Derbyshire Heritage Walks

Belper At War

Distance: 3.5 miles
Price: £3.00 per person
(Group & family rates available)


A Cromwell Tank A Cromwell Tank A Cromwell Tank A Cromwell Tank A Cromwell Tank A Cromwell Tank
A Cromwell Tank

Derbyshire Heritage Walks joins in with the Belper 250 celebrations with a new walk created specially for the occasion.

People tend not to associate Belper with military history, so it usually comes as a surprise just how much the town actually has. This three-hour walk around the town tells the story of Belper's military history, from the 1700s and the steps taken by the Strutts to protect the mills, to the 20th Century and one of the biggest secrets of the Second World War. How did Belper's mills help in the fight against Napoleon? How did an award of the Victoria Cross in the First World War lead to one of Belper's best-known urban myths? How did work done in Belper turn an unreliable tank from a failure into one of the best tanks of the Second World War? How did a Belper company help save thousands of tons of Allied shipping from the U-Boats, even though the town is over 50 miles from the sea? How did "The Red Box" save Belper from being bombed by the Luftwaffe? How did the Second World War lead to the creation of one of Belper's best-loved local businesses? These are all just some of the questions answered on this walk.


Duration (approx):
3 hours.
Start point:
The Triangle (junction of A6 Bridge Street and A517 Bridgefoot),
Belper,
Derbyshire.
Start time:
10:00am.
2:00pm (Not available certain Saturdays).
End point:
The Triangle (junction of A6 Bridge Street and A517 Bridgefoot),
Belper,
Derbyshire.
Dates available:
Scheduled walks available on the following dates:
April 12th.
July 19th.
September 13th.
(Online pre-booking is essential for these walks.)

Private group bookings are also available on a date of your choosing via a Personal Walking Guide (subject to availability).




When is this walk available?

Scheduled walks are available on the dates listed above, with a choice of start times at either 10:00am or 2:00pm. If you wish to have the exclusive services of one of our guides, it is also available year-round as a private booking on a date of your choice via a Personal Walking Guide. For Personal Walking Guide bookings, we are usually able to offer a range of different start times from 9:00am to early evening on most days (mornings only on certain days).

All Personal Walking Guide bookings are subject to the availability of a suitable guide - Please see our online calendar or e-mail us for availability of your chosen date and time.



Will we have the exclusive services of the guide?

All of our scheduled walks are open to all. If you book onto a scheduled 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.

Prices.

The following prices apply for this walk:

Ticket
Price
Deposit
(Included in overall price)
Adult or Child (aged 16 and over)
£3.00 per person
£1.00 per person
1 Adult and up to 4 children (aged 15 and below)
£5.00 per group
£1.50 per group
2 Adults and up to 4 children (aged 15 and below)
£8.00 per group
£2.00 per group
Personal Walking Guide
(Group of up to 4)
£20.00 per group
£5.00 per group
Personal Walking Guide
(Group of 5 to 10)
£40.00 per group
£10.00 per group
Personal Walking Guide
(Group of 11 or more)
£60.00 per group
£15.00 per group

Travel to and from the walk.

This walk is easily accessible by both car and public transport. If you do need to use public transport, the latest information on buses and trains to and from this walk can be found on our travel information page.

If arriving by car, there is limited "pay-and-display" parking available close to The Triangle at Belper River Gardens. A much larger "pay-and-display" car park is available off Field Lane, next to Belper Railway Station. If using a sat-nav, the postcode for the Triangle and River Gardens is DE56 1BJ, and for Field Lane car park it is DE56 1DE.


Are there any disabled access issues?

Not really, as most of the walk is along public roads and paved footpaths. There are some reasonably steep hills and rough road surfaces, including a section of stone cobbled road (approximately 250 metres in length). As a result, it is all fully accessible to the great majority of wheelchair or mobility scooter users and others with more limited mobility.

If you, or a person you are booking for, are a person of reduced mobility, please either contact us before booking or let us know when you book, so that we can make any necessary adjustments and send you any additional information you may need regarding access arrangements.


Is this walk suitable for dogs?

