Cromford Canal Walk

Beautiful sunshine and the need for some fresh air took us to Cromford Canal; one of our favourite places since the children were small. Cromford is a world heritage site and it still surprises me that the canal at Cromford was once joined up with the underground canal tunnel in the valley overlooked by our barns, even though I've grown up in the area. Anyway, Cromford is a lovely place to visit as there are tea rooms and shops in the old Arkwright mills and nice gentle walk along the canal suitable for anyone. We opted to walk along the canal and then cross over and head up the High Peak Trail towards Black Rocks. The walk was originally a steam pump driven railway used for transporting millstone from the quarries to the barges on the canal. It's a steep walk that really gets your heart pumping. There are fewer people on this stretch as well although there is always someone who runs past you when you are huffing and puffing just walking. We stopped at the top for a picnic of cheese scones and fruit, taking in the glorious view. You can see for miles across the valley. The weather closed in a bit after lunch so we hot footed down through the fields and into Cromford village and back to the car park. A nice brisk walk to clear away the cobwebs.