Belder one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 83.33% of reviewers

I enjoyed this route. I walked from Derby. Straight forward navigation and easy to follow on the ground. Two 'problems' :
Where the path follows a riverside path east of the Silk Mill, the route is temporarily blocked by barriers, and you need to use the road underpass instead.
Immediately after passing under the A38 in the farm bridge/tunnel, the waymarks should be followed to the right, and then immediately right again to climb to road level. The rail crossing shown on the 1:25000 map no longer exists.

An enjoyable walk with good views, lots of interest. Opportunities for stops along the way and bail out buses. Steps, stiles and cattle and some mud along these well walked paths.

I walked towards Derby so sort of down hill but a climb to high ground leaving Belper which could be reduced by staying on the Derwent Valley Heritage Way to miss out Springwood Cottage.

The stone stiles and steps at the Shaw Lane crossing make an attractive setting with a backdrop of Bluebells in April. An inn at Makeney offers a popular spot for a break.

A section of pavement walking with good views into the valley bottom to another inn at Duffield bridge. Back on field paths across meadow before reaching the old mill converted to residential use.

Another section of pavement then a double back. It's not the first well walked path, our path has a sign. In error I took the first path but that did give me a preview of the correct path and an opportunity for a picture.

At Little Eaton our path passes behind the church to meet the old main road where there are shops, cafe, another inn and I'm told a butcher who does a good bacon cob. More pavement walking takes us past information marking the canal and tramway.

The Slow Way takes a footpath across waste ground which has many paths so keep a close eye on the plotted route which ends at a large pile of concrete from a demolition site before steps lead up to the busy but safe roadside.

More steps or a loop to reach a huge bridge to safely pass under the road then follow the riverside path because the definitive line is invisible across perfect turf. We eventually meet a road and turn right into Darley Abbey Mills an interesting complex. A cycle track offers an alternative route south but we cross the river over a new footbridge along the course of the condemned toll bridge.

The settlement of Darley Abbey is worth this minor detour but I don't think the Slow Way offers the best route to Derby, paths through the park by the river would be a better choice. A part of the riverside path was closed but the detour was simple although not signed. The final approach to the meeting place offers the best of Derby's riverside.

ROUTE UPDATE:
Due to structural issues, the Darley Abbey bridge is closed to pedestrians until July at the earliest. This will be reviewed in July after emergency repairs have taken place.

ROUTE UPDATE 2: 07/10/22
Darley Abbey bridge has been fixed and reopened.

I walked this route from Belper to Derby on an overcast day which threatened rain.

I like the route, it is straightforward, except for the A38 bridge (described in detail in the survey and AF63’s review) which I will mention below.

The other two reviews have covered the route very well. I would like to add a few observations.

The start of the walk at Belper (photo 1) is less than 100 metres from a great little café called The Filling Station (next to the bus station) where you can get a superb breakfast for a very reasonable price (what3words: ///will.online.dunk).

As you leave Belper there is a sharp right turn into what appears to be a private driveway (‘Springfield Cottage’ - ///summaries.towel.orders). Although there is no sign, this is the public footpath to the first stile. Keep to the right of the drive and you will see the path on the right of the garage. Walk through to the stile.

At Makeney, the white panel gate at the bottom of the horse field (///staple.fork.talent) is mentioned on the survey, but I forgot once I was there and I didn’t recognize it as a gate. I’ve added photo 4 as a visual reminder.

The footpath confusion happens again at ‘Ruth’s Hill’ (officially called Red Hill) as you walk into Little Eaton (///bats.prove.sprint) – photo 5. This is also a public footpath, so ignore the sign into the cemetery – walk up the drive until you see steps facing you (the drive curves left). Walk down the steps to continue into Little Eaton.

We now come to the A38 bridge that crosses the trainline near Allestree. As AF63 explained there is confusion in the route for takes you on a confusing and unnecessary circuit before the underpass. The steps at ///brass.grabs.vanish will take you directly to the underpass, thus avoiding the circular walk. (Note, as you can only access the bridge by climbing steps, it seems a little pointless to avoid steps to get off the bridge.)

Past the underpass you will come across turf fields. Although the gpx route suggests that you walk through them, it will not add to your journey to walk along the side path next to the turf (photo 7).

Regarding the fork in the path before the Derby Rugby Club. The visual clue to forking from the gravel path onto the footpath is the wooden shed within the dog training enclosure (photo 8).

Overall, the walk was an enjoyable one and easily completed in an afternoon.

I enjoyed this walk, much of it coinciding with the Derwent Valley Heritage Way, and with varied countryside including some pleasant views. There were reminders of the history of the area, and the weir at Darley Abbey is spectacular.
Refreshment possibilities exist at Makeney, Duffield, Little Eaton and Darley Abbey. There is a nice small garden area with seating in the centre of Little Eaton, which I found perfect for a lunch-break.
Some 900 metres of the walk is on the roadway of roads which don’t have pavements or verges but these roads tended to be fairly quiet, such as in small villages. A third of the route was on pavements beside roads but none of this was felt to be a problem, including the 180 metres on pavement beside the A38 dual-carriageway.
One field had two horses in, but they took no notice of me. In a few places the path was being encroached upon for a distance by long grass up to shoulder-high, which had to be pushed aside. I imagine there might be a risk from ticks so it might be worth taking precautions.
An option exists to shorten the route by 340 metres near the A38, details are in my photo survey. The section between the A38 and Darley Abbey is on a flood plain, being not far from the River Derwent, so that could possibly restrict the walk after severe weather.
The route is well served by public transport, convenient for both ends of the route at Derby and Belper. For transport to intermediate points on the route, there are bus stops 550 metres off the route at Duffield for services from Derby or Belper. Bus stops on the route in Little Eaton serve Derby and other places in the direction of Hucknall.

The route is very direct, easy to walk and holds a lot of historical interest, as it mainly follows the The Derwent Valley Heritage Way.
The Derwent Valley Mills and the River Derwent was designated a World Heritage Site in December 2001 and this route starts in the mill town of Belper and passes more mills at Milford, Duffield Bank and finally, the Silk Mill (Museum) at Derby.
The route includes a section of road walking but there is a safe pavement. There are alternative routes between Belper and Derby but they would require more elevation gain and would possibly not hold the same historic interest.

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