As an urban walk, there is a lot going on in the area which your dog may find distracting. However, there is nothing to stop you bringing your dog if you think it can be well enough behaved. If you would like to bring your dog with you, we do ask that you inform us at the time of booking. We also ask that, due to the traffic and large number of people likely to be encountered, and the possibility of meeting other dogs, you keep your dog under close control on a short non-extendible lead at all times and do not allow it to run free under any circumstances.

Booking

You can book places on any of our scheduled walks via the PayPal button below. Other payment options are available on request - Please e-mail us for details if required.

If you wish to make a Personal Walking Guide booking for this walk, please see our Personal Walking Guide booking page here.

Bookings for scheduled walks can be made at any time up to 48 hours before the intended date of your walk, or up to 72 hours beforehand for Personal Walking Guides. We regret that we cannot accept bookings made less than 48 hours prior to the planned start time of the walk (72 hours for Personal Walking Guide bookings).

Please ensure before booking that the date you require is not listed below and on our online calendar as unavailable or fully booked, and that you have read and agree to our terms and conditions.


Latest Booking News

  • Bookings are open for scheduled walks on all dates listed above, and close at 10:00am two days prior to the date of the walk.
  • We are now accepting Personal Walking Guide bookings for this walk on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, most Saturdays from January 3rd to December 20th 2026. Please see our online calendar for full details of guide availability.

Book A Scheduled Walk

Please select the number of places you would like to book and enter the date required.

Other payment options are available on request - Please e-mail us for details if required.

By placing a booking with us, you are accepting and agreeing to our terms and conditions.

Number of places
Date
Start time
PayPal Logo

Book A Personal Walking Guide

To book a Personal Walking Guide for this walk, please go to our Personal Walking Guide page.

PDEQM logo
BPD logo
IPD logo

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E-mail: enquiries@derbysheritagewalks.com

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Belper At War
Distance: 3.5 miles Duration: 3 hours Price: £3.00 per person
(Family and group rates available)


Derbyshire Heritage Walks joins in with the Belper 250 celebrations with a new walk created specially for the occasion.

People tend not to associate Belper with military history, so it usually comes as a surprise just how much the town actually has. This three-hour walk around the town tells the story of Belper's military history, from the 1700s and the steps taken by the Strutts to protect the mills, to the 20th Century and one of the biggest secrets of the Second World War. On this walk, we discover the answers to the following questions and more:

  • How did Belper's mills help in the fight against Napoleon?
  • How did an award of the Victoria Cross in the First World War lead to one of Belper's best-known urban myths?
  • How did work done in Belper turn an unreliable tank from a failure into one of the best tanks of the Second World War?
  • How did a Belper company help save thousands of tons of Allied shipping from the U-Boats, even though the town is over 50 miles from the sea?
  • How did "The Red Box" save Belper from being bombed by the Luftwaffe?
  • How did the Second World War lead to the creation of one of Belper's best-loved local businesses?

Distance: 3.5 miles.
Duration (approx): 3 hours.
Start point: The Triangle (junction of A6 Bridge Street and A517 Bridgefoot),
Belper,
Derbyshire.
Start time: 10:00am.
2:00pm (Not available certain Saturdays).
End point: The Triangle (junction of A6 Bridge Street and A517 Bridgefoot),
Belper,
Derbyshire.
Dates available: Scheduled walks available on the following dates:
April 12th.
July 19th.
September 13th.
(Online pre-booking is essential for these walks.)

Private group bookings are also available on a date of your choosing via a Personal Walking Guide (subject to availability).




When is this walk available?

Scheduled walks are available on the dates listed above, with a choice of start times at either 10:00am or 2:00pm.

If you wish to have the exclusive services of one of our guides, it is also available year-round as a private booking on a date of your choice via a Personal Walking Guide. For Personal Walking Guide bookings, we are usually able to offer a range of different start times from 9:00am to early evening on most days. The only limits on the available start times are that we do not recommend a start time later than 3:00pm except for the period from the beginning of May to the end of September, when we can accept start times up to 6:00pm. And there are certain Saturdays where we can only offer a morning walk.

