Millenium Walkway
Millenium Walkway
4.5
About
Explore the Torrs and the Riverside Park from the spectacular Millenium Walkway. It is a 160m long walkway that links New Mills, the Torrs and the Riverside Park. Follow the Midshires Way to discover Mousley Bottom Local Nature Reserve.Nearly 100 feet below the town of New Mills lies the Torrs Gorge, an area of fascinating geology and heritage.Here the Rivers Sett and Goyt come together, their power was harnessed for over 200 years by mills. Discover mill ruins, weirs, cobbled tracks and archways of bridges towering dramatically overhead.As you walk along this impressive, but relatively little known, natural feature you are surrounded by a rich industrial heritage spanning several hundred years of the history of New Mills. The spectacular Millennium Walkway is suspended from the side of the gorge, above the point where the river flows over a large weir.The Torrs Riverside Park, deep below the town was until the opening of the aerial walkway divided by an impasse between the historic Torr Vale Mill and the equally imposing railway retaining wall. Dramatically described by The Guardian as the last inaccessible place in England. The aerial Walkway provided an innovative and futuristic solution to this age old problem of access. Described as a steel spiders web,' the walkway clings to the vertical gritstone rock face and spans the enormous railway retaining wall, cantilevered out over the River Goyt.Completed in 1999, the walkway provides a link in Europe's premier walking route, E2 which passes through New Mills on its way from Stranraer in Scotland, via Dover, to Nice in France.The story of how New Mills came to be the home of such an innovative structure is best told in the words of the man who conceived it, the late Martin Doughty, at the time both a town and county councillor:"As the end of the century approached, my thoughts returned to the same question which had been in my mind on and off for over 20 years. How to access the Goyt's riverside path network going west from the Torrs gorge without climbing out of the valley onto the towns roads. The Millward Memorial Bridge and the Town Council's purchase of the Goytside land from the British Railways Board had solved the problem going south on the upstream Goyt in 1984 but the challenge to find a western link down river remained.“Back in the late 80s, we had looked at bringing a path round Torr Vale Mill on the inside of the bend in the river. Although, on the face of it, the more obvious route through, there were severe difficulties in trying to create a wheelchair friendly path by the mill. Additionally unless a path could be squeezed between the Rock Tavern Garage and the steep cliff face down to the river the route would still bring users back onto the same roads they then had to use. Oh, and the mill owner on whose land the path would lie was not at all keen."So, in 1996 I started to think the unthinkable. Could we bridge the gap by a route on the outside of the river bend, perhaps attached to the giant Victorian railway retaining wall below central station for part of its length? Did the forthcoming millennium offer the opportunity to match the vision with an opportunity? Certainly, the possibility of up to 50% grant aid from the Millennium Commission for projects of a unique nature was a significant opportunity. The County Council got to work."The local authorities, Derbyshire County Council, High Peak Borough Council and New Mills Town Council together pledged a total of £80,000 toward the then estimated £450,000 costs. We asked the Millennium Commission for £215,000 and sought the rest mainly from the private sector. Then we needed planning permission and listed building consent because one of the columns is within the weir, which is part of the grade two star listed Torr Vale Mill."Trials needed to be done, particularly on the railway retaining wall and the cliff face below the Heritage Centre. It was impossible to do those on the retaining wall from below so engineers had to abseil down from the railway line when it was closed to trains for repair work. The cliff face proved too unstable to use, hence the decision to have pillars located on the river bed. The retaining wall proved to be just as solid as it looks. Its then owner, Railtrack, proved even harder to move, however, insisting, despite all the experience and knowledge of Derbyshire's engineers, that a simple cantilever design could destabilise the wall. We did point out that 400 tonne trains transverse the top of the wall daily. After over 2 years of negotiation, we finally got Railtrack consent to attach the walkway to the retaining wall."The design of the Walkway was, of course, critical. It had to be completely accessible to wheelchair users. It had to fit into a very sensitive Conservation Area in the middle of Victorian and earlier structures. It had to be a bold statement because Millennium projects were not intended to be hidden away. And the construction would be extremely difficult because of the inaccessibility of the site."Within Derbyshire County Council's Environmental Services department are both civil engineers and conservation architects and planners. By working closely together, the in-house team designed the walkway and project managed its construction. At one point early on I was asked if we should bring in bridge design experts Ove Arup. I said there was no need. They later became closely associated with the Thames millennium footbridge in London which closed down shortly after its initial opening because of excessive bounce."With all the permissions in place, the County Council went out to tender for the contract to construct the walkway. Unfortunately, the lowest price was around £80,000 higher than we expected, at £525,000. I