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The Cromford Canal And High Peak Trail

Distance: 4 miles
Price: £6.00 per person
(Group & family rates available)


Cromford Canal Cromford Canal Cromford Canal Cromford Canal Cromford Canal Cromford Canal
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.


Duration (approx):
2 to 2.5 hours.
Start point:
Cromford Canal Wharf,
Off Mill Road (Mill Lane),
Cromford,
Derbyshire.
Start time:
1:30pm
End point:
Cromford Canal Wharf,
Off Mill Road (Mill Lane),
Cromford,
Derbyshire.
Dates available:
Scheduled walks available on the following dates:
June 2nd, 5th, 7th, 16th, 19th, 22nd, 26th, 30th.
July 3rd, 14th, 17th, 20th, 24th, 26th, 31st.
August 7th, 9th, 17th, 21st, 23rd, 28th, 31st.
September 4th, 8th, 13th, 18th, 21st, 25th, 29th.
October 2nd, 5th, 13th, 16th, 19th, 23rd, 27th, 30th.
November 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 8th, 10th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 20th, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 27th, 29th, 30th.
(Online pre-booking is essential for these walks.)

Private group bookings are also available on a date of your choosing between March 1st and November 30th (subject to availability)




When is this walk available?

Scheduled walks are available at least once each month from March 1st to November 30th. It may also be booked as a private booking via a Personal Walking Guide between the same dates. For private bookings, we are usually able to offer a choice of start time from 9:00am to 3:00pm.

All 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.


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 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
(Up to 8 people in group)
£6.00 per person
£2.00 per person
Personal Walking Guide
(Group of up to 4)
£40.00 per group
£10.00 per group
Personal Walking Guide
(Group of 5 to 8)
£60.00 per group
£15.00 per group

Reduced rates for under-16s, plus discounted family tickets also available, giving cheaper prices for groups including children aged 15 and under. Please e-mail us for details and to book.

Due to restricted space on the canal towpath, we cannot accept bookings for groups of more than 8 people.


Travel to and from the walk.

This walk is easily accessible by both car and public transport, with regular buses and trains from Derby and elsewhere serving Cromford. 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 travelling by train, the railway station is about half a mile from the start of the walk. Although there is a wide pavement from the station to the bridge over the river, the pavement over the bridge is too narrow for a wheelchair or scooter, and so it will be necessary to use the road in order to cross the bridge. As the bridge is located in the middle of an S-bend, this is not ideal, and we suggest that you only attempt this if you have others with you who can warn oncoming traffic that you are in the road.

Most buses stop either in the village or on the A6, around five minutes walk from the start of the walk. The pavements between the bus stops and the start of the walk are good, and there are light-controlled pedestrian crossings over Cromford Hill and the A6. There is no controlled crossing over Mill Road/Mill Lane, although this is a reasonably quiet road with good visibility so crossing should not be an issue if you cross by the Canal Wharf.

If travelling by car, there is "pay-and-display" car parking available on Cromford Wharf itself, on the adjacent Cromford Meadows, and also across the road at Cromford Mill. The postcode for sat-navs to reach Cromford Wharf is DE4 3RQ, and the Wharf is directly opposite Cromford Mill and St Mary's Church, just south of the bridge over the river.


Are there any disabled access issues?

This walk is specifically designed to be as accessible as possible to persons of reduced mobility, especially users of wheelchairs and mobility scooters. The surfacing all around the route is good, combining packed earth and fine gravel with tarmac and other paved surfaces. There are no stiles or significant steps, and all road crossings feature dropped curbs. However, the route does include a mile-long ascent up a 1 in 8 incline, and a slightly shorter descent down a similar 1 in 8 gradient from Black Rocks to the village of Cromford. For this reason, it is not really suitable for unassisted wheelchairs or less-powerful electric scooters, so we have graded its accessibility as "For Many" using the Miles Without Stiles grading system. Due to the possibly high battery drain during the long climb up Cromford and Sheep Pasture Inclines, we do not recommend attempting this route on a mobility scooter with a range of less than 8 miles (ideally more), and always recommend making sure that your battery is fully charged before starting.

