Chee Dale

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Chee Dale on the River Wye about 3 miles south of Buxton is an almost secret valley, a deep dark canyon which is hard to reach. At one point there are a series of stepping stones beneath an overhanging cliff of solid limestone, which become impassable when the river is in flood or after heavy rain.

The top section of Chee Dale is easiest to access if you follow the Monsal Trail on the old railway line downstream from Topley Pike car park on the A6, and beyond Blackwell Mill. But this ends abruptly at a tunnel, where if you want to continue, you must drop down a steep path to the river and stepping stones.

The lower stretch of Chee Dale can also be reached by walking upstream from Millers Dale car park on the riverside path.

Footbridges have been washed away in Chee Dale with the sheer force of the river in flood, so be warned!

If you do venture into Chee Dale when the sun is shining through the thick green canopy of trees, and ducks are bobbing about in the river or nesting in the thick butterbur, then you will find yourself in paradise.

There are a multitude of wild flowers, ferns and interesting flora to be found in Chee Dale, as well as a variety of song birds and birds of prey to look out for.

Chee Dale is especially popular with climbers who try to scale the heights of the huge bastions of limestone which rise up from the river.