Peak District Gamekeepers Rescue Stranded Drivers as Sat-navs Send Traffic onto Unsuitable Moorland Byway

Gamekeepers from the Peak District Moorland Group have spent recent weeks pulling cars and vans out of trouble in the Goyt Valley, after a major road closure sent drivers onto a rough moorland track their vehicles were never built for.

The A54 Cat and Fiddle road between Macclesfield and Buxton is closed for lengthy repairs, and sat-navs are routing traffic along the Old Macc Road instead. The route is an unpaved byway with loose rocks and steep, uneven terrain. It is popular with walkers and mountain bikers, but it is not a road for ordinary vehicles, and a growing number of drivers have found that out the hard way.

Gamekeepers working on the moor have been first on the scene for many of these incidents, alongside AA and RAC recovery crews called out to the stranded.

A spokesman for the Peak District Moorland Group said: "With the A54 Cat and Fiddle to Buxton Road being shut for lengthy repairs, some drivers are slaves to their sat-navs and risking the Old Macc Road out of the Goyt Valley to Buxton. This alternative road is not suitable for this purpose!"

The group is urging anyone travelling between Macclesfield and Buxton to ignore their sat-nav and follow the signed diversion. Getting stuck on the moor risks damage to vehicles, disruption to walkers and cyclists, and wear on a fragile upland landscape.

The Cat and Fiddle is expected to remain closed until late October, with a further 12-week closure planned for spring 2027. Derbyshire County Council says the work will improve the road surface, drainage and safety, and strengthen the earth banks.

It's another example of the role gamekeepers play on the moors well beyond their day job: as the people who are out there every day, they are often the first to spot when something has gone wrong and the first to help.