Scheduled walks usually take place several times each month between March and the end of November, while private bookings for a Personal Walking Guide can be taken at any time between those dates. Personal Walking Guide bookings can be taken for any day of the week apart from some Saturdays and some Sundays. Due to the risk of ice on the canal towpath, we are not able to offer this walk between the beginning of December and the end of February. The only other times this walk is not available is during staff holiday periods, or when we are unable to take any bookings due to other commitments such as media work.

All scheduled walks begin at 1:30pm so as to fit in with our "Cromford Double" offer. If you make a private booking for this walk, you can request an alternative start time. For weekdays and Saturdays, this may be anytime between 9:00am and 2:00pm. For Sundays and Bank Holidays, the start time may be between 10:00am and 1:00pm. This difference is due to the more limited availability of buses and trains on Sunday mornings and Bank Holidays. While we cannot guarantee being able to accept your request for a different start time, we will make all practical attempts to accommodate it.

The following prices apply for this walk:

For more information on how to book places on this walk, and on private group bookings via a Personal Walking Guide, please see here. If you have any questions about the cost of this walk, please contact us via email at enquiries@derbysheritagewalks.com.

This walk qualifies for our "Cromford Double" offer. With this offer, if you book this walk and our Cromford - Birthplace of the Industrial Revolution walk for the same day, you can save 25% on the total cost of both walks. So, instead of paying £6.00 each per person for each of the walks (a total of £12.00), you get both for £9.00 per person.

The walks are scheduled so that you do the Cromford village walk in the morning, then have an hour for lunch and a look around Cromford Mill, and then walk along the Canal to Ambergate in the afternoon. If you would like to take advantage of this offer, please contact us for more details and to check availability for your preferred date.

This walk is easily accessible by both car and public transport. However, due to the current situation regarding the use of public transport, we are recommending that you get someone from your own houshold to drive you to and from the walk, or use other environmentally-friendly forms of personal transport such as cycling. Full details of how to get to and from the walk will be included in the walk information sheet you will be sent along with your booking confirmation, but detailed information on the various transport options is also available on our travel information page, which we try to keep as up to date as possible.

As this walk uses the canal towpath for its entire length, you won't need full walking gear. However, there are a few places where the going underfoot could be a bit rough and possibly muddy, so stout waterproof shoes are advisable. There is also very little shelter in some places, so be sure to bring waterproofs if rain has been forecast.

Given the distance and time involved, and the lack of facilities along the way, it is also strongly recommended that you bring something to drink with you. At the bare minimum, bring a 500ml bottle of water per person, and think seriously about doubling this if the weather is very warm. If you forget to bring anything with you, bottled water can be purchased prior to starting the walk from the Arkwright Society's cafes at Cromford Wharf and Cromford Mill.

It is also an idea to bring a small torch with you, as although it is only short, Gregory's Tunnel on the canal is surprisingly dark inside. As a result, it can be quite easy to trip on the towpath - or step in a little present left behind by a passing dog - as you walk through the tunnel.

While the coronavirus crisis is still ongoing, we also ask that you bring your own facemask or similar face covering, plus your own hand sanitiser. While we endevour to maintain proper social distancing at all times on the walks, there are some occasions where it is necessary to use narrow paths, such as the canal towpath. As it would be impossible in most cases to maintain proper social distancing if we were to encounter someone coming the other way along the path, the recommended advice in such a situation is to use a mask or other face covering while passing the other person. As we are not able to supply them for you, due to the high costs currently involved in obtaining supplies, it is your responsibility to provide your own, and failure to do so may result in cancellation of the walk.

The first part of the Canal, from Cromford Wharf to Leawood Pumphouse, is suitable for wheelchairs, with easy access onto the canal towpath at Cromford Wharf, and also off the towpath at High Peak Junction. Beyond Leawood Pumphouse, wheelchair access is more problematical due to the surface condition of the towpath, and also its width in places. This means that Derbyshire County Council have assessed it as being unsuitable for wheelchairs. For this reason, we are unable to accept bookings for wheelchair users on this walk.

As for other accessibility issues, the canal towpath is level, but constructed of packed earth and gravel, and so the surface can be a bit loose and uneven in places. Beyond Leawood Pumphouse, it is also quite narrow, which can lead to issues when meeting some of the many cyclists who use the towpath and result in walkers having to step off the towpath into the long vegetation to the side. There is also the need to cross a fairly narrow wooden bridge over the canal. As these factors may cause issues for some people of more restricted mobility, it is something you need to be aware of when considering if this walk is suitable for you.

If you have any concerns about accessibilty, please contact us before booking.

Given the narrow towpath, the sensitive nature of the natural environment and the large number of cyclists also using the canal towpath, we strongly recommend that you do not bring your dog with you. This is also a view shared by Derbyshire County Council, as they have had many issues with incidents where free-running dogs have disturbed the protected species found along the canal, and have an on-going campaign to educate owners using the canal as a walking route for their dogs.

If you feel that you must bring your dog with you, we do ask that you inform us at the time of booking. We also ask that, due to the large number of people and cyclists likely to be encountered, the possibility of meeting other dogs, and the need to avoid disturbing the rare and protected wildlife species along the canal, 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.

Scheduled Walks

Ordinarily, we use PayPal buttons to handle booking and payment for all of our walks. However, due to the current situation, we have suspended that system, and so now if you wish to book a walk, you need to e-mail us with the details of the walk and date that you wish to book. We will then send you a PayPal invoice, which you can pay either using a PayPal account or, if you don't have access to one of those, you can pay using any debit or credit card. Other payment options are available on request - Please e-mail us for details if required.

The cost of this walk is £6.00 per person, including a £2.00 per person non-refundable deposit.

We also have discounted family tickets available for this walk - please e-mail us for details. All family tickets include a 25% non-refundable deposit.

--> Private Bookings

Private upgrades of scheduled walks are not currently available.

Personal Walking Guides

You can make a private booking for this walk on dates other than those on which it is normally scheduled by booking a Personal Walking Guide. This allows you to do the walk when you want to, not when we have it scheduled. We have Personal Walking Gudes available most days, except for those listed as either "unavailable" or "unavailable for private bookings" on the calendar here. Please see the table below for the days of the week on which we are able to offer Personal Walking Guide bookings for this walk.

Please ensure before booking that you have read and agree to our terms and conditions.