Use the handrail if conditions are slippery underfoot. slippery are conditions if handrail the Use crannies before heading back to Black Rocks. Black to back heading before crannies Methodist Chapel on your right. right. your on Chapel Methodist where they were abandoned. were they where exploring the old town, with its fascinating nooks and and nooks fascinating its with town, old the exploring taking the obvious route passing the former Bolehill Bolehill former the passing route obvious the taking one or two can still be found on the quarry floor floor quarry the on found be still can two or one down until a wider lane is met. Keep on downhill, downhill, on Keep met. is lane wider a until down market place straight ahead of you. Spend some time time some Spend you. of ahead straight place market quarried here was used to make millstones. In fact, fact, In millstones. make to used was here quarried right of a short row of terraced houses, continuing continuing houses, terraced of row short a of right The town centre is now very close, with the old old the with close, very now is centre town The an old quarry, now overgrown with trees. Stone Stone trees. with overgrown now quarry, old an and follow the path steeply downhill, passing to the the to passing downhill, steeply path the follow and Here you will see see will you Here right. your to fence the over look to you through a gap in a wall. Descend a few steps, steps, few a Descend wall. a in gap a through you Valley Railway Station.) Station.) Railway Valley Go up the steps, and through a gate, taking your time time your taking gate, a through and steps, the up Go directing you to Bolehill and Wirksworth will point point will Wirksworth and Bolehill to you directing (Turn left if you want to visit the Ecclesbourne Ecclesbourne the visit to want you if left (Turn 7 right down the hill for about 80 yards. A finger post post finger A yards. 80 about for hill the down right steps and, very carefully, cross the road. Then turn turn Then road. the cross carefully, very and, steps will find a wide set of steps cut into the hillside. the into cut steps of set wide a find will pedestal in the middle of the road. road. the of middle the in pedestal Go through the wicket gate at the bottom of the the of bottom the at gate wicket the through Go the path forks, follow the well-worn path, and you you and path, well-worn the follow forks, path the at Newton's Monument - the unusual lamp on the the on lamp unusual the - Monument Newton's at it curves round to the left to become a path. Where Where path. a become to left the to round curves it Light Cinema and the Royal Oak Pub and turn right turn and Pub Oak Royal the and Cinema Light bottom, become slippery in wet weather. weather. wet in slippery become bottom, track. As it enters the Forestry Commission woodland, woodland, Commission Forestry the enters it As track. North End. Head past the cemetery, the Northern Northern the cemetery, the past Head End. North Take care! This stretch, and the steps near the the near steps the and stretch, This care! Take 4 Carry on up the remains of an old old an of remains the up on Carry drops.) sheer the of road. Take a sharp left turn here, and walk down down walk and here, turn left sharp a Take road. rewarded by magnificent views, but please be careful careful be please but views, magnificent by rewarded you past Wirksworth Infant School and onto the main main the onto and School Infant Wirksworth past you Bolehill Road. Road. Bolehill feeling energetic, a diversion to the top of the rocks is is rocks the of top the to diversion a energetic, feeling A short walk over the bridge and up the lane will take take will lane the up and bridge the over walk short A down the hill, following the waymarker posts, to to posts, waymarker the following hill, the down a venue for climbers since the late 1800's. (If you are are you (If 1800's. late the since climbers for venue a wn o T orth w s Wirk Into old town of Wirksworth before heading straight straight heading before Wirksworth of town old rocks are a natural outcrop of gritstone, and have been been have and gritstone, of outcrop natural a are rocks stop and take in another magnificent view over the the over view magnificent another in take and stop The The left. your to Rocks Black impressive the keeping Railway. Valley field to another stile. As you cross the next field, field, next the cross you As stile. another to field Keep to the right and head straight on uphill, uphill, on straight head and right the to Keep 2 the path which goes diagonally left across a small small a across left diagonally goes which path the sidings of Wirksworth Station on the Ecclesbourne Ecclesbourne the on Station Wirksworth of sidings the woodland by climbing over a stile, and follow follow and stile, a over climbing by woodland the Look to your left and you will see the bustling bustling the see will you and left your to Look 6 Moor. soon begins the long descent into Wirksworth. Leave Leave Wirksworth. into descent long the begins soon curves up the hillside to the right signed Cromford Cromford signed right the to hillside the up curves path through the gate and along the edge, which which edge, the along and gate the through path line. line. High Peak Trail. Take the track in front of you that that you of front in track the Take Trail. Peak High From the trig point, continue along the well-defined well-defined the along continue point, trig the From the bottom of a lane and a bridge over an old railway railway old an over bridge a and lane a of bottom the far end of the car park, and cross straight over the the over straight cross and park, car the of end far and through a couple of gates. Soon you will reach reach will you Soon gates. of couple a through and Go through the gate at the the at gate the through Go times. peak during open is the distance. the now well defined and well surfaced, across the fields fields the across surfaced, well and defined well now There are toilet facilities here, and a café which which café a and here, facilities toilet are There Rocks. walk through later, you can see Carsington Water in in Water Carsington see can you later, through walk it finally emerges into fields. Follow the path, which is is which path, the Follow fields. into emerges finally it Looking out over Middle Peak Quarry, which you will will you which Quarry, Peak Middle over out Looking The walk starts from the top car park at Black Black at park car top the from starts walk The 1 past some converted farm buildings on the right until until right the on buildings farm converted some past 3 The views from the trig point are excellent. excellent. are point trig the from views The Continue to follow the path as it curves to the left left the to curves it as path the follow to Continue ea. Allow 2 to 3 hours. 3 to 2 Allow ea. ar ounding surr the and tarmac to gravel and soon becomes a fenced path. path. fenced a becomes soon and gravel to tarmac at the summit of Barrel Edge. Edge. Barrel of summit the at ound Wirksworth Wirksworth ound ar walks follow to easy and Bolehill Institute. Follow this track as it turns from from turns it as track this Follow Institute. Bolehill heads upwards, eventually leading to the trig point point trig the to leading eventually upwards, heads down the track opposite taking you past the red brick brick red the past you taking opposite track the down This walk is one of a series of waymarked waymarked of series a of one is walk This the fence line leading off to the right. The path path The right. the to off leading line fence the At the crossroad junction, cross the road and go go and road the cross junction, crossroad the At 5 At the top of the steps, take the path that follows follows that path the take steps, the of top the At orth w s Wirk Middle Peak Quarry, Ecclesbourne Valley Railway at Wirksworth Wirksworth at Railway Valley Ecclesbourne Quarry, Peak Middle From left: view from Black Rocks across Cromford, Cromford, across Rocks Black from view left: From s to to s ock R ck Bla orth w s Wirk ound Ar 3 s alk W cuit Cir Follow the Countryside Code Walking Around Wirksworth Circuit Walks Respect, Protect, Enjoy! With a fascinating history, and a maze of back 3 Respect other people: streets to explore, Wirksworth is a thriving, vibrant • consider the local and welcoming place to live and visit. There are Around Wirksworth community and other plenty of cafés, coffee shops and pubs to help people enjoying the revive the weary walker. Black Rocks - Wirksworth - outdoors • leave gates and property The paths on this route may be Black Rocks as you find them and follow rough and muddy at times, so 5 miles paths, unless wider access is available be prepared and wear appropriate Protect the natural environment: footwear.