Buxton to Solomon’s Temple Walk Route, Peak District
The Buxton to Solomon’s Temple walking route starts off in the historic town of Buxton in the Peak District and takes you through the iconic gardens and streets, up through some peaceful woodland, and to the iconic landmark Solomon’s Temple which offers some breathtaking views from the top.
Here is the route and some of the milestones and highlights to look out for as you venture up towards the temple!
The Buxton to Solomon’s Temple Walking Route
This fairly hilly route combines urban and woodland areas for a trail that is popular with families and less experienced walkers.
Buxton
Your route begins in Buxton, a spa town in Derbyshire, famed for its markets (and water company of the same name). There are several parking spots in the centre and a train station so it’s not too hard to find your way to your starting point, one of the “seven wonders of the peak”, St. Ann’s Well.
St. Ann’s Well
St Ann’s Well is an ancient natural warm spring located right in the heart of Buxton near the traditional Roman baths – and is a great point to start your walk, as well as offering a good opportunity to fill up your water bottles. This walking route will take roughly 2-3 hours to complete so be prepared with any drinks or snacks that you might need for the journey.
Buxton Pavillion Gardens
From the historic natural spring well, head towards Buxton Pavillion Gardens. You can take the scenic route through the gardens and past the pavilion or walk the perimeter of the green, following Broad Walk parallel to the River Wye. As you reach the corner of the gardens, cross over the B5059 and head up College Rd just ahead of you. Take an immediate right up Temple Road. Keep following Temple Road up the hill and watch out not to miss its bend to the left as you reach the top.
After this short walk through the streets of Buxton, you’ll arrive at the entrance to the woodland where there’s a Cafe and GoApe experience, should you want to really test yourself.
Poole’s Cavern & Grin Low Woods
When you arrive at the park, you’ll notice Poole’s Cavern – a second of the “seven wonders of the peak”, making Buxton home to 2 of the iconic landmarks.
For this trail, you’ll want to bypass the cavern and head towards Grin Low Woods for Solomon’s Temple.
Steep steps will help you get started and will lead you to an uphill pathway. Blue, yellow and green marked paths will all lead to the top of the hill where you will find the temple. The most direct route is the yellow path that heads directly through the woodlands. Green is a slightly longer option and blue will take you via a nearby campsite.
On the way through the stunning woodland, you’ll pass some wooden sculptures. Much of the park has been adapted with wide paths and safety measures in most places. If you are taking on the trail with children, just be aware of some sharp drops on the left of the walking path in the wooded areas.
This part of the walk can get pretty steep and in really wet weather, a bit slippy and boggy too. Be sure to wear the right shoes and take the correct gear to make the adventure enjoyable.
As you reach the top you will emerge from the woods and see sweeping farmland with Solomon’s Temple proudly standing in the centre.
After you’ve climbed the stile to enter the field, you’ll notice the final trail to Solomon’s Temple is a bit rocky. Grin Low Woods was originally planted to hide the mining of traditional Peak District limestone from those enjoying the springs in Buxton town. You can still see an abundance of the material in the area.
Solomon’s Temple
As you reach the temple you can climb to the top to take in the views of Buxton and the surrounding area.
The temple is a great stop-off point for a rest after the steep inclines before you begin your descent back down into Buxton.
On your return, you can follow any of the 3 marked paths back down. Yellow will again be the most direct (and steepest) route of the three.
When you emerge at the other side of Grin Low Woods, it’s just a short walk back down Temple Road, College Road and back across the B5059 again where you will once again arrive at the Pavillion Gardens that were visible from the temple.
If you follow Broad Walk or cut through the pavilion gardens, you will find yourself in the centre of Buxton near the old Roman baths and St Ann’s Well where you began your walk.
More About the Buxton to Solomon’s Temple Walk
This trail can easily be extended if you take a path through Buxton Town and up along Bakewell Road before cutting back across and joining the B5059, where you can join the original route at Temple Road or take Green Ln to arrive at the entrance to Grin Low Woods. This will add around 2 extra miles to the trail and allow you to visit some of the scenic parks that Buxton has to offer.
Be aware that there might be some livestock as you near the top of this walk, so if you’re taking dogs, be sure to keep them on a lead around any animals you encounter.
