WHALEY BRIDGE is
an attractive small town in the High Peak. We call ourselves
the Gateway to the Goyt Valley, the area
of outstanding natural beauty which is a magnet for walkers,
tourists and those seeking adventure.
Whaley Bridge (population 7,000 approx)
is 18 miles south east of Manchester, seven
miles north of Buxton, nine miles north east
of Macclesfield and 20 miles west of Sheffield.
The town stands on the former A6 road, now bypassed. We are
also on the Buxton-Manchester railway, allowing many people
to commute to jobs in the city, in Stockport
and in Buxton. The line is also much used by walkers coming
to Whaley Bridge as a starting point for their latest walk.
Many feel the real glory of Whaley Bridge
is the canal basin. The town stands at the end of the Peak
Forest Canal, which cuts through the narrow valley
parallel to main road and railway. Many visitors come by water,
and there is a thriving barge-restaurant base at the canal
head.
The whole area round the canal basin is
very historic. There are ambitious plans for the area to become
a regeneration area. The basin provides the setting for one
of the biggest local events, W3 - the Whaley
Water Weekend, usually in June. It is also the starting point
for the annual
Rose Queen Carnival, which usually follows a week later..
Whaley Bridge has a good selection of shops,
sometimes described as 'alternative shopping" to supermarkets
in the area. There are innumerable pubs, and a good selection
of restaurants. We have three primary schools in the parish,
Whaley Bridge County Primary, Taxal and Fernilee Church of
England Primary and Furness Vale Primary. Comprehensive education
is provided at nearby Chapel-en-le-Frith and New Mills.
Whaley Bridge is a parish, made up of four
wards, with its own Town
Council. The council is a major facilitator of this website.
The wards, which each elect three members to the town council,
are: Taxal, Yeardsley, Furness Vale, Fernilee.
The Town Council is publisher of an outstanding
parish paths map. Everyone who ever comes to Whaley Bridge
to walk should buy one at a bargain £1, either from
the council officer in the Mechanics' Institute or from local
newsagents.
Elsewhere on this website you will find
details of the many local organisations, some thriving, some
ticking over. And there are special pages on Footsteps,
Whaley Bridge's unique local community centre developed in
the old shoe shop.
The
Mechanics' Institute is very much a central
force in Whaley Bridge. In addition to being the office and
meeting centre for the
Town Council, it is also an information centre and
reading room. The building is a venue for countless local
events, and the Saturday
coffee mornings have become legendary - part charity fund-raisers,
part community meeting ground.
Contact us on mailto:admin@whaleybridge.com
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