My final walk based on the Portway had taken me neatly back to the Derwent, so that I could finish off with one more section of the Derwent Valley Heritage Way. I knew Darley Dale had a 2000-year-old yew tree; I also knew I could get an ice cream in Matlock. That was the two ends sorted. Now to join up the middle.
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| view over the Derwent Valley |
There is a small free car park near Darley Bridge (card machine on a stick if you feel moved to make a donation). I set off up the lush, large valley of the River Derwent, heading northwards at first to reach St Helen's Church.
The yew was fenced off. There were iron railings close around the trunk, and temporary mesh panels blocking the path. To these, someone had affixed a peevish handwritten note: "Quite obviously there is no danger on this closed-off path." I was expecting the tree to be hollow-trunked and propped, like the specimen at Doveridge, but instead it had a fat, solid-looking trunk and relatively compact crown.
Agreeing with the note-writer that the yew was unlikely to attack me, at least on this calm day, I ducked around the fence to take a quick photo of the plaque underneath the branches. It was a poetic imagining of all the many people who may have walked past the tree in its long life.
Steve the churchwarden kindly opened up St Helen's Church for me, turned all the lights on, and left me to look around. It was a nice church, with two fonts, an effigy of Sir John de Darley from the 14th century, and an equally old stone screen which once enclosed someone's private pew and now enclosed a tiny kitchen.
It had all been very interesting, but I hadn't walked far. I continued, crossing the Peak Rail railway line and following a path next to the track. Whitworth Park looked pretty; I caught glimpses of a pond and multicoloured trees. Near Darley Dale station, a house had a collection of mangles on its driveway.
I crossed the A6 and started heading uphill. For the next few miles, I was following a quiet residential road along the side of the valley towards Matlock. It was stunning. Gorgeous views, neatly kept cottages, lots of flowers, and occasional fountains and chapels to add interest.
Just after I'd taken a picture of this converted chapel, the owner popped out of the front door to say, "You could have waited until I'd mowed the grass!"
The stone troughs at this lavender-crowned fountain were dry, but I could hear water trickling through pipes, so the spring still flows.
A brief stretch of woodland brought me out at the top of Matlock, where this playground had a good view of Riber Castle. I took a steep stone-paved path down the hill.
Matlock town centre was bustling. I queued with all the other pedestrians to cross the busy roads at the lights, found my ice cream (a strawberry Cornetto from the Co-Op) and retreated to the relative peace of Hall Leys Park to eat it.
I crossed Matlock Bridge and got onto the Derwent Valley Heritage Way. I couldn't tell what it would be like from the map, so I was pleased to find that I was walking along a dappled shady path next to the dappled shady river. Just perfect on a hot sunny day.
There was a tall stone retaining wall on my left which must have been much older than the bypass road which now follows it. The railway is further away, but perhaps that area was once sidings or loading yards for the quarries. I went underneath both the main road and the railway as they crossed the river.
A derelict factory spread alongside the path, a landscape of cracked concrete, graffiti, and empty windows. I found out later it was once the Permanite Asphalt Works.
A shallow bit of river looked like the perfect place for a paddle. I hesitated for a few minutes, thinking I had nothing to dry my feet with, then remembered my OS maps mini towel. It was a freebie, and it's come in handy several times for drying benches, wiping fingers and so on - when I remember it's there! So I dipped my feet in the Derwent. Ahh! Nice.
When I'd planned the walk, I thought doing such a flat route might be tedious, so I'd added in a detour up a hill. But by this point it was getting extremely warm (this was the day before it got really hot) and flat sounded just fine. Also, it was the official DVHW route. So I stuck with it.
It didn't, however, provide much shade. Look at that cloud formation, though. Isn't that incredible?
And here I was at Darley Bridge. I went a short distance through the village to reach the Three Stags Heads ("Now open 7 days") which I'd passed on my previous walk. I liked this house that had both names of a couple on it, not just the man's.
Finally I crossed the River Derwent on Darley Bridge and returned to my car, passing the Square and Compasses on the way. The pub looked as solidly built as its name suggested.
And down the A6 to home. It's a lovely road when it's not too busy, but this was the furthest I'd ever driven up it, and I am always surprised by how long it is. Matlock, Matlock Bath, Cromford, Belper, Duffield, and eventually Allestree and the A38.
Darley Dale to Matlock 22 June 2026
8 miles / 13 km
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