Ambergate - Whatstandwell & Whatstandwell - Cromford: Walks 5 To 8 1. Lea Green 10. Florence Nightingale Lea Green, dating back to the fifteenth century, was once a The Nightingales were an old established family in this part of Derbyshire. They built the farmhouse which has been added to and extended by subsequent woollen mill at Lea Bridge in the late eighteenth century. This was then taken over by the owners. Under John Marsden-Smedley it achieved the grand house Smedley family to consolidate their business. Established in 1784, the John Smedley factory status that can be seen today. After his death in 1960, the buildings is the oldest manufacturing factory in the world and is world renowned for its knitwear. and grounds were taken over by Derbyshire County Council to become a sports and environmental centre. The most famous member of the Nightingale family is Florence, who became a nurse and tended the wounded and dying on the battlefields of the Crimean War. Her house, Lea Hurst, can be seen in the distance on this walk. Cromford Lea Station 9. Cromford Canal 1 Weaving up the Derwent Valley, for five and a half miles of its length, the Cromford Canal passes through stunning countryside. Sponsored by local Cromford2 businessmen, including Richard Arkwright, the canal was engineered by Mills William Jessop, whose son Josias went on to engineer, amongst other Cromford projects, the Cromford and High Peak Railway, now the High Peak Trail. Wharf Cromford - Whatstandwell Whatstandwell Opened in 1794, the canal was effectively cut in two by the collapse of - Cromford Walk 8 the Butterley Tunnel near Ripley circa 1900. The top section of the Walk 7 4 Miles waterway to Cromford remained navigable into the 1940s. In 1974, 4 Miles Holloway Derbyshire County Council purchased five miles of the canal High P from Cromford to Ambergate, for a dual recreation and eak Trail conservation purpose. 2. Cromford 3 High Peak 10 8. Crich Junction The inhabitants of Crich, like those in many of the limestone Historically, Cromford is a very important village. upland villages, made a living out of taking stone from the ground. It is classed as a birthplace Lead ore, or galena, was the initial extract to be followed to the of the Industrial Revolution. present day, by limestone quarrying. Grit or millstone, Arkwright's first cotton mill is still was also quarried locally. standing and is open to the public. It is well worth a visit to find out 4 Crich Stand, a memorial to the dead of the Sherwood more about where it all began! Forester Regiment, stands at the top of the quarry first Longway started by George Stephenson. Crich Tramway Village Bank is located in part of the old quarry. 3. Intake Lane 9 Many of the villages locally have an Intake Lane. These were the roads leading to common land, especially the moors. After the Enclosures Acts of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries much of this land was taken into private ownership. These lanes Watergate Farm then led to the “Intake”, hence the name. Benthill 8 Crich Farm 4. Lead Mining Whatstandwell Station Lead has been mined from this area probably since pre-Roman times. Whatstandwell At the height of the lead boom, mines were driven deeper and so had - Ambergate to be drained. This was done by tunnels called soughs. These honey- Walk 6 comb the locality. One of the largest, the Meerbrook Sough, lies deep Home 3.5 Miles underground here. The water supplies the towns of Heanor and Farm Ilkeston several miles away. The Tors 5 Ambergate - Whatstandwell 5. Alderwasley Hall Walk 5 Alderwasley Hall and Park were owned by the Hurt family. The family 4.5 Miles fortune was built upon iron foundaries supplied by local ironstone and fuelled Crich by timber and charcoal from local woods. Families of charcoal burners lived Chase in the adjacent woodlands. One family inhabited an ancient yew tree, now 6 Cromford Canal known as the Betty Kenny tree, within Shining Cliff Woods. Here several children were raised and one branch was hollowed out to accommodate the Former latest born. This could be the origin of the nursery rhyme “Rock a bye baby, Youth 7 in the tree top…” Hostel 6. Midshires Way The walks on the west of the valley follow the Midshires Way for several miles. This 225 mile route is a long distance regional path linking the Ridgeway at Aylesbury with the Trans Pennine Trail at Stockport. 7. Crich Chase Ambergate Station Like neighbouring Shining Cliff, Crich Chase was once a hunting park, but not part of Duffield Frith. Shining Cliff The Crich Woodlands were the domain of the Zouch family from Codnor Castle, several miles to the east. Woods The Chase supports a varied wildlife with the wood consisting of mainly birch, oak, hazel and, from more recent times, a large amount of sycamore. Scale © Crown copyright and database rights 2019. Ordnance Survey 100023251. 