Derwent Heritage Trail - Edale to Matlock (★★★★☆)
For this walk I should be clear from the off that the Derwent Heritage Trail does not start in Edale. It starts at Ladybower Reservoir, 4 or 5 miles to the east of Edale, and this start point is easily accessible via Bamford train station.
But, my reasoning for starting this walk at Edale, was that this walk could then join up with the Pennine Way - and I do my best to try and join up all the walks I do into a larger network of connecting journeys.
I would say that there were some big positives to this decision, as the first part of the journey, getting from Edale to Ladybower Reservoir, was a real highlight - and it was great to see Ladybower Reservoir from above before visiting it at ground level. This gives a proper sense of the origins of this trail in the middle of the Peak District, before continuing on with a walk towards Derby.
The negatives to the route, was some heavy climbing to start the first day and the fact that the section around the Reservoir was more rushed than I would like it to be - given how pleasant that area was.
While doing the walk, my feeling was that I probably should have started at Bamford and then come back to spend more time covering the area around the reservoir, but having finished the trip I would now say that it would be better to spend a day getting from Edale to Bamford (generally exploring rather than focusing on getting from A to B), and then spent two days doing the rest of the Derwent Heritage Trail.
Doing the trail without exploring the hills around the Reservoir would have felt a bit too boring - and a little incomplete - while an extra day would have given time to enjoy the preface to this trail in more detail.
But as it was I was getting off the train at Edale station after a reasonably long journey through northern England on a cloudy, but hopefully not rainy, day.
From Edale, I turned left out of the station, and then right onto what proved to be a very good path - running along to Nether Booth - and if you haven't been to Edale, the first impression is that the sense of hills is very strong. You are surrounded by these hills; to the front are hills, to the left are hills, to the right are hills, and to the back are hills - and these are all big, and pretty impressive hills.
In some ways it makes me slightly nervous about picking up this section of the Pennine Way, as that first day on that route is likely a monster - but you can't do the Pennine Way and then start complaining about the hills, the Pennine Way is all about the hills.
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| Some of the hills walking out from Edale |
On this track, the going is surprisingly busy - with lots of walkers carrying heavy packs going the other way. This I do wonder about, as having walked further along the Pennine Way there were not too many walkers out and about further down the trail.
That suggests that these are not all Pennine Way hikers, but there looks to be lots of walking to be done in this area so maybe they are just exploring, aided by the rather handy rail links this area offers. As it is, I didn't ask them what they were doing - and so that particular mystery will forever remain unsolved.
Instead, at Nether Booth I turn onto the road, and here my thoughts turn to the best route to reach the start of the Derwent Valley Heritage Trail.
Perhaps wrongly, I ignore the first promising looking path near Clough Farm - but I do wonder if this might be the best path, as it looks to take a fairly attractive route and gets me off the road nice and early.
Instead I head on, and - without there being too much traffic on the road - find a second good route that heads past Carr House, and then through the farmyard at Edale End, before turning left, and up onto the ridge above.
From here it is time to start climbing - and it is a very big climb up through the sheep fields. So much so that over time the hills that loomed above, slowly start to sit more and more on the same level.
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| With phase 1 of the climb done the hills are starting to get smaller |
As the climb goes on, the ascent starts to get less steep, and eventually it is time to join up with the path running along the ridge - albeit still a decent way below the peak of the ridge.
Coming off the main Roman Road - which runs from Glossop (to the North West of Edale) round to Hope Valley, is a track to the left and in hindsight I think I probably should have followed this one. On the map it isn't clear if it connects through, but it probably was the easiest route up onto the top of the ridge.
Instead I head on planning to use a later cut up, but by the time I reach this later cut up, the path is nowhere to be found in the bracken - and ruing my failure to make use of the prior track I settle for continuing along the current path - losing height all the time. Having dropped down a decent way off the right, I can finally turn back on myself, and back up the hill, on a second track heading up from Fulwood Stile Farm.
This track is probably a good route up if you are coming from Hope train station, as it does offer a fairly steady climb as it gains height - but for me I have to once again start climbing, just to regain some of my lost height.
Having regained that height, I climb some more to head on, and up to the very top of the ridge.
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| On the way back up the ridge |
Having reached the top I have a few decisions to make - I can head over and try and get down to the side of the reservoir as soon as possible - or I can continue along the ridge. But, as I reach the top, I spot some walkers out for the day, who are heading along the ridge - on a good looking path - and decide just to follow them, as they seem to know what they are doing.
The route they are going heads along Hope Brink, and then Thornhill Brink - and I think staying high is the right choice, as you get some great views over the surrounding area.
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| The surrounding hills aren't so high from this ridge |
This path is continuing to gain height all the time, and after a bit of a kick up, the first views out over Laybower Reservoir are found. You don't ever get a full view of the reservoir, as it is largely hidden behind the surrounding hills, but you get little glimpses of different sections as you head up and continue to gain height.
Eventually Win Hill Pike comes into view - and it is an unusual hill, as it is a very little mound sat upon a considerably larger ridge. As a result, climbing the actual hill at Win Hill only really takes a few seconds - and the real climb is getting to the hill.
The mount itself is the bit called Win Hill Pike - aka the Pimple - and while I couldn't find any explanation as to why it has such an odd shape, it is certainly a popular hill for walkers - and I join a bit of a crowd as I reach the hill.
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| Looking towards the reservoir |
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| Looking at the path behind |
Having cleared Win Hill Pike, the path continues on in a straight line, and starts to drop down into the woods - where I turn to the left to head through the forest, and then come out next to the reservoir.