If you would like to do this walk, but do not have your own mobility scooter, or think that the one you have may not be up to the challenge, then you can hire a "Tramper" all-terrain mobility scooter from Cromford Mill. It can be booked by calling the Mill on 01629 343050, and more information on hiring it can be found online here.


Is this walk suitable for dogs?

This walk is suitable for dogs. However, due to the closeness of the water, the presence of wild water fowl and the large number of cyclists using the route, we strongly recommend that you keep your dog on a short lead and under close control at all times. We also ask that, in order to avoid disturbing the wild water fowl, you do not allow your dog to go into the water at any time.

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

  • Due to all guides being fully employed on other walks on those dates, we are unable to accept any bookings for October 5th, 7th, 8th, 12th, 13th, 15th, 19th, 24th and 25th, or November 7th, 9th and 30th. Please see our online calendar for full details of guide availability.
  • Bookings are open for all other scheduled dates listed, and close at 1:00pm 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 and some Sundays from the beginning of March to the end of November 2024.
  • We are also accepting advance enquiries for March to November 2025.

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 required
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Book A Personal Walking Guide

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

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The Cromford Canal And High Peak Trail
Distance: 4 miles Duration: 2 to 2.5 hours Price: £6.00 per person
(Group and family rates available)


Cromford Canal
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 Cromford village walk to make a full day out.

Beginning at Cromford Wharf, which once served the cotton mills of Richard Arkwright where the Industrial Revolution was born, it follows the canal to High Peak Junction, where it once met the famous Cromford and High Peak Railway. 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.

Distance: 4 miles.
Duration (approx): 2 to 2.5 hours.
Start point: Cromford Canal Wharf,
Off Mill Road (Mill Lane),
Cromford,
Derbyshire.
Start time: 1:30pm
End point: Cromford Canal Wharf,
Off Mill Road (Mill Lane),
Cromford,
Derbyshire.
Dates available: Scheduled walks available on the following dates:
June 2nd, 5th, 7th, 16th, 19th, 22nd, 26th, 30th.
July 3rd, 14th, 17th, 20th, 24th, 26th, 31st.
August 7th, 9th, 17th, 21st, 23rd, 28th, 31st.
September 4th, 8th, 13th, 18th, 21st, 25th, 29th.
October 2nd, 5th, 13th, 16th, 19th, 23rd, 27th, 30th.
November 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 8th, 10th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 20th, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 27th, 29th, 30th.
(Online pre-booking is essential for these walks.)

Private group bookings are also available on a date of your choosing between March 1st and November 30th (subject to availability)




When is this walk available?

Scheduled walks are available at least once each month from March 1st to November 30th. It may also be booked as a private booking via a Personal Walking Guide between the same dates. Due to the risk of ice on the canal towpath and hills, we are not able to offer this walk between the beginning of December and the end of February.

If you make a private booking for this walk, you can request an alternative start time between 9:00am and 3:00pm. We will usually be able to accommodate this, except for certain Saturdays when we can only offer a morning walk starting between 9:00am and 10:00am, or certain other days when we only have availability in the morning or afternoon.

All 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.



Prices.

The following prices apply for this walk:

Ticket Price Deposit
(Included in overall price)
Adult or Child aged 16 and over
(Up to 8 people in group)
£6.00 per person £2.00 per person
Personal Walking Guide
(Group of up to 4)
£40.00 per group £10.00 per group
Personal Walking Guide
(Group of 5 to 8)
£60.00 per group £15.00 per group
Reduced rates for under-16s, plus discounted family tickets also available, giving cheaper prices for groups including children aged 15 and under. Please e-mail us for details and to book.

Due to restricted space on the canal towpath, we cannot accept bookings for groups of more than 8 people.



Travel to and from the walk.

