Cromford Canal
Astonishingly rich in history throughout its length, the Cromford Canal is being reborn as a waterway into the heart of the Peak District.
The Cromford Canal runs for 14 miles between Cromford and Langley Mill and extends the Erewash Canal deep into Derbyshire. Though it has been closed for many years, the canal is much in evidence and is now being revived by the Friends of the Cromford Canal.
There are still many fascinating examples of industrial archaeology to be seen - including the Butterley Tunnel, one of the longest on the system. Several sections of the Cromford Canal remain in water, notably the final section from Ambergate to Cromford. Improvement works have been carried out, including renovation of the historic Lea Wood Pumphouse.
Railway enthusiasts will find the Cromford a particularly rewarding canal. The Midland Railway Centre's preserved line runs by the canal at Butterley, while the Matlock branch line follows the canal near Ambergate and Cromford itself - so it's easy to discover the canal by train.
Then there's the old Cromford & High Peak Railway, a pioneering tramway across the hills that once connected the Cromford and Peak Forest canals. Though long closed, it has been reinvented as the High Peak Trail and is now popular with walkers and cyclists alike. Its canalside buildings in Cromford are the oldest railway workshops in the world.
contact us
print page