rang around potential backers and, in a couple of hours, had secured enough promises to cover the extra. I remain extremely grateful to everyone who so generously backed the project. Besides the Millennium Commission and the local authorities, funding came from Global Environmental Community Trust, WREN, Tilcon South, Haul Waste, Bowmer and Kirkland and the Environmental Agency."The contractors, Thyssen, planned to complete the work in 6 months starting in June, 1999. They laid a temporary track in the river bed and scaffolded up the retaining wall. Only once did the river rise sufficiently to wash away the track. The job was completed on time and the walkway opened to users just before Christmas, 1999. In retrospect, we were extremely lucky with the weather. Imagine if the contract had covered the same 6 months in the year 2000 when September to November was the wettest since records began."Shortly after it opened in January 2000, the Royal Mail featured the walkway on the 44p stamp of its first Millennium series. About the same time, a colour picture appeared in the Guardian newspaper. The next day the Granada TV weatherman gave his forecast from the walkway. Then the Times newspaper ran another photograph. Then BBC North West ran a piece. Then the Daily Telegraph included, with another photograph and story, the Heritage Centre telephone number and gave the Centre's volunteers an even more busy few days."Then the big one. The walkway was chosen to be featured on the Carol Smilie's network BBC TV Lottery show as an example of the good things the lottery was helping to fund. And at the end of the year, it appeared on Radio 4's 'You and Yours' programme as an example of a successful millennium project."All this positive publicity bought thousands of visitors to the town and they were rarely disappointed. Shops reported increasing numbers of customers. The Heritage Centre volunteers were becoming exhausted with the sheer number in the centre, particularly at weekends. Over the year visitor numbers more than doubled and we estimated that nearly 200,000 people used the walkway in the year 2000."Local people seemed to like it too. The 2000 New Mills Festival finished with a wonderful torchlight procession with huge illuminated fish being carried across the walkway following a salsa band."In July 2000 a helicopter landed at Newtown recreation ground and its passengers paid a brief visit to the walkway. They were judges in the British Construction Industries Awards Scheme, the most prestigious awards in the country. In October it was announced that against very stiff competition in the Millennium year, the walkway had taken the top prize in the small projects (below two million pounds) category. The Millennium Dome had won the large project category. The team who designed and built the walkway had a wonderful night at the award ceremony in London. They deserved it. Altogether, the walkway chalked up six awards from various competitions.'
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4.5
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WinkleighWanderer
Bristol, UK26 contributions
Sept 2022 • Solo
This review is intended to warn anyone who has limited mobility about an appalling failure of wayfinding and access provision for the millennium walkway at New Mills. Our family party of three includes a wheelchair user. We had travelled specially to the town and were looking to park our car as close as possible to the decked section of the walkway which runs above the river. Signage directs traffic to turn off the A6 then towards the town centre on Union Rd. Thereafter we couldn’t see any signage to indicate vehicular or pedestrian access. After driving round town for some time we asked passers by and were told there was some parking down past the Central Station. This access is obscure with an awkward junction onto the main road. It is also steep and narrow (single track). Beyond the station it is practically unsurfaced, leading down to a Pay & Display carpark which has no signage relating to the millennium walkway. The carpark is so severely rutted that we caught the underside of our wheelchair adapted vehicle and could not find a level area to lower the ramp. Another passer by told us the walkway could be accessed via an unmade path through the wood on a steeply sloping hillside. This was not fit for a wheelchair to use so we had to abandon our visit without seeing the walkway.
The millennium walkway at New Mills was much vaunted and received national coverage at the time. A large sum of public money must have been invested and those who initiated the project were happy to take plaudits BUT it was never properly completed and/or since maintained to provide safe and secure access for all. If there ever was public signage it has disappeared and not been replaced. Carpark and paths have been allowed to deteriorate to a point beyond which they can be used safely by those with mobility issues. This is a disgrace and reflects badly on the project sponsors, which presumably include the Derbyshire County, High Peak District and New Mills Town Councils.
The millennium walkway at New Mills was much vaunted and received national coverage at the time. A large sum of public money must have been invested and those who initiated the project were happy to take plaudits BUT it was never properly completed and/or since maintained to provide safe and secure access for all. If there ever was public signage it has disappeared and not been replaced. Carpark and paths have been allowed to deteriorate to a point beyond which they can be used safely by those with mobility issues. This is a disgrace and reflects badly on the project sponsors, which presumably include the Derbyshire County, High Peak District and New Mills Town Councils.
