic area and cycle hire centre at pleasingly-high speeds! The following section of the trail leads to Black Rocks, but cyclists are advised to dismount because of the steepness of the trail at this point. Apart from this section, the whole of the trail is fairly level; indeed, shortly after Black Rocks the trail levels out again, eventually ending at High Peak Junction, where there are picnic and toilet facilities.