Hilder two

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This is a good direct route,I walked from Hilton to Derby.leaving Hilton via Welland road and joining Hilton greenway one soon arrives at Eggington Road after a small amount of pavement walking one joins the disused railway line(great northern greenway)This stretch of the route is good walking but is very straight and has very little to offer.Eventually arriving at the former site of Mickleover station one heads towards Mickleover (Station road)take a left Onslow road follow the signs for City Centre.This section of the route was a real suprise a green corridor amongst new developments and constant traffic noise.Arriving at the A38 which one passes under the route is straightforward from this point to Derby bus station.There were no issues regarding obstructions etc.Both ends of the walk have a good bus service(every half hour)Care needed on some of the road crossings but an enjoyable walk.

I walked this route from Hilton to Derby, immediately after BURHIL2. It is probably as good a route as is possible. I could have done without the detour into Etwall, but I can see how it fits Slow Ways methodology, so no complaints.

Starting at Hilton, we pass the large Tesco Express store on the left, emerging at the end of Welland Road, which we follow past a small roundabout to a gravel path where we turn left, crossing Washford Road and emerging on the Mease, where we follow the cycle route signs right and left onto another surfaced track, which leads through an industrial estate onto Egginton Road, which we cross, and follow another cycle track sign on the far side, which leads us onto the old railway, which forms most of the route. This is a good direct surfaced route.

After crossing the A50 through a short concrete tunnel, we ignore the first path right at a bridge over a stream and take the second one into Old Station Close. We turn left at the first T junction and right onto Hilton Road. I chose to remain on the left (west side) of the road, but there are shops and pubs on the right side. Just beyond the church the road turns right and we continue straight on up Church Hill, and along a narrow alleyway to Sutton Lane, where we turn left and follow the old road as far as the railway. The shortest way down to it uses steps, which can be avoided by continuing straight on and following the track right near the A516. Both routes cross under this road to a T junction where we meet another cycle track signposted Ashbourne.

We follow the right-hand track, where the old railway path/cycle track continues without any navigational challenges (or anything else of any great interest - there are a few gates but no steps or stiles) until the track leaves the old railway at the old Mickleover station, emerging on Station Road, where we turn right, ignoring the new housing development on the left and turning left onto Onslow Road, which we follow until just after it turns south, taking the signposted surfaced track through Mickleover Meadows and on through a surprisingly pleasant urban green space. The surfaced track continues, following the A38 to emerge on Greenwich Drive South.

We go straight on, then turn right onto Brackenside Avenue, where bridges take us under the A38 into the intriguingly named suburb of New Zealand. I chose to remain on the right-hand pavement, where fences forced my down Cheviot Street to a supposedly safer crossing point. The route onwards follow a series of suburban streets as directly as is possible to emerge on Uttoxeter Old Road, where we turn left, crossing the pelican crossing and turning right into South Street and left along Vernon Street to emerge on Friar Gate, which we follow right under the old railway bridge and into Derby city centre. All of the main road crossings have pelican crossings. Eventually we turn rigt into the pedestrianised St Peters Street and left into East Street, crossing Morledge on another pelican crossing to the Derby meeting point on The Boulevard (or the bus station).

I walked Derby to Hilton. The route has a good surface throughout, no stiles or cattle. Steps at Etwall can easily be avoided. There are seats along the cycle track.

Crossing the road from the bus station the route uses busy city shop lined streets which fad away before passing under the neglected Frigate bridge which once carried the rail line that we will later be walking along. From here we move into surburbia along quiet streets of houses that show the steady march of the urban expansion of Derby.

The signed cycle route is close by but our walking route takes a more direct course through New Zealand, passing shops before going under the busy A38. From here it's a very pleasant green wide corridor between houses and the noisy but invisible road. The track has a good wide bonded surface and much of the adjoining grass is mown. The route enters the edge of Mickleover through Meadow's Nature Reserve.

There a brief section of estate road walking before crossing a main road. The public house shown on older OS maps has gone so no refreshments. Consider Hilder-3 and a walk through Mickleover, a huge residential satelite of Derby which this route route ignores. I've walked the old rail line too many times already but I did it again in the name of Slow Ways reviews. While the gentle curves offer some desire to see what's around the corner the long straight is destination infinity. These cycle routes also make me feel like a horse with blinkers excluded from my surroundings. There are some seats along the way but they are not well maintained and most fail to offer the occasional open views across fields.

Pass under the road tunnel then turn right if you need to avoid steps which offer a short cut up to the bridleway over the old bridge. This is an improvement on the original Hilder which had a level crossing of the busy road. Etwall has shops, a pub and buses to Derby and Hilton. Follow the old road out of the village then the poorly signed link back to the track down Old Station Close. Don't miss the exit if heading north.

A tall brick chimney stands on the site of Egginton Dairy and offers a marker for us to join a road briefly. The next section is alongside an industrail area but the old lane is traffic free and provides a quite route into Hilton passing shops close by the meeting place.

An easy walk to follow, good surface but consider a loop into Mickleover if a half way break is required.

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