Written 28 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mummynandj
Coventry, UK14 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
Lovely afternoon walk on the millennium bridge , similar construction to that of the millennium bridge in Coventry but with better views. Enjoyed a drink in the shrub pub across the bridge not too pricey and loved their canine guests too. Kids enjoyed the short walk and local area. The travel lodge hotel in Glossop was well situated and our family room was huge with comfortable beds. Millennium walkway was accessible for wheelchair users although a little steep in parts from both the car park and walk up the other side by the co op but probably not an issue for those with a more adventurous side or with a pair of helping hands for those that are less able it should be manageable . The shrub pub is not accessible from the walk over bridge but can be accessed by going up and around. Will definitely be paying another visit to explore more of the walks in Derbyshire as there were many beautiful sights we didn’t get to see in during our flying visit to the Peak District x
Written 6 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
davey t
Sheffield, UK5 contributions
Apr 2022 • Family
Hard to find, the signs took us past the railway station to a park a mile away. It was a pleasant enough river walk, ended up at the railway station then to the bridge. Bridge is wonderful, surrounding areas not so, graffiti etc and we tried to find the visitor centre, but it was at the top of some mega steep stairs and was shut... Ended up walking back to the car... Do not expect stunning scenery and beauty, this is in the middle of a former industrial Mill complex so is quite rugged . Very steep areas so not great for elderly. Also we watched someone struggle to get a car up the hill from the railway station, so not good for nervous drivers.
Still worth a visit
Still worth a visit
Written 19 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael N
Silloth, UK33 contributions
Sept 2023 • Friends
Did some research prior and found the local car park without too much difficulty. But once we got down the steep pathway to Walkway level the signage to it is poor. The guide with a walking group heading towards us said 'the way we've come' but failed to tell us the path split several ways just round the bend. Eventually found the Walkway - it's quietly impressive but not overwhelmingly so. A bit more water in the river might have upped the appeal. The adjacent turbine was as dead as most wind turbines generally are.
Written 30 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Julie P
United Kingdom2,023 contributions
Aug 2021
Somewhere I didn't know existed until I saw it here. We started off at Lower Rock Street and walked through the park and along the walkway, finishing just past the mill, coming out on Station Road. It's a pleasant walk through the park, by the side of the River Goyt.
Impossible for wheelchairs, as access down is via steep slopes, some of which are also cobbled. Refreshments can be found at The Shrub Club in the mill which is accessed via a bridge across the river just after the walkway.
Impossible for wheelchairs, as access down is via steep slopes, some of which are also cobbled. Refreshments can be found at The Shrub Club in the mill which is accessed via a bridge across the river just after the walkway.
Written 12 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CMiddleton
Newcastle-under-Lyme, UK636 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
We followed the New Mills walk from the Internet which finished with a walk across the Millennium walkway approximately 4 miles.
Such a beautiful walk. Lots to see from beautiful views, the Goyt River, woodland to the walkway.
Lots of parking in the town (not expensive), public toilets and lots of places to eat or drink.
Would definitely recommend and I will be back to see it in a different season.
Such a beautiful walk. Lots to see from beautiful views, the Goyt River, woodland to the walkway.
Lots of parking in the town (not expensive), public toilets and lots of places to eat or drink.
Would definitely recommend and I will be back to see it in a different season.
Written 20 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wetravelalot12
London305 contributions
Jun 2022
We parked at Torr Top Street car park, which is free on Sundays. Be aware shops in high street not open Sundays. From the car park we walked down a slope to the banks of the river and there were signs directing you to the Millennium Walkway. It took you along the riverbank, past Torrs Hydro, and underneath big arched bridge. Follow the path around and you come to one end of the walkway. Once over the walkway, you can cross the bridge to the Shrub club for refreshments. And pop into The Cheese Wheel shop for beer and cheese.
Also pay and display car park just below New Mills Central railway station.
Also pay and display car park just below New Mills Central railway station.