All Personal Walking Guide bookings are subject to the availability of a suitable guide - Please see our online calendar or e-mail us for availability of your chosen date.



Prices.

The following prices apply for this walk:

Ticket Price Deposit
(Included in overall price)
Adult or Child (aged 16 and over) £3.00 per person £1.00 per person
1 Adult and up to 4 children (aged 15 or below) £5.00 per group £1.50 per group
2 Adults and up to 4 children (aged 15 or below) £8.00 per group £2.00 per group
Personal Walking Guide
(Group of up to 4)
£20.00 per group £5.00 per group
Personal Walking Guide
(Group of 5 to 10)
£40.00 per group £10.00 per group
Personal Walking Guide
(Group of 11 or more)
£60.00 per group £15.00 per group


Travel to and from the walk.

This walk is easily accessible by both car and public transport. If you do need to use public transport, the latest information on buses and trains to and from this walk can be found on our travel information page.

If arriving by car, there is limited "pay-and-display" parking available close to The Triangle at Belper River Gardens. A much larger "pay-and-display" car park is available off Field Lane, next to Belper Railway Station. If using a sat-nav, the postcode for the Triangle and River Gardens is DE56 1BJ, and for Field Lane car park it is DE56 1DE.



Is there anything special I need to bring?

As this is essentially a short urban walk, you won't need full walking gear. However, there are a few places where the going underfoot is a bit rough and possibly muddy, so stout waterproof shoes are advisable. There is also very little shelter on much of the walk, so be sure to bring either waterproofs or an umbrella if rain has been forecast. In warm weather, you may also want to bring a small bottle of water, plus a hat and some sun cream.



Are there any disabled access issues?

Not really, as most of the walk is along public roads and paved footpaths. There are some reasonably steep hills and rough road surfaces, including a section of stone cobbled road (approximately 250 metres in length). As a result, it is all fully accessible to the great majority of wheelchair or mobility scooter users and others with more limited mobility.

If you, or a person you are booking for, are a person of reduced mobility, please either contact us before booking or let us know when you book, so that we can make any necessary adjustments and send you any additional information you may need regarding access arrangements.



Is this walk suitable for dogs?

As an urban walk, there is a lot going on in the area which your dog may find distracting. However, there is nothing to stop you bringing your dog if you think it can be well enough behaved. If you would like to bring your dog with you, we do ask that you inform us at the time of booking. We also ask that, due to the traffic and large number of people likely to be encountered, and the possibility of meeting other dogs, you keep your dog under close control on a short non-extendible lead at all times and do not allow it to run free under any circumstances.



Booking

You can book places on any of our scheduled walks via the PayPal button below. Other payment options are available on request - Please e-mail us for details if required.

If you wish to make a Personal Walking Guide booking for this walk, please see our Personal Walking Guide booking page here.

Bookings for scheduled walks can be made at any time up to 48 hours before the intended date of your walk, or up to 72 hours beforehand for Personal Walking Guides. We regret that we cannot accept bookings made less than 48 hours prior to the planned start time of the walk (72 hours for Personal Walking Guide bookings).

Please ensure before booking that the date you require is not listed below and on our online calendar as unavailable or fully booked, and that you have read and agree to our terms and conditions.

Personal Walking Guide Availability - Belper At War
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Bank Holidays
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Most** Most* Most*
* = Please contact us for details of availability
** = Mornings only on certain dates


Book a place on this walk

Latest booking news

  • Bookings are open for scheduled walks on all dates listed above, and close at 10:00am two days prior to the date of the walk.
  • We are now accepting Personal Walking Guide bookings for this walk for Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, most Saturdays and some Sundays from January 3rd to December 20th 2026. Please see our online calendar for full details of guide availability.


Important: Before booking, please make sure that the date you wish to book is not listed as already being fully booked in the "Latest booking news" section above.

Please select the number of places you would like to book and enter the date required.

Other payment options are available on request - Please e-mail us for details if required.

By placing a booking with us, you are accepting and agreeing to our terms and conditions.

If you encounter any problems with your booking, or have any questions about this walk, please e-mail us.

Number of places
Date
Start time
PayPal Logo



PDEQM logo



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.