|
|
|
|
The unusually wet winter of 2023/24 has left the ground in many parts of the Peak District very wet and muddy. As a result of this, we have been forced to temporarily revise or postpone a number of our walks. Fortunately, this walk is unaffected by these changes, and so is still available as advertised. There may be a little extra mud in the area below Black Rocks, but this is normally a little muddy in damp weather anyway, so it does not significantly affect the walk.
|
The Cromford Canal
This is an enjoyable and accessible circular walk of part of the surviving western section of the Cromford Canal and the start of the popular High Peak Trail, looking at the history of the Canal and the Cromford and High Peak Railway and the various industries they once served. This walk can also be combined with the accessible version of our popular Cromford village walk to make a full day out.
The walk begins at Cromford Wharf, which once served the huge cotton mills of Richard Arkwright where the Industrial Revolution was born. Following the canal southwards, it soon reaches High Peak Junction, junction of the Canal and the Cromford and High Peak Railway and site of one of the earliest railway workshops in the world. There, it begins the ascent up Cromford and Sheep Pasture Inclines, which now form the start of the popular High Peak Trail walking and cycling route, climbing steeply for around a mile up out of the valley to the hills above. The High Peak Trail is followed for around a mile to Black Rocks, where the walk leaves the Trail and begins the descent of Cromford Hill down into the historic mill village of Cromford, before returning to the start point at Cromford Wharf. The route of the walk features good surfacing all of the way around, combining compacted earth and fine gravel on the canal towpath and High Peak Trail with paved sections on Cromford Hill and in the village. It does however include some long and steep gradients, with the long climb up Cromford and Sheep Pasture Inclines and the descent of Cromford Hill both being a gradient of 1 in 8. For this reason it is not really suitable for unassisted wheelchairs.
When is this walk available?
This walk is available on a date of your choosing from March 1st to November 30th. Scheduled walks take place at least once each month from March to November. It may also be booked as a private booking via a Personal Walking Guide between the same dates.
Is this walk Covid-secure?
At Derbyshire Heritage Walks we follow all current government and industry guidelines, and all of our guides have been fully vaccinated. Therefore you can be confident that this walk is as Covid-secure as we can possibly make it. Details of how we do this can be found here.
Will we have the exclusive services of the guide?
All of our open and scheduled walks are open to all. If you book onto either of these types of walk, then there is a chance that there may well be other people on the walk with you. If you wish to have the exclusive services of the guide, you MUST book a Personal Walking Guide.
Cookie Policy: Like almost every other website on the Internet today, this site does use cookies. The only thing they are used for is as part of Google Analytics, so that we can tell how successful this site is at attracting visitors and which pages they look at most. If you don't want cookies on your system, then please don't view this site any further, as we can't change the underlying technology used by Google Analytics. We also suggest that you clear your cookies after leaving this site.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
