Stunning views from High Tor. Here the sadly abandoned Riber Castle

Across the other side of the valley is the Heights of Abraham reachable by cable car in summer

Matlock Bath - motorcyclists love and were already rolling in at 8am

Lots of quirky shops - some in former banks, churches(!). .

An aquarium and - more quirkiness - a hologram museum

The river here hosts canoe slaloms and winter illuminations

...Mining Museum. Not for me - I'm fine with heights but not underground!

Masson Mills. A shopping centre here helped fund the heritage but didn't survive the pandemic

Way too many people and not enough loos!

Canada goslings are incredibly sweet. It's the wildfowl hooligans they grow into that's not so good

Obviously there are stegosaurus round here

This is the wharf where goods were transferred from the canal onto the High Peak rail wagons

Leawood Pumphouse to pump water up from the River Derwent to the canal - still operating on open day

The aqueduct to carry the canal over the River Derwent

Aqueduct Cottage - lovingly restored by volunteers and open as a museum

The Nightingale Arm of the museum. Florence's family had a sawmill here

Even the invasive and feral rhodendrons can be very pretty

Day 4 part 1

Yesterday in England ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

I thought about having a slower start today with no "not 7.30 a.m. Ascension Day service" and no 7.15 bus to catch but, being me, I abandoned that idea and headed out at 7.00 a.m. , knowing it would be a shorter walk and I could come back mid afternoon and "chill" as the young people say.
Today I was following part of the Derwent Valley Heritage Way - a long distance route running from Derby to the Derwent Reservoirs which I have been completing in bits this year.
Over the 5 days of walking, my route, in "Strava art" terms (ask my son-in-law!!) will have formed a figure 9 - and this was the (very short) tail bit.
So I set off from the door of the apartment and walked through the Park, admiring the startling flood level markers, and then fairly soon began ascending up to High Tor (673 ft) - a steady climb from the River Derwent (300 ft). The views across the valley were stunning. I tried to find the start of the Giddy Edge walk - a narrow ledge across the cliff face with a chain to hang on to. I had no intention of doing it - I have no fear of heights but I have terrible hand/eye/foot co-ordination and am clumsy of hand and foot to a fault - and I don't like steep drops - so it would be a disaster. I'd just like to have seen it but I couldn't find it.
It's only when I start going down, I realise just how far I've gone up!
It was then through Matlock Bath and riverside gardens. I went too far in the latter and ended up scrambling up a near vertical bank and scaling a wall to avoid retracing my steps - only to see some steps up to reach the road - though I was at a loss to know how they could have been reached.
I passed Masson Mills (another of Arkwright's) - now a textile museum. I took our 3 older grandchildren on a mill tour there years ago and the guide was brilliant engaging the older two (then 5 and 7 I think) in the jobs they'd have done in the mill back in the day.
Next I walked through Cromford Mill gardens and on to the Canal again. There is fascinating heritage every few steps in this area and though I've been many, many times, there's always more to discover.
Arriving into Cromford Wharf car park I was alarmed to discover a huge running event mustering for departure but was relieved on quizzing some participants to discover they were taking a different route to me.
Having a quick snack break at a picnic table on a quiet perimeter of the site, I ended up policing the segregation of an impromptu "wild wee" area ("men to the left, ladies to the right") as the queues for the toilets were several dozen deep. The things we do!!!
Escaping the car park with relief, peace immediately descended. The Canal is a rich haven of wildlife and history. Only 5 miles are still "in water" with just the first mile navigable (a trip boat operates in summer, proceeding EXTREMELY slowly to make it worth it). It's always a wonderful walk thoughRead more