Ashbourne — Wirksworth
Ashwir one
Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Ashwir here.
Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Ashwir here.
By a Slow Ways Volunteer on 07 Apr 2021
Description
This is a Slow Ways route connecting Ashbourne and Wirksworth.
Know of a better route? Share it here.
This is a Slow Ways route connecting Ashbourne and Wirksworth.
Know of a better route? Share it here.
Status
This route has been reviewed by 3 people.
This route has been flagged (2 times) for reasons relating to access.
This route has been flagged (1 times) for reasons relating to safety.
Photos for Ashwir one
Photos of this route will appear when they are added to a review. You can review this route here.
Information
Route status - Live
Reviews - 3
Average rating -
Is this route good enough? - No (2) Maybe (1)
Problems reported - Access (2) Safety (1)
Downloads - 6
Surveys
What is this route like?
Surveys are submitted by fellow users of this website and show what you might expect from this Slow Ways route. Scroll down the page to read more detailed surveys.
Grade 4X based on 1 surveys | Sign up or log in to survey this route. | ||
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Description | Note | ||
Grade 4: Route includes very rough surfaces including deep ruts, steep loose gravel, unmade paths and deep muddy sections. Wheelchairs may experience traction/wheel spin issues. Access grade X: At least one stile, flight of steps or other obstacle that is highly likely to block access for wheelchair and scooter users. |
Grading is based on average scores by surveyors. This slow way has 1 surveys. | ||
Full grading description |
Only people who have completed our training can become Slow Ways surveyors and submit a survey. We do not vet contributors, so we cannot guarantee the quality or completeness of the surveys they complete. If you are dependent on the information being correct we recommend reading and comparing surveys before setting off.
Survey Photos
Facilities
Facilities in the middle third of this route.
Challenges
Potential challenges reported on this route. Some challenges are seasonal.
Obstacles
Obstacles on this route.
Accessibility
Is this route step and stile free?
Measurements
Surveyors were asked to measure the narrowest and steepest parts of paths.
The narrowest part of the path is 24.0cm (1)
The steepest uphill gradient East: no data
The steepest uphill gradient West: no data
The steepest camber: no data
How clear is the waymarking on the route: Unclear (1)
Successfully completed
We asked route surveyors "Have you successfully completed this route with any of the following? If so, would you recommend it to someone with the same requirements?". Here is how they replied.
Recommended by an expert
We asked route surveyors "Are you a trained access professional, officer or expert? If so, is this route suitable for someone travelling with any of the following?" Here is how they replied.
Terrain
We asked route surveyors to estimate how much of the route goes through different kinds of terrain.
10.0% of the route is on roads (1)
There is no data on how much of this route is lit at night
15.0% of the route is paved (1)
20.0% of the route is muddy (1)
5.0% of the route is over rough ground (1)
5.0% of the route is through long grass (1)
Report a problem with this data
1 surveys
Information from verified surveys.
Geography information system (GIS) data
Total length
Maximum elevation
Minimum elevation
Start and end points
Ashbourne
Grid Ref
SK1806646458
Lat / Lon
53.01514° / -1.73216°
Easting / Northing
418,066E / 346,458N
What3Words
reefs.compacts.single
Wirksworth
Grid Ref
SK2864053981
Lat / Lon
53.08231° / -1.57389°
Easting / Northing
428,640E / 353,981N
What3Words
tastings.limes.buckling
Ashwir One's land is
Ashbourne | |
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Grid Ref | SK1806646458 |
Lat / Lon | 53.01514° / -1.73216° |
Easting / Northing | 418,066E / 346,458N |
What3Words | reefs.compacts.single |
Wirksworth | |
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Grid Ref | SK2864053981 |
Lat / Lon | 53.08231° / -1.57389° |
Easting / Northing | 428,640E / 353,981N |
What3Words | tastings.limes.buckling |
Pasture | 76.5% |
Urban | 20.5% |
Water | 0.4% |
Woods | 2.5% |
Data: Corine Land Cover (CLC) 2018
reviews
Ken
01 Feb 2022It would appear that neither of the other reviews walked the section from Hognaston to Wirksworth. I walked Ashwir2 so didn't walk the Ashbourne end but both routes use the same paths from Hognaston so I feel able to submit this review. Plotting is poor and I see no benefit in the detour via Carsington village, there are facilities at Carsington Reservoir main site. The road from Carsington village through Hopton while no longer the main road has no pavement. The short section of main road at Sycamore Farm is lethal fast frequent lorries and a very narrow verge so for this reason I cannot recommend this route.
Lynn Jackson
19 Sep 2021 (edited 10 Dec 2021)This is a partial review as I did not complete the route for the reasons given below.
I walked from Ashbourne in the direction of Wirksworth on a sunny day. I got as far as Hognaston before ending as I had run out of time to complete the walk.
