Pretty town has a Stockport postcode - but it's worlds apart

In recent years, Whaley Bridge has become known as the Peak District town that came close to disaster. In August 2019, residents were evacuated amid fears that the Toddbrook reservoir, above the town, could burst its dam following heavy rainfall, leading to potentially disastrous flooding.

Whaley Bridge’s residents gathered in a school, taking pets and medication with them as a major incident was declared. As firefighters began pumping millions of gallons of water from the reservoir and RAF Chinook helicopters airlifted hundreds of bags of aggregate into the damaged slipway, those who called Whaley home waited to see what would happen next.

Fortunately, the emergency measures worked and a full-blown crisis was averted, allowing townspeople to return home. But, it's not been an easy ride.

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Less than a year later, the UK was thrown into lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic, preventing day-trippers and tourists from coming into the area. Then, last year, the main road through Derbyshire town was closed due to work being carried out on the railway bridge which crossed over the main route through the town.

Despite this, and almost five years on from the near catastrophe and events that followed, this picturesque town - just over an hour from Manchester city centre by train or car - has moved on considerably.

Sometimes referred to as the ‘Gateway to the Goyt Valley, a Designated Area of Outstanding Beauty, it is a magnet for walkers, cyclists and tourists looking not just for outdoor adventure, but somewhere to dwell and make the most of the independent shops, restaurants and bars - and of course country pubs. That said, it has not become overrun, and has retained its close-knit community feel.

In common with other parts of High Peak Whaley Bridge has a Stockport postcode. But while it is only ten miles down the A6 from Greater Manchester, the atmosphere is more that of a semi-rural village than a suburban commuter town, with bucolic views everywhere you turn.

The town grew as a centre for coal mining in the late 16th Century, and when the Peak Forest Canal - which it sits at the top of - was completed in 1800, its size and importance boomed. The canal, as you might expect, was formerly used to transport coal, linking up with the Cromford and High Peak Railway.

One of the first things you see as you enter the town is the canal, and while today the waterway is more likely to be used by visitors and residents following its towpaths or canal boats using it as a base, the Grade II-listed canal warehouse in its basin can still be visited.

More than 200 years old, The Transhipment Warehouse was reopened in November 2020 after thirty years of lying empty and features a cafe space as well as a bookshop named Books at the Basin. Come March, it will host a market with freshly baked products, drinks, clothing, arts, crafts and much more.

From here, there are numerous walking and cycling routes to try out- including The Peak District Boundary Walk, a circular 190-mile walking trail that starts and finishes at Buxton.

Divided into 20 stages of about 10 miles long in a clockwise direction, two of the routes encompass Whaley, including the Bollington to Whaley Bridge route taking in Macclesfield Canal, Lyme Park and Toddbrook Reservoir. The second route from the town to Buxton heads along the Goyt and Midshires before taking in both Fernilee and Errwood Reservoir.

Toddbrook Reservoir is also a must-visit, as is the Memorial Park on the other side of the town. And many who visit Whaley Bridge make sure to call in at the charming selection of shops, cafés, pubs and restaurants along its high street.

One spot that is always bustling, no matter the day, is The Bridge Bakehouse. Its owners - sisters Camilla and Courtney - started by selling homemade treats as children before turning this into a fully fledged bakery and shop in their hometown years later.

Having celebrated its tenth birthday last July, the business continues to boom, in large part due to a fantastic selection of sandwiches and cakes. The range of playful and punny names for its sandwiches have attracted a lot of attention previously - its 'Cheesus Christ' sarnie drew attention when an anonymous customer falsely claiming to be acting on behalf of a Christian organisation called it "insult to Christianity" in a letter threatening them with legal action.

Camilla and Courtney can laugh about this now it’s not affected trade. Only a small spot, there is no indoor seating, so come rain or shine you see people pulling up a chair outside and enjoying a ‘Jean Claude Van Ham’ or ‘Joey Tribbiani’ sandwich along with a freshly baked brownie.

For Camilla, the best part about Whaley - and what makes it such a good place to live and visit - is the people. “I think the sense of community that we have, everyone is really supportive of one another,” she reflects.

