High Peak Junction to Lea Bridge & Holloway
Walk Information
Walk Area:High Peak JunctionOS Map:Explorer OL24
Distance:2.5 Miles (4 Km)White Peak Area
Start Point:High Peak Junction Car Park1:25000
Map Ref:SK 314 560
Post CodeN/A
General InformationAltitude Data
Parking:Pay And DisplayStart:246 ft(75m)
Tea Shops:One Minimum246 ft(75m)
Duration:1 Hour 25 MinutesMaximum515 ft(157m)
Altitude Profile
Leawood Pump House / A shortish two and a half mile walk from the car park at High Peak Junction to Lea Bridge, then through Lea Hall Wood tot he outskirts of Holloway before crossing to the Cromford Canal at Gregory Tunnel. At the tunnel you can choose to walk through it or not as you choose before walking back along the canal tow path to High Peak Junction and the shop at the Visitors Centre for refreshments. The shop (hot drinks) refreshments and workshops at the visitors centre are open everyday from Easter to the end of October and weekends throughout the year, see the High Peak Junction website for details.
Getting There:
High Peak Junction is signposted from the road junction on the A6 at Cromford. The road junction is located just over a mile to the south of Matlock Bath and a little over five miles north of
Ambergate along the A6. At the staggered traffic light controlled junction on the A6 do not take the road into Cromford Village, instead take Mill Lane to the side of Sir Richard Awkrights Mill towards Cromford Station. The car park for High Peak Junction is a little over a mile and a half down this lane on the right, the car park it's self is not overly large and can become very busy during summer weekends and Bank Holidays, or when the Leawood Pump is in steam.
The Walk:
Leave the car park by the footpath to the footbridge across the River Derwent, but instead of turning right to cross the river turn left and walk down to the road, at the road turn right and head towards Lea Bridge. Walk along the footpath for a quarter of a mile to the road junction in Lea Bridge, then keeping right take Mill Lane towards Holloway. At the junction there is a short section of road walking with no footpath so please take care as this road can be quite busy. Almost immediately after the junction the road begins a steady climb towards Holloway, walk up the road past a large house on the right to a way-marked wooden kissing gate on the right roughly opposite a cul-de-sac (Hollings Wood Close) on the left.
Exit From Mill Lane / Once in the open ground on the other side of the gate there is some scope for confusion as to where to go next, keeping left walk across the open field to a wooden way marked gate then proceed between the high deer fence and a hedge. Should you find yourself at the top of the slope beside the wall at the edge of the wood, turn left to a tall metal gate then walk between the two high deer fences to a second tall gate then turn right to rejoin the route of this walk. Eventually the path widens somewhat and reaches a low step stile over a wall, cross the stile then continue in the same direction to the corner of a high wall ahead. Follow the line of the wall and go through the metal gate in the hedge near the green metal dome, or through the gap between the wall and the hedge. Continue to follow the line of the wall to a wooden kissing gate onto a narrow vehicle track,
here do not continue ahead instead take the large metal deer gate immediately to the right and enter the deer park. Keeping the wall to the left walk ahead to reach Gregory Cottage, carry on past the cottage remaining in the deer park and begin the steady descent down to the Cromford Canal.
Leave the deer park through two more tall metal gates to a wooden sign post, this is where the choice needs to me made whether or not to walk through the Gregory Tunnel, which at this point you are standing on top of. If you decide not to walk through the tunnel turn right toward Cromford
View From The Deer Park
Passing Through Gregory Tunnel / to join the canal tow path, otherwise turn left toward Ambergate to join the Cromford Canal near the eastern portal of the Gregory Tunnel at Gregory Dam. This route assumes that the choice is made to walk through the tunnel. Turn left and walk down the narrow path to join the Cromford Canal then turn left and walk through Gregory Tunnel towards High Peak Junction and Cromford, once out of the tunnel continue along the tow path for a distance of three quarters of a mile to the junction with the disused Lea arm of the canal. Cross the canal via the wooden swing bridge on the approach to the aqueduct across the River Derwent.
Walk across the aqueduct to wards the Pump House excellent views of which can be had form the tow path on this side of the canal. Continue along the tow path for a little under a further quarter of a mile to arrive at High Peak Junction, Refreshments are available from the visitors centre
on the other side of the swing bridge. For more information about opening times please visit the High Peak Junction website. At the foot of the swing bridge turn right and cross the railway line, then follow the path back over the river to the car park and the end of the walk.
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