Written 4 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
gilbodyn
Sheffield, UK108 contributions
Jan 2020
Our visit to Torrs Gorge and the Millenium Walkway far exceeded our expectations. In contrast to a previous review we found the venue incredibly easy to find as it is located in a huge scar which goes through New Mills and access is possible from several points on both sides of the gorge. Once down at river level there are endless photo opportunities with multi level bridges, industrial heritage, climbing activity and the impressive millenium walk.The walk down and up to river level is moderately challenging so you should plan a visit that involves you doing the descent and climb only once. We generally combine our trips with a pub lunch and we were unable to find a sutable place to eat in the town so I would suggest checking out the wide choice available within a few miles radius.
Written 2 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Matt_C0e
Manchester, UK169 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
The Millenium Walkway is a nice walk with some fantastic views of the heritage area.
The walkway is very impressive and there are plenty of photo opportunities with all the historic buildings, plenty of greenery and rushing water.
The walkway was very easy to find, as we entered via Wirksmoor Rd, opposite the Rock Tavern. The first 50m is slightly challenging with a slow ascent with dirt and rocks, however once past this the path is quite wide as you go past the Torr to the walkway. Its absolutely fine, to walk down or if you have a buggy, but not in a wheelchair.
i would definitely recommend this walk to anyone, and if im in the area again i would stop by.
The walkway is very impressive and there are plenty of photo opportunities with all the historic buildings, plenty of greenery and rushing water.
The walkway was very easy to find, as we entered via Wirksmoor Rd, opposite the Rock Tavern. The first 50m is slightly challenging with a slow ascent with dirt and rocks, however once past this the path is quite wide as you go past the Torr to the walkway. Its absolutely fine, to walk down or if you have a buggy, but not in a wheelchair.
i would definitely recommend this walk to anyone, and if im in the area again i would stop by.
Written 21 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stantonbigman
New Mills, UK5 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
This place is pretty boring for families. I grew up round here and the best part of the bridge is tryn to throw stones at the windows. We never get them but get close wiv a cat a pult haha. This is the best place to get rid of anything like evidence when I nearly got caught by the ex for having an affair lol. But she dint find out so all good. You can have races on the bridge and we take our scooters and have to drag the kids along on sledges. And they love it when they hit the railings coz they think they are going to fall in haha 3/10
Written 26 October 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How long does it take roughly to walk around?
Written 3 April 2021
You can easily spend an hour (or more exploring the riverside walks including walkway - lots of cafes and pubs in town plus cheese shop and cafe/bar in Torr Vale Mill
Written 7 April 2021
Where is the best and closest place to park please?
Written 10 November 2020
I parked in a carpark close by, I put the postcode sk224by in my sat nav and noticed signs for parking. It’s free in a Sunday with spaces to park. I walked down the hill to the right and just followed it around the river to the right hand side. There’s a cafe just over the other side of the bridge too.
Written 11 November 2020
This might have been asked before, but I can't be bothered trawling through all the previous questions.
So, we are visiting Hope Valley tomorrow and on the way home (around 4:30-5pm)) we are looking at stopping off and to walk the Millennium Walk. Is it open (I can't find any info on it, is it permanently open??, and how long from end to end, and back obviously?
Thank you
Written 13 September 2020
Yes it’s open x it’s not that long x maybe a 100 meters or so x but it’s worth the visit x the gorge continues on the other side depending on which side u go from but it’s also interesting as well x u can spend a nice hour there x longer if u want to x
Written 13 September 2020
Where is the nearest parking? Visiting in September and would like to know 😄😄😄
Written 28 July 2020
You can either park in the town centre which gives you access to cafes, shops and pubs or at the bottom of Station Road past New Mills Central Station
Written 29 July 2020
If you park at the bottom of station road you can walk over the walkway and then round to Goytside farm to see the llamas and sheep - surface isn’t perfectly smooth but many with push chairs use it - cafes and shops in centre of new Mills are now open
Written 16 June 2020
I would like to know if it is suitable for a wheelchair/mobility scooter, especially the access and parking thank you.
Written 7 October 2019
If you drive down station road there is a car park right at the
bottom - access is good fro there to the walkway for wheelchairs/ scouters etc
Station road runs alongside New Mills central station and isn’t the best pad do drive carefully
Written 3 January 2020
Hi may be a stupid question..... but are dogs allowed please?
Written 2 August 2019
Walkway is fully open again
Written 9 August 2019
Can anyone tell me if it’s open and if it’s possible for someone with slight mobility issues Don’t want to go 100 miles to be disappointed. Thanks.
Written 21 July 2019
Yes the Walkway is open for several months now - use the station road side of the bridge to avoid any steps
Written 21 July 2019
It reopens next week
Written 11 February 2019
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