“We’re classed as a town but it’s more like a village, because everyone knows everyone and if we see something odd going on everyone knows and we look out for another. It’s just a friendly place to live and work.”

On how the near disaster with the dam affected the town, she thinks they came out stronger and it's not deterred people from visiting. “I think we bounced back fantastically from 2019.

“Last year we also had the main road in the village shut off, and while it may not seem a lot, we couldn’t get from one side to the other. But we’ve come back from that stronger. We’re all very supportive of another and shop locally where we can.

In terms of the Whaley sites and spots she loves most, she says: “I’ve got a 2 and a 3 year old so we love to go along the canal to Chinley or Bugsworth and sometimes we’ll have a drink - those are really nice routes.

“And I would say the canal is one of the main reasons people come and visit us. In terms of the business, I think we’ve done well because we only make things that we actually like to eat and drink and we don’t chop and change to suit new trends.”

There’s a number of pubs in the town, including The Cock Pub, The Railway and The White Hart, but a good drink recommendation and a bottle of something good can always be found in Goyt Wines - a wine bar and independent wine shop selling fine wines, spirits and local beers that’s called the town home for decades.

For manager Helen Latham who joined the business seven years ago, it’s a focal point in the town due to their expertise but also local events. Like Camilla, she is proud of the strong community in the town and how welcoming it is.

“For me, Whaley has such a strong community spirit, everyone is so friendly,” she says. “I’m originally from Morecambe and when my family comes to see me they say they love walking around - because everyone stops and talks as if they’ve known each other for a long time. It’s also very beautiful, you’re a stone’s throw from the lovely hills and picturesque scenery.

“What makes it so good is that the community is so warm. That was reflected when we had the damn disaster, the community rallied around and made sure everyone was safe and looked after - that’s what you get here.

“Whaley is a really good community for visitors so we have a lot of walkers and cyclists coming here on holiday lets,” she notes. “We always notice if they’re a visitor because they’ll come in and buy something local to take home.”

Fortunately, Goyt Wines is well placed to supply the goods. As well as stocking Stockport Gin and Forest Gin from Macclesfield, they like to support local breweries like Torrside just down the road, Buxton Brewery and Red Willow.

“We also have a lot of regular customers too and a system where we have accounts for people who might have local pubs that purchase their wine from here. A lot of people come from Disley, Macclesfield and Buxton too.

“People come here because they’re able to get something they wouldn’t be able to at a supermarket. We have Tesco down the road so people could easily go there but they know we have high quality drinks, our staff are extremely friendly, and offer advice for those who don’t always know what they want.”

Just down the road, Jarva Gallery, a small and friendly independent art gallery and picture framers, has also become an integral part of the community. So much so in fact that when owner Lyndesy announced she would be shutting shop in the coming months to focus on her other shop in Buxton, she was met with an overwhelming amount of messages from residents and loyal customers.

“We’ll close on March 9, exactly 15 years after I opened it. What should have just been 12 months turned into 15 years,” she reflects.

A professional artist by trade, Lyndesy worked in the south, but when she bought a house in Buxton and decided to renovate it, she was without a workspace. Coupled with the fact that she wanted to shine a light on Northern artists, the space she found in Whaley Bridge soon became a conduit for this, a place to display their art.

“It just boomed really, and for my own work I needed to do framing, but when a guy in Chapel-en-le-Frith moved away it sort of forced us to buy the equipment, so we started doing other people’s framing too as a service and it snowballed.”

“It’s a thriving business, which is why it’s a disappointment to close it, because the local people have been so supportive since I opened in 2009. It’s lovely and you get a mix of people, both local and tourists.

“You’ve got the canal just up the road and the Judith Mary canal boat where you can have lunch and go for a ride. And it’s a great place for walking or to go on walks from. The train station is right in the middle and you have people going between here and Manchester or Buxton.

“Through summertime we have market fairs and artisan events down by the canal so while there’s not a huge amount in Whaley, it’s very picturesque and has a good community feel. There’s a fabulous Italian restaurant across from me run by a husband and wife, which is always booked up. That's definitely worth a visit.

“Whaley has gone through quite a bit in the last few years with the pandemic and the evacuation and everything else. But it still keeps bouncing back, it’s because of the community to be honest.”