Carvers Rocks, Derbyshire Starts at Ticknall Car Park 3 hours 42 minutes | 7.4miles 11.9km | Moderate ID: 0.1448 | Developed by: Phil Cheesewright | Checked by: Bob Rotheram | www.ramblersroutes.org An interesting circular walk from the pleasant village of Ticknall to Carver's Rocks, taking in Foremark Reservoir and the course of the old Ticknall Tramway - including its tunnels - together with the old limestone workings that the tramway served. © Crown Copyright 2012 500 m Scale = 1 : 27K 2000 ft Main Route Alternative Route Point of Interest Waypoint The Ramblers is Britain’s walking charity. We work to safeguard the footpaths, countryside and other places where we all go walking. We encourage people to walk for their health and wellbeing. To become a member visit www.ramblers.org.uk Starts at The Car Park, Ingleby Lane, Ticknall, Derbys, DE73 7JX (SK 353241) Getting there By car, take the A514 to Ticknall village. Turn into Ingleby Lane, which is opposite the Wheel Inn. Coming from the north you will get plenty of warning of the pub, which is on the left. From the south the junction is 50 metres after the Ticknall Village Store, which is on the right. Pass Hayes Farm Court and Rose Lane on the left, then turn left into the car park which is 100m from the junction. At the time of writing, Ticknall is served hourly every day by bus routes 60 and 61 from Derby to Swadlincote (0871 200 2233, www.traveline.info). Route instructions [1] Go to the left of the village hall and follow the path through a wooden gate then a metal gate into the churchyard. (A) Ticknall Church is first recorded in 1200. It was confirmed to the Priory of Repton in 1271. Within the churchyard are the worn remains of a probable preaching cross, said to have been moved there from an original site nearby. This may pre-date the earliest church. The remains of Ticknall’s first church, dedicated to St Thomas à Becket, stand in the churchyard. A steady rise in the population meant that the church became too small to serve the parish adequately. The existing church was built in 1842, designed by Henry Isaac Stevens of Derby. Following demolition of the body of the old church, the tower and spire were blown up with gunpowder in September 1841. A corner of the tower and the east window of the north aisle still survive today. Follow the path through the churchyard, crossing the path from the main gate to the church entrance. Leave the churchyard by a wooden door in a wall, entering the cricket field. Turn sharp right to the corner of the cricket field and cross the stile into an arable field. Turn left and follow the field boundary. At the back of the cricket pavilion cross a track and keep the field boundary on your left. Go through a metal gate into a plantation and past a pond. The path becomes a green lane. Go through another metal gate. Eventually the path dips and you get a good view to the north west towards the hills around Ashbourne with the dead cooling towers of Willington Power Station in the foreground. At the bottom of the dip is a wooden gate and a path junction. This is Hangman's Stone. [2] After passing through the gate turn left down a field boundary marked by a stone wall. Follow this to a line of willows where you follow round to the right. Shortly after the willows you will find an orchard on your left, followed by a grassy track, which may be easier to negotiate than the field, according to the state of the crop. Whichever route you use you will go past a pond on the left and emerge onto a stony track by Bendall's Farm. Turn left and walk to the road (Repton Road), passing to the right of a wide metal gate. At the road turn left and walk uphill on the verge towards the entrance to Foremark Reservoir, which you can see on the right 250 metres away, bordered by low wooden railings. (B) Foremark Reservoir is Owned by Severn Trent Water, this 230 acre reservoir is part of a system of reservoirs managing water supply to the East and West Midlands. The reservoir and surrounding nature reserve is ideal for woodland walks, bird watching, picnicking, trout fishing and horse riding. There is a children's play area and an information point. The visitor centre was opened in 1997 and the existing woodland was supplemented by 4ha of new planting. Foremark Reservoir and Carver's Rocks have a rich and varied flora and fauna. The marshy areas support locally important plants. During summer, the marshes are a good place to see reed buntings and the reservoir fringe has breeding great crested grebes. In open areas, you may hear woodcock on early summer evenings. The reservoir boasts an abundance of butterflies including dingy skipper, brown argus, Essex skipper and purple hairstreak. When you reach the railings cross over and turn right up the tarred drive into the reservoir grounds. 300m up the drive take the right turn and walk to the picnic area and enjoy the view of the reservoir. Then walk to the left along the reservoir edge past a car park (there is a children’s playground in the trees to your left ) until you reach a second picnic area and car park next to the visitor centre. Go past the visitor centre and fenced seating area to a sign saying ‘Local Walks’. [3] Fork left onto a made-up path through trees. Shortly afterwards you emerge into an open grassed area. Keep going ahead with the reservoir on your right, past a small sandy beach (no swimming is allowed!) to a fence line. At the fence go left, then immediately after, at the sign ‘Footpath to Carvers Rocks’ turn right down a stony path. Follow this undulating path, eventually going up 7 steps, along for a while and past a seat and information board (where you ignore a path to the left). Then go down 27 steps to a sign for Scaddows Oaks (which you also ignore), then down a further 22 steps. You emerge by the water. Go up 8 steps to reach a long boardwalk. Follow this to a further 5 steps down to a platform giving an excellent view of a small boggy hollow. Climb 6 steps out of the hollow to enter a sloping grassy area with a fingerpost. Ignore this and turn right up the slope and cross to a stile marked 'Nature Reserve' where you re-enter the wood. Turn left and follow an unmade woodland path. Cross a small footbridge. You will begin to see gritstone appearing in the path. Cross a larger footbridge then veer leftward up a low bank and turn left along a significant unmade path. Ignore the scramble up the bank through undergrowth to your right, this leads nowhere. After 80 metres go right over a low bank and drop down to reach Carvers Rocks. If you don’t fancy this there is an easier option 20 metres further on. (C) Carver's Rocks is managed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and is a scheduled Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its geology and plants. Access to the SSSI is restricted to the paths through the woodland. It also contains one of the last areas of heathland in lowland Derbyshire, and supports two nationally rare invertebrate species as well as nationally uncommon moths, beetles, hoverflies and sawflies. The 8–10 m high crags are part natural outcrop and part man-made as the rocks were quarried in the 19th century for the construction of local buildings (more info below). Walk along the base of the rock face to the end of the face and keep straight on through a small clearing to a path junction where you turn left. On your right you should see a weed-choked stream bed through the trees. You will emerge at a small boardwalk with a right-angled bend in it. [4] Make the right turn, ignoring a rough path straight ahead, and go up steps to a steep winding path into the woods. Follow this until you reach a fence on the left, and shortly afterwards go through a stile into a horse eventing course. You will see horse jumps to the left, right and straight ahead of you. Follow the ride straight ahead uphill and go through a stile which has a field gate beyond it on the left. Ignore this, turning right into a new plantation bounded by wide grassy tracks. Take the left hand one and go down to a stony lane, where there is a fine view to the south and information boards about Hartshorne Wood. Turn left along the lane past a large shed then past the imaginatively named Buildings Farm to reach the A514 Hartshorne to Ticknall road. Cross carefully into Coal Lane. 200 metres along, there are farm buildings on the right (Coppice House Farm) and a field entry on the left. 50 metres past this, turn left through a gap in the hedge onto a wide grass track bordered by a hedge and a plantation. Ignore a right turn, instead crossing a stile marked ‘no horses allowed beyond this point’ and proceed towards a wood where the track turns right. 75 metres on cross the stile to the left, marked by a gritstone post with ancient lettering. This is Smith's Gorse on the map.