From here I turn right, and then join the reservoir - just before the dam - and upon reaching the dam I join up with the Derwent Valley Heritage Trail for the first time.
The dam itself is pretty impressive - but with water levels not being particularly high, I am unable to watch the famous plughole in action.
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| Reaching the dam |
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| An empty plughole |
From here I will be turning my back on the reservoir - although it would be good to come back and explore it more some way - but at least the walking now gets a lot flatter, as I head south along a cycle trail. As the route passes Thornhill, there is a turn off for Bamford train station - which offers a good starting point to reach the reservoir - and is certainly more direct route to the start of the trail than my route so far.
Here the route is a little unexciting - as many of these shared walking and cycle route can be - but there are at least plenty of carved animals to keep me company and for me to hunt out along the way.
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| Mr Squirrel |
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| Mrs Boar |
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| Mrs Osprey |
Apparently this area will eventually have all these animals running around, but I don't see any as I head along, and maybe that is a good thing as the boar looks pretty vicious to me. But, having crossed the road near Bamford, what I do find is a friendly Emu.
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| A friendly emu |
Having made friends for life with this emu and its donkey companion (the donkey really just wanted some food, but the emu's friendship seemed a bit more genuine), the path continues onwards - and this time I am now following the River Derwent - rather than just being relegated to a nearby cycle trail.
This offers an enjoyable section of the trail, with a quite and pleasant walk along the river to the village of Leadmill.
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| Walking along the river (to the right as I'm looking back) |
At Leadmill, the path crosses over the river, and here it is a busy stretch with many people out and about for a walk.
Here the route is following the path of the train line, and every now and then a train heads past, but otherwise it is quiet and pleasant walk, that dips in and out of the trees as it heads in a southerly direction.
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| Heading through the trees |
After a few more enjoyable sections along the river, the path starts to close in on the pretty village of Froggatt.
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| Closing in on Froggatt |
This proves to be a very pretty village (there are no pictures as I generally avoid photoing people's homes, but they were all very beautifully presented), and here the path crosses over the river, and onwards along a backwater of the River Derwent - before being re-united with the full river at Calver.
Here the route is heading through some of the old industrial sections, and there is some evidence of this history - although much of this history is pretty ruined and hard to find.
But generally the walk starts to quieten down as the path heads on through, with the highlight being some cows I met on my way into Baslow. These were friendly cows, with one coming over to give me a bit of a lick.
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| Making new friends |
After crossing over the river at Baslow and completing a diversion off through the towns pretty streets, the path heads south once again, and enters Chatsworth Park.
This is a very welcome new arrival to this walk - and the path itself heads through the estate, with great views across to the house as I eventually start to pass by (it is quite a large park).
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| Chatsworth Park |
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| A rather fancy bridge |
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| Chatsworth House |
The house itself has been used in a number of films and TV series, including the lesser version of Pride and Prejudice (the 2005 film, rather than the superior 1995 version). That 1995 version for reference was filmed at Lyme Park, on the other side of the Peak District - which is thought to be the original inspiration for Pemberley - but we are still in the right part of the world for a 19th century tour of Derbyshire.
This house is a hugely impressive house, and clearly popular with visitors. I looked it up and a visit to the house is rather expensive - it is less to just look round the gardens - but the grounds seem to be free to roam about in, and are an excellent walk. At the end of the day, who needs to actually go in the house.
Having passed the house, it is much quieter, and here I took the chance to stop at some benches, surrounded by what I presume are rather posh sheep (and presumably this grass is the sheep equivalent of Waitrose). Once more I wonder if sheep and cows enjoy their surroundings or just want to get on with having some food.
But leaving these thoughts behind, and eventually having exited the park, the next section sees some walking through some quiet fields on the way to Rowsley.
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| Walking the fields to Rowsley |
On the final stretch into Rowsley, the path does go through a busy cow field - but although the cows are stretched across the path, they are all very well behaved, and not any trouble to walk past. At the end of the field the gate is open, but I see that the last of the cows are through and into their field, so close the gate - hoping that this was the right thing to do. Having heard me close the gate, the farmer in the distance wanders off once I round the corner and see him, so I presume this was correct behavior, but who knows.
Crossing over the river, the path continues along on the far side of the River Derwent, and this section I am less fond of - giving off the vibes of a nature reserve built as part of a housing estate on a tight budget - and I do wonder if the cycle path running along the train line would have been a nicer route through this section.
But crossing over the river into Darley Bridge - the path continues on along a quiet road that has a reasonable amount of foot traffic out for a walk - and also some horses out for a ride.
Here the path turns off, and heads along its final path, through the one properly disappointing section of the day - squeezed between some industrial areas to the right, and a heavily graffiti-ed river to the left.
But it is not far until I reach Matlock - and my finishing point for the night. It would have been an option to continue on the cycle path from Rowsley - which heads into Matlock on the far side of the River Derwent - and maybe that would be a better route into Matlock as this final section gets a bit grotty before you finally exit into Matlock.
Click the following link to see the write up for the following day - walking from Matlock on the Derwent Valley Heritage Trail to Derby.
Enjoyment Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ★ / 5 (ending not as good, but great day overall)
As a general note on the sections walked today, the first section from Edale to Bamford can be done on its own, making use of both train stations. The rest of the walk can be further split at Grindleford if doing sections by train - the final section from Grindleford to Matlock is probably the longest, but includes the lovely Chatsworth Park section.
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