KIRK IRETON WALK
THE WALK
Kirk Ireton Walk is an easy walk with impressive views of Carsington Water and the surrounding countryside, mainly over fields and along quiet country lanes.
The walk passes the village on the north side. It continues through fields before descending Oldfield Lane and continuing close to the edge of Carsington Water. Opened in 1992, the reservoir seems to fit into the environment as if it had always been a permanent fixture. With over a million visitors every year, it provides a lot of pleasure for a wide range of people. The majority come to enjoy the scenery and to relax. But, for those who want something a little more challenging, they can walk or cycle around the reservoir. Or do something a little different and go windsurfing.
The return journey takes you up Hays Lane and over a series of fields past Town End Farm back to Kirk Ireton.
LOOK OUT FOR
Route Point 1 – The oldest building in Kirk Ireton is the 12th-century Holy Trinity Church, entered through an interesting 18th-century pillared gateway believed to have come from the Old Manor House. The font came to a tragic end in the 1800s when, after being used as a water butt for a time, a plumber decided to melt some lead in it and lit a fire underneath, only to split it into many pieces.
Point 3 – The project to build Carsington Water started in 1980, but four years later, with the work at an advanced stage, the dam collapsed. Following a lengthy period of consultation, rebuilding commenced. The new dam contained more than twice the material of the old dam and doubled the width at the base. It opened in 1992 and soon established itself as an important tourist attraction in the East Midlands with over a million visitors. It is not just humans who are attracted to Carsington Water, with an increasing number of birds visiting every year, and wildlife in general thriving as a result of the tree planting and conservation programme.
Point 4 – The Control Tower operates the pumping system from the River Derwent at Ambergate. Water is pumped from the River Derwent at Ambergate Pumping Station and piped to Carsington Water when the river level is high. Then, it is stored in the reservoir and released when the weather is very dry.
Point 5 – The recently refurbished Carsington Water Visitor Centre and its surrounds are an excellent place for a family day out. The Visitor Centre itself contains several shops, an interactive exhibition, refreshment areas and a study centre. There is a sports and leisure centre, a sailing club, and a trout fishery for those looking for an activity to get involved in. Dogs and barbeques are welcome in the Country Park. Boat hire is also available, or you can hire a bike and ride rather than walk around the reservoir.
WALK DETAILS
Length: 4 miles (add a visit to Carsington Water Visitor Centre – 1 mile)
Start: The village car park is on the right, near the top of the main street (SK SK267502)
Location: Off B5023 Duffield to Wirksworth road, second left after Idridgehay Church.
Terrain: Mainly flat, easy walking using well-marked paths, along country lanes and a walk along a surfaced path around part of Carsington Reservoir.
Refreshments: Barley Mow, one of the few genuinely unspoilt pubs remaining in this country, housed in a handsome 17th-century, Jacobean-style building. Contact for opening details. – Carsington Water Visitor Centre, where there is a restaurant and café as well as picnic tables available.
THE ROUTE
1. Walk down the village street and turn left by the church along Wirksworth Road. Turn left at a field stile just past the churchyard. Cross the field keeping close to the wire fence on the left, continuing in the same direction over a narrow field and two more fields.
2. In the next field, continue in the same direction and go through a gap between some holly bushes, over another stile to join a short path leading to a road. Turn left down the road and in about 50 yards take the footpath on the right, almost directly opposite Harding’s Close.
3. After going down a narrow fenced path, angle slightly to the right over the next two fields, with views of Carsington Water, and then continue straight ahead for a further two fields. In the next field with a line of high bushes on your left, turn half right and walk down the field towards the bottom left-hand corner, where you will see a stile leading onto a minor road. Cross the road and continue straight ahead down Oldfield Lane.
4. But just before reaching Upperfield Farm, turn left at the sign for ‘Millfields’. Follow the path around the reservoir to reach Millfields, where there is a large car park, toilets and a water refill station. If you have time, continue your walk past the Control Tower and along the dam wall.
5. On reaching Carsington Water Visitor Centre and having finished exploring, return along the dam wall to Millfields. Follow the path around the reservoir for a short distance. If you are on the lower path, turn right just before reaching a stone building. If you are on the higher path for walkers, turn right at a ‘T’ junction. The paths mentioned take you up Hays Lane, past Riddings Farm.
6. On reaching a ‘T’ junction at the top of Hays Lane, cross the stile on the opposite side of the road and walk straight across a field and a further very narrow field. In the next field, angle slightly to the right and go over a stile by a wide gap in the hedge – the gap may be secured. Continue across another field, aiming for a stile in an opening between holly bushes.
7. Maintain roughly the same direction, ensuring you very gradually get closer to the hedge on the right. Where you see the hedge bending sharply to the left for a short distance, keep to the right and go through a stile in the corner.
8. Turn left down the field and keep close to the hedge, past a redundant stile, soon reaching a stile onto the village road. Turn left for a few yards, then right and walk down the main street back to the starting point of the walk.
KIRK IRETON
