AMBERGATE WALK
THE WALK
A special walk that takes you through Shining Cliff Woods, where, in the spring, bluebells cover the floor of the wood. Leaving the woods behind, you walk through beautiful open countryside with good views of the Derwent Valley, returning along the towpath of the Cromford Canal.
The walk along the Cromford Canal towpath takes you through a nature reserve, where you can watch the waterfowl busily looking for tasty morsels of food. Here you are within a few yards of four modes of communication, both past and present: canal, railway, road, and river.
LOOK OUT FOR
Route Point 2 – Betty Kenny and her husband lived here in the 17th century in an enormous yew tree said to be 2,000 years old. According to legend, a bough of the tree was hollowed out to form a cradle for their children, the probable origin of the nursery rhyme ‘Rock-a-bye-baby.’
Point 4 – Shining Cliff Woods is a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to the large variety of plants and animals found in this ancient woodland. There is a circular waymarked trail for visitors which passes by the remains of the Betty Kenny Tree.
Point 5 – The Hurt family, wealthy industrialists, owned Alderwasley Hall for many years. Following the breakup of the estate, they sold the house in 1930 to a Benedictine Order for use as a school and moved to Casterne Hall, Staffordshire. In 1976, it became a Special School. It is a Grade II listed building.
Point 6 – Alderwasley Church stands in the grounds of Alderwasley Hall; few churches in England can be in such a delightful setting. A cedar tree stands guard, while just below, a sparkling stream runs with little waterfalls and ornamental lakes.
Point 9 – The lighthouse tower, known as Crich Stand, is a 60-foot war memorial. It was built in 1923 to commemorate the 11,409 men of the Sherwood Foresters who gave their lives in the First World War, 1914-1918. In 1952, it was re-dedicated to the memory of the 1,520 men of the Regiment who died in the Second World War, 1939-1945. In 1991, the Memorial was dedicated to Sherwood Foresters killed in service 1945-1970 and those of the present Regiment who have given their lives in service to the country.
Point 11 – Although Whatstandwell is far from the sea, it is the place where Ellen MacArthur, the celebrated yachtswoman, grew up. She shot to fame after finishing second in the gruelling Vendée Globe single-handed Round the World race. Then, in early 2005, Ellen completed her bid to break the record for the fastest person to sail single-handedly around the world.
WALK DETAILS
Length: 6 miles.
Start: Ambergate Railway Station Approach. A few yards along the A610 at Ambergate Railway Station, off the A6, Belper to Matlock Road.
Terrain: Mainly easy walking, with moderate gradients. It can be muddy in places.
Refreshments: Bridge House Café at Ambergate and the Family Tree Café at Whatstandwell. The Hurt Arms at Ambergate reopens in 2026.
THE ROUTE
1. Walk back down Station Approach and turn left under the railway bridge, and then left again along the A6. Cross the road and follow the lane down by the side of the church.
2. Go over the river bridge and turn right along a wide track, signed for the Betty Kenny Trail. When the track divides, take the right fork, which goes between several derelict factory buildings.
3. After leaving the buildings behind, maintain the same direction without deviation, before turning left at a finger post sign, for Alderwasley and Whatstandwell.
4. Follow the path as it climbs up through Shining Cliff Woods. Leave the wood by a stile, at first keeping close to the field boundary on the right.
5. On reaching a marker post, follow the direction of the pointer, and maintain the same direction, aiming to the left of Alderwasley School.
6. Walk close to the school playing fields to reach a minor road. Turn right and follow the road around past the entrance to the school and Alderwasley Church.
7. At a road junction, continue down New Road until directly opposite the entrance to Home Farm. Turn left, along a path marked for the Midshires Way and Derwent Valley Walk. Keep left along a field path to a stile. Turn sharp right down the next field to go through a gap in the hedge about 20 yards in from the right-hand corner.
8. Turn left and walk close to the field boundary to a stile you can see in front of you. Go up the next field, keeping close to the hedge on the right to a stile at the top. Immediately, you are over the stile, turn right over another stile at an intersection of pathways.
9. Continue keeping close to the field boundaries on the right, though a series of fields, with Crich Stand, clearly seen in the distance, acting as your guide.
10. After passing to the rear of Hankin Farm, follow the path to the right of a cottage and walk down the drive. Where the drive bends to the right, continue along the path in front of you through an area of woodland. At the bottom of the woods, turn right and walk to the road.
11. Cross the minor road, go over a stile and walk down to the A6 and cross the bridge over the River Derwent to Whatstandwell.
12. Walk a few yards up the road towards Crich, before turning right onto the towpath of the Cromford Canal.
13. On the outskirts of Ambergate, go under the first road bridge you encounter, but at the second bridge, leave the canal. Turn right down a lane signed for Ambergate Railway Station.
14. Go to the left at the bottom of the lane and then left again at the A610. Station Approach is on the right just after passing under the bridge.
AMBERGATE
