Medium length walk 23rd September 2026
On this sunny morning, 10 U3a walkers assembled at Riverside Gardens in the historic town of Belper. Dominating the area is Strutt’s North Mill (UNESCO) built in 1804.
Having crossed the Derwent we began a steady ascent out of the town. the Derwent valley coming into view. The Mid Shires Way took us onto the Roman road below Chevin Hill, a tree lined path linking Belper to Strutt’s second mill town of Milford. Near the start of North Road, the trees open up to give a panoramic view of Belper. This was Strutt’s vision for his town, and in the main this is how it remains today. Near the end of this section there was a crashing sound, broken branches and leaves fell and one of our group was hit – by a golf ball. A cry of ‘fore’ was heard, followed by two more projectiles. The first ball had hit John on the knuckle of his right hand, with no serious damage fortunately.
Emerging at the top of Sunny Hill, lunch was taken after first investigating the very tall tower, constructed for waste removal from the railway line below, or as a sighting or semaphore tower. Descending the steep hill, we followed the course of the Derwent back towards Belper, stopping to view the Milford tunnel constructed by Stevenson in 1838. This grade 2 structure takes the Midland Main line under the Chevin hill.
An enjoyable walk 6.8 miles through Strutt’ country.
Dave Kay