Chesta two

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

Walked from Staveley to Chesterfield. An easy walk mostly on the Chesterfield Canal (Cuckoo Way), which is very well supplied with benches of various age and condition. I had to improvise a diversion due to towpath maintenance work south of Tapton Lock, but this closure should only last another couple of weeks. I also stopped at the railway station but the final section is shared with other SlowWays that I have done before.

From the market square in Staveley we head west, crossing the busy access road for Morrisons car park with care and following Mill Lane down to the canal. From here most of the route is simply a matter of following the canal, mostly on a good wide path, with a few narrower sections where cyclists are discouraged.

The canal eventually turns south into the suburbs of Chesterfield. I have walked the section south of Tapton Lock several times in the past, and the towpath closure is only a short one, so I won't flag the route. [In the unlikely event that the bridge under the A619 is still blocked, my solution was to follow Lockoford Lane east, crossing the A619 at a pelican crossing, then following Lockoford Lane and Swaddale Avenue to Brimington Road, leaving the pavement right just beyond the railway bridge on an unofficial but well trodden path (or further on on a good track). The track rejoins the towpath just south of the crossover bridge.]

Beyond the point where the canal joins the Rother, the path is narrower with some muddy sections, and eventually the riverside path ends and we follow Holbeck Close to Brimington Road, where we turn right, then left at the roundabout (using the pavement not the path below the wall) to reach the footbridge that connects the station with the centre of Chesterfield, where the meeting point is just beyond the famous twisted spire church.

I followed this route from Staveley, the last leg of a Chesterfield - Bolsover- Staveley - Chesterfield circular walk. I enjoyed the route throughout, despite the unattractive entry to Chesterfield itself. There were refreshments and canal-related information available at Hollingwood Lock. The tow-path walk is a pleasant route in itself.

Reviewed on 17th Feb 2023. A pleasant, straightforward walk along canal towpaths between Chesterfield and Staveley, largely following the route of the the Cuckoo Way once the canal path is joined having descended down from Chesterfield town centre.

There are a couple of awkward navigation moments as you follow the back streets through Chesterfield, crossing above the busy A61 and then crossing a number of smaller, but busy roads near Chesterfield train station but after that the navigation is easy.

The only negative is the first, short stretch along the canal until you reach Tapton Lock is blighted by rubbish and hemmed in between housing developments - but it improves substantially after Tapton Lock.

A near-perfect Slow Way joining Chesterfield and Staveley, almost entirely along the Chesterfield Canal.

I walked this route on a Sunday morning and, as a result, found it reasonably busy with large numbers of walkers, cyclists and dogs out in surprisingly balmy February weather. Apart from the two ends of the route - getting on to and off the the canal - navigation is a non-issue as the track follows the canal. You might make a case for the Slow Way starting/ending at Chesterfield Railway Station rather than outside the Crooked Spire but there's very little in it.

Overall, it's a route I've walked before and would walk again and would thoroughly recommend to others.

Unequivocally a 5-star route.

I walked this easy and safe route midweek, shared with cycles and waterside. Highly recommended well plotted easy to follow.

From Staveley Market Place with it's statue / sculpture marking the history of the town it's a short walk to join the Chesterfield canal which is followed all the way.

Hollingwood Hub is a great spot for a break bring your own and sit outside or buy a drink. Also an information centre for the Chesterfield Canal Trust. The Mill Inn at Brimington and Tapton Visitor Centre could also offer refreshment. Tapton House was the home of railway engineer and industrialist George Stephenson who is buried in Chesterfield.

South of Tapton the cycle route leaves the canal so from here the path is not so well maintained but still well used by walkers. Entering Chesterfield the route passes close to the railway station before making a safe footbridge crossing of the busy bypass to arrive at the Crooked Spire and the meeting place.

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