This walk is easily accessible by both car and public transport, with regular buses and trains from Derby and elsewhere serving Cromford. 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 travelling by train, the railway station is about half a mile from the start of the walk. Although there is a wide pavement from the station to the bridge over the river, the pavement over the bridge is too narrow for a wheelchair or scooter, and so it will be necessary to use the road in order to cross the bridge. As the bridge is located in the middle of an S-bend, this is not ideal, and we suggest that you only attempt this if you have others with you who can warn oncoming traffic that you are in the road.

Most buses stop either in the village or on the A6, around five minutes walk from the start of the walk. The pavements between the bus stops and the start of the walk are good, and there are light-controlled pedestrian crossings over Cromford Hill and the A6. There is no controlled crossing over Mill Road/Mill Lane, although this is a reasonably quiet road with good visibility so crossing should not be an issue if you cross by the Canal Wharf.

If travelling by car, there is "pay-and-display" car parking available on Cromford Wharf itself, on the adjacent Cromford Meadows, and also across the road at Cromford Mill. The postcode for sat-navs to reach Cromford Wharf is DE4 3RQ, and the Wharf is directly opposite Cromford Mill and St Mary's Church, just south of the bridge over the river.



Is there anything special I need to bring?

If you are on foot, then we recommend sensible stout footwear such as walking boots or trainer-style walking shoes. In dry weather, it is possible to do this walk in trainers. However, we do not recommend that you try it in sandals, flip-flops or any other similar footwear.

If you are in a self-propelled wheelchair, then you will almost certainly need someone to help you up the long incline from High Peak Junction to Black Rocks. With a gradient of up to 1 in 8 and a length of almost one mile, this climb can be a challenge for even the fittest wheelchair user.

We also recommend that you bring a small bottle of water as, whether on foot or on wheels, the long climb up from High Peak junction to Black Rocks can be very thirsty work in warm weather.



Are there any disabled access issues?

This walk is specifically designed to be as accessible as possible to persons of reduced mobility, especially users of wheelchairs and mobility scooters. The surfacing all around the route is good, combining packed earth and fine gravel with tarmac and other paved surfaces. There are no stiles or significant steps, and all road crossings feature dropped curbs. However, the route does include a mile-long ascent up a 1 in 8 incline, and a slightly shorter descent down a similar 1 in 8 gradient from Black Rocks to the village of Cromford. For this reason, it is not really suitable for unassisted wheelchairs or less-powerful electric scooters, so we have graded its accessibility as "For Many" using the Miles Without Stiles grading system. Due to the possibly high battery drain during the long climb up Cromford and Sheep Pasture Inclines, we do not recommend attempting this route on a mobility scooter with a range of less than 8 miles (ideally more), and always recommend making sure that your battery is fully charged before starting.

If you would like to do this walk, but do not have your own mobility scooter, or think that the one you have may not be up to the challenge, then you can hire a "Tramper" all-terrain mobility scooter from Cromford Mill. It can be booked by calling the Mill on 01629 343050, and more information on hiring it can be found online here.



Is this walk suitable for dogs?

This walk is suitable for dogs. However, due to the closeness of the water, the presence of wild water fowl and the large number of cyclists using the route, we strongly recommend that you keep your dog on a short lead and under close control at all times. We also ask that, in order to avoid disturbing the wild water fowl, you do not allow your dog to go into the water at any time.



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 - The Cromford Canal And High Peak Trail
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Bank Holidays
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Most* Most* Most*
* = Please contact us for details of availability


Book a place on this walk

Latest booking news

  • Due to all guides being fully employed on other walks on those dates, we are unable to accept any bookings for October 5th, 7th, 8th, 12th, 13th, 15th, 19th, 24th and 25th, or November 7th, 9th and 30th. Please see our online calendar for full details of guide availability.
  • Bookings are open for all other scheduled dates listed, and close at 1:00pm 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 and some Sundays from the beginning of March to the end of November 2024.
  • We are also accepting advance enquiries for March to November 2025.


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 required
PayPal Logo



GuideAdvisor



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.