The Trinnacle is one of the most epic viewpoints in the Peak District. In this guide, I share the details of the short but challenging Trinnacle trail and all the essential information you’ll need before visiting.
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The Trinnacle Trail at a Glance
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The Trinnacle Trail FAQs
How to Get There
The Trinnacle is located by Dovestone Reservoir in Oldham, just 15 miles east of Manchester. Being so close to the city, it’s easy to forget that it’s part of the Peak District National Park.
The easiest way to get there would be by car, but parking is limited, and spots fill up quickly during busier times. We started our hike from the free Binn Green car park. Click here for the Google Maps location.
Best Time to Visit
While The Trinnacle trail isn’t too popular (yet), other walks in the area attract the crowds. The Dovestone Reservoir walk, for example, is relatively flat and accessible, so it’s a favoured spot amongst locals.
Sunset is an excellent time to schedule your walk around. You only have to look at our photos to see that visiting The Trinnacle during sunset is pretty damn magical.
The Trinnacle Trail Map
The Trinnacle Trail Difficulty
The distance may be short but do not underestimate the intensity of this hike. The incline was incredibly steep, and my legs were screaming at me by the time we reached the top.
The trail levels out once you conquer the initial climb and undulates gradually on the approach to the iconic rock formations.
Please assess the situation thoroughly before attempting to climb the rocks. It’s easy enough to climb, but to fall would be fatal. I suggest avoiding it in wet or windy conditions.
Other Things Worth Knowing
Dogs: The Trinnacle Trail is dog-friendly.
Kids: I would not class the Trinnacle Trail hike as kid-friendly.
Pushchair/Wheelchair Access: This route is not accessible with a pushchair or wheelchair.
Facilities: There are toilets and an occasional food truck next to Dovestone Reservoir.
Midges: Be aware of midges in the summer months. Bring repellent.
Swimming: Swimming or paddling in any reservoir is strictly prohibited.
Map: It’s always good to have a map handy. We use All Trails.
Our Experience on The Trinnacle Trail
We started and ended our walk at the Binn Green car park, which is free. There is another car park to the south of Dovestone Reservoir, but this one is pay & display.
From Binn Green car park, we followed the sign to the reservoir through the woodland and down a steep set of steps embedded into the dirt. Eventually, we came out through a wooden gate, and onto a road.
You can swing left and follow the road until you reach the reservoir or cross over into the woodland area and make your way down that way.
I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t this. I’d visited a few spots in the Peak District by this point, and the landscapes here were up there with some of the best I’d seen.
We were in a race to catch the sunset, so we headed north along the reservoir and crossed the bridge that separates Dovestone Reservoir from Yeoman Reservoir.
If you want to add a few extra km to your hike, you can go south and join the Trinnacle trail that way. Or you can continue North, passing Yeoman and Greenfield reservoirs and approaching the ridge from the other side.
Shortly after crossing the bridge, I could see the path leading up to the ridge. It looked intimidating, and I was starting to regret the trail run I’d done earlier that morning.
The ascent was brutal from the offset. I was grateful for the epic views around us, so I could stop often to take photos and enjoy a short period of respite.
By this point, the sky was already putting on quite a show. It wouldn’t be long before we’d lose the sun behind the hills, so picked up pace along the gritstone ridge in search of The Trinnacle rock formations.
There are incredible vistas to enjoy every step of the way, but nothing compares to the view from The Trinnacle itself. I found it hard to believe that we were still in the UK.
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When we reached the pinnacle of the walk, two or three other people were around, taking photos and enjoying the view. For a stunning evening like this one, that’s pretty good going.
We couldn’t resist climbing the podium for an Instagram moment. It was a dry and still evening, so the conditions couldn’t have been better.
After taking a few photos and losing a pint of blood to the midges, we called it a night and made our way back down.
As the sun continued to set, the sky transformed into a sea of pink and orange hues. It was stunning, and so long as we kept moving, we could avoid the midges and enjoy the tranquillity.
Enjoy The Trinnacle Trail
I hope you enjoy walking the Trinnacle Trail as much as we did. If you’re visiting the area soon, you might find some of our Peak District articles helpful.
If you have any questions, please ask. Otherwise, I wish you happy and safe travels.
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