The route is very poorly marked, with paths blocked, poor quality stiles on many occasions, and the B5035 - a dangerous road for pedestrians. Also, the gpx route itself follows the wrong side of field markers, requiring back tracking to get to stiles. On the plus side, the livestock I passed were placid and well behaved.
Owing to the poor the quality of the gpx route, footpaths and the B5035 I cannot recommend Ashwir One.
1. Waymarker (WM) 3662: Loss of footpath because of new build houses (although appear to be approximately 15 years old). Instead there is the public footpath sign 30 meters further up Greenway (road). I followed that to the end of the path, turned right on Manor Road and then left to walk up Atlow Brow cul-de-sac. The footpath sign is ahead.
2. WM 3563: The gpx appears to skirt the side of the wood, but the there is a clear path into and through the wood and so I followed that.
3. WM3454: The B5035. A very busy road that begins with a wide verge but rapidly narrows. I walked the western side of the verge – this allowed me to duck into house drives to avoid the traffic.
4. WM3236: Attempted to discover lost footpath. While there was a public footpath sign, looking back the way of the gpx there is an opening what should have a stile doesn’t and the field is enclosed with barbed wire. Following the sign, the barbed wire has been trampled down to allow me to walk to the pub.
5. WM3206: At pub, to avoid the dangerous B5035 bend, I walked past the front of the pub to the garage and turned left up the lane. At the road I followed the driveway on the immediate left.
6. WM3166: Rediscovering gpx, I followed the trodden footpath.
7. WM2996: I walked past a wind turbine and a half-built building. At the gate into the field there was electrified fencing immediately beyond gate – a public deterrent to using footpath and so the gpx route was blocked. I had to retrace steps back to WM3036 where there were two overgrown stiles following the general direction.
8. What3Words ///name.symphonic.transmits: Going through a gate, I came to the B5035 again. Look right and you will see a cottage.
9. Walk the 80 metres to the cottage and you will come to ///skyrocket.thudding.syndicate where I saw a public footpath sign looking into the field. I went through the gate to follow the path.
10. WM2866: I was almost back to the gpx. There are some newly built steps down to Kniveton Brook which appears to be a culvert and is probably impassable after heavy rain. The route took me into Kniveton. I walked up Church Lane and onto some sheep fields.
11. WM2606: The gpx appears to take you onto the wrong side of the field as there is no stile to cross in the corner of the field that I was in. I went back to the previous gate and down the bridleway. At ///bats.retailing.includes I went through the stile on my right and walked up to the far right hand corner of the field where there is another stile. I followed the footpath up the hill and across a small road.
12. As I reached the brow of the hill, I saw Carsington Water in the distance. I went down the other side of the hill where I came across cows in fields, but they were calm and well-behaved.
13. WM2259: Back onto the gpx I came to Lower Ridings Farm. The gate into the field has been tided to the gate posts with bailing twine (no hinges or bolts at all). To enter the field, you need to climb this gate as there is no stile crossing. I chose not to use this path and instead retraced my steps back over a cattle grid and turned right to discover a stile and footpath.
14. I continued though fields and stiles until I rejoined the footpath at WM21512. This took me into Hognaston. I ran out of time at this point and did not continue to Carsington Water and Wirksworth.
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Ken
31 Jan 2022Yes shoddy plotting so I can see why you had problems. The section along the road should be possible because DCC mapping portal shows a strip of land either side the road as access land or Common looks like the strip is wide enough for a path to be on the east side of the stream.
Can't add a picture but here's a link https://maps.derbyshire.gov.uk/connect/analyst/mobile/#/main?mapcfg=Ordnance_Survey_Maps -
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Malcolm Boura
02 May 2021 (edited 27 Jun 2023)Improvement for route out of Ashbourne.
1. Victoria Square to Market Place.
2. Town Hall Yard, the alleyway at lower side of Town Hall.
3. At end go right on Hall Lane.
4. 2nd left, immediately below Cooper's Close.
5. At far end of the garage court take alleyway to left to rejoin the route in Boothby Avenue.
East from Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Ashbourne the definitive map and hence the Ordnance Survey is wrong due to house building. The Open Street Map layer shows where to go (QEGS path added to OSM 2/4/21). Manor Road and Atlow Brow is probably easiest.
About 4km out of Ashbourne the route follows the B road. There is a much more direct, pleasant, and safe parallel footpath behind the houses.
For an alternative to the Ashbourne to Carsington part consider the paths following the Henmore Brook via Atlow to Hognaston. This avoids the B road NE of Ashbourne. (I have not walked the section Ashbourne Common to near Rowfield Farm.).
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Malcolm Boura
02 May 2021PS. My comments on the Ashbourne end of the route are based on recent local knowledge.
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