One of the delights of the UK is that there are so many historical places to visit. I’ve been hiking in the Peak District National Park many times but I’ve never been to Cromford.
It was almost by accident that three of us discovered Cromford. It’s a village in the Derwent Valley in Derbyshire. The village came to prominence because Richard Arkwright built his cotton mills there.
Cromford was once a significant part of the Industrial Revolution. It is home to many beautiful cottages, some of which were built to house the mill workers. Mentioned in the Doomsday Book (11th century), Cromford also has cottages that pre-date the Industrial Revolution.
There were many walks we could do straight from the cottage we were staying in. A popular walk, which we did on our first day, was along Cromford canal.
After the walk, we went to a bookshop/cafe called Scarthin Books. It became our favourite place to return to for lunch, coffee, cake and browsing their varied book collection.
On the second day, we did a circular walk to Chatsworth House. It was originally built in the 16th century and has had many changes over the years. In the 17th century, William Cavendish (the 1st Earl of Devonshire) bought it. The house was passed down through successive generations and it remains home to the 12th Duke and Duchess. Much of the house was technically no longer theirs but part of a charitable trust. Inheritance tax demands increased over the years, as did maintenance costs.
At one point, our path was blocked by a herd of cows. They, like us, were trying to get through a narrow gate on a very muddy path. We managed to get over a church wall and re-route our hike.
On the way back to Cromford, we stopped at Bakewell, which is famous for its tarts.
For our final day, we walked up to Black Rocks from the village centre. Once it was a busy industrial lead mining site employing about 100 men. It now claims to be the “birthplace of rock climbing”!
