Country Images Magazine North Edition July 2017 | Page 58
Walking around
Crich Chase
Scrub woodland and lush grazing along a hillside climbing above the
Derwent Valley was once part of a thousand acre hunting and pleasure
ground used only by royalty.
Established in the 13 th century for King Henry III’s
son the Earl of Leicester who was also called Edmund
Crouchback, it became known as Beaurepaire, ‘a
beautiful retreat’, a name which eventually changed into
Belper, the main town at its heart. With Crich Chase as
its northern boundary and Duffi eld Castle to the south,
with Belper in between, all the land on either side of the
Derwent was the preserve of the aristocracy and woe
betide anyone else found taking his lord and master’s
game.
Due to the constraints of the narrow valley, the A6
road, canal and railway all crowd together within the
space of a hundred yards or so in this section below
the chase, with canal and railway perched above a high
stone wall between Whatstandwell and Ambergate. It
is here that they run below the wooded lower reaches of
Crich Chase. At the top of the hill beyond the natural
woodland, the almost alpine village of Crich makes
a breezy welcome to travellers. Field paths skirting
the northern limits of Crich lead to two unexpected
features. Standing proud on top of the highest point
around the village, Crich Stand, the memorial to those
who gave their lives for the nation in two world wars
and beyond, is in the shape of a lighthouse. Probably
the furthest lighthouse in the country from the sea,
the view from the tower is said to encompass all the
Midland counties. On a clear day it is claimed that
it is possible to see the Humber Bridge and Lincoln
Cathedral.
Below the memorial tower and in a section of an
abandoned quarry, trams running on a short length of
track would once have graced the streets in places as far
apart as Portugal’s Lisbon, or Blackpool promenade.
Restored shops and public buildings sit alongside
modern workshops where vintage trams are restored in
full working order.
On the return leg of the walk, steep fi eld paths drop
down through Duke’s Wood and its naturalised
gritstone quarries, to the Cromford Canal. Although
barges no longer travel along this one-time link between
the Trent and links to the industrial North West,
the canal and its wooded surrounds have become an
important nature reserve. Here the walk follows the
tow path back to Ambergate.
www.tramway.co.uk
Useful Information
7½ miles (12km) of moderate
woodland, fi eld path and level
canal tow path walking. Total
ascent/decent 721ft (220m).
Recommended map: Ordnance
Survey1:25000 scale Outdoor
Leisure Sheet OL24, the White
Peak Area.
Public transport. Hourly trains
between Derby and Ambergate
and frequent bus services from all
over the area.
Car parking space at Ambergate
station (pay and display).
Refreshments. Hurt Arms across
the A6 from Ambergate station,
the Black Swan and the Cliff Inn
in Crich. Th e Family Tree café/
restaurant below the canal tow-
path at Whatstandwell, is walker
and dog friendly and makes an
ideal place to pause on the last leg
of the walk.
We have a range of events for you to enjoy throughout the
year. Each event incorporates the Village scene, and trams from the
appropriate era or city of origin are run throughout the day.
EDWARDIAN EVENT: Sat 15th & Sun 16th July
WWII HOME FRONT EVENT: Sat 12th & Sun 13th August
MODEL TRAM AND RAILWAY EVENT: Sat 19th & Sun 20th August
CLASSIC TRANSPORT GATHERING: Sun 27th & Mon 28th August
HORSE TRAM DAYS: Mon 31st July, Tues 22nd & Thurs 31st August
SITUATED NEAR MATLOCK AND ONLY 8 MILES FROM M1 JUNCTION 28
58 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk
Crich Tramway Village, Crich, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 5DP
Tel: 01773 854 321 Email: [email protected]