0km 1km N station walks station 4 scenic station to station scenic 4 Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site Heritage World Mills Valley Derwent right to cross over the railway bridge to the station. the to bridge railway the over cross to right STATION This leaflet was produced by Derbyshire County Council for the the for Council County Derbyshire by produced was leaflet This two stone), pass under the road and at the next bridge turn turn bridge next the at and road the under pass stone), two AMBERGATE Tel: (01629) 533298 (01629) Tel: progress to Whatstandwell. At the third bridge (one metal, metal, (one bridge third the At Whatstandwell. to progress Middleton Top Visitor Centre, Visitor Top Middleton A610 Turn left to the towpath, keep the canal to the left and and left the to canal the keep towpath, the to left Turn FOR MORE INFORMATION MORE FOR HAPPY WALKING! HAPPY and down, over Gregory Tunnel, to the Cromford Canal. Cromford the to Tunnel, Gregory over down, and cottage, on the right. This leads across open parkland parkland open across leads This right. the on cottage, then Bracken Lane to find a footpath, just past a a past just footpath, a find to Lane Bracken then two more leaflets. more two exploring the Derwent Valley. The other eight walks are detailed in in detailed are walks eight other The Valley. Derwent the exploring bridlepath on the right. Descend into Holloway and and Holloway into Descend right. the on bridlepath STATION The four walks in this leaflet are part of a collection of 12 walks walks 12 of collection a of part are leaflet this in walks four The past the Rhododendron Gardens to eventually find a a find eventually to Gardens Rhododendron the past WHATSTANDWELL crossroads. Cross over and bear right onto Long Lane, Lane, Long onto right bear and over Cross crossroads. Valley Walks. Walks. Valley cross the road, into a small field to emerge at a a at emerge to field small a into road, the cross and horseriders. All the discs bear the legend Derwent Derwent legend the bear discs the All horseriders. and which is crossed by stepping stones, continue uphill and and uphill continue stones, stepping by crossed is which bridleway status and can be enjoyed by walkers, cyclists cyclists walkers, by enjoyed be can and status bridleway Enter the wood and carry on to the Littlemoor Brook, Brook, Littlemoor the to on carry and wood the Enter status to be used by walkers. Blue arrows indicate indicate arrows Blue walkers. by used be to status Canal Cromford bearing a coloured arrow. Yellow indicates footpath footpath indicates Yellow arrow. coloured a bearing All walks have been carefully waymarked by green discs discs green by waymarked carefully been have walks All long descent to Nether Doe Carr Wood below. Wood Carr Doe Nether to descent long visit www.derbyshire.gov.uk/buses www.derbyshire.gov.uk/buses visit take a footpath across open fields which soon begins the the begins soon which fields open across footpath a take Alternatively, for local bus times, call Traveline 0871 200 22 33 or or 33 22 200 0871 Traveline call times, bus local for Alternatively, Hearthstone Lane. Turn left here for 75 yards then right to to right then yards 75 for here left Turn Lane. Hearthstone www.nationalrail.co.uk www.nationalrail.co.uk the wood and follow the well walked path to meet meet to path walked well the follow and wood the For train times call National Rail Enquiries 03457 48 49 50 or visit visit or 50 49 48 03457 Enquiries Rail National call times train For wall alongside a farm track. Carry on uphill over a stile into into stile a over uphill on Carry track. farm a alongside wall STATION workings on the right to find a stone step over a stile in a a in stile a over step stone a find to right the on workings CROMFORD services. to a footpath on the left. This climb leads past old lead lead old past leads climb This left. the on footpath a to circular or linear walk and travel back by train or on various bus bus various on or train by back travel and walk linear or circular River Derwent River Leave the station, turn left along the road, under the bridge bridge the under road, the along left turn station, the Leave car parks at each of the stations, from where you can start your your start can you where from stations, the of each at parks car However, if you do travel to the Derwent Valley by car, there are are there car, by Valley Derwent the to travel do you if However, Derwent Valley are spectacular.