Walk 1 - Crich and The Tors (3 miles)
This walk has impressive views at any time from the Tors across the Derwent Valley to the West and to Crich Stand and the Tramway Museum to the North which is particularly pleasing at sunset. The second half of the walk takes in parts of the the route of The Butterley Gangroad which was an early tramway of approximately 3 ft 6 in gauge, which linked Hilt's Quarry and other limestone quarries at Crich with the Cromford Canal at Bullbridge. The first railway project of Derbyshire civil engineer Benjamin Outram (1764–1805), the line was originally a horse-drawn and gravity-driven plateway, a form of tramway that Outram popularised. Unlike modern edgeways, where flanges on the wheel guide it along the track, plateways used "L" shaped rails where a flange on the rail guided the wheels.
This walk starts from Allen Lane near Fritchley which is reached by heading up to Crich from the A610 at Bullbridge. Allen Lane is on the right-hand side before you reach The Briars Centre. Park on the road near to the bus stop. From Allen Lane head up the road towards Crich. Take a footpath on the left-hand side at the end of the houses and follow this with gardens on your left as it climbs uphill. At the road turn right and follow the lane uphill until you come to some stone steps at Chadwick Nick. Climb the steps and follow the obvious path across stiles with Crich on your right-hand side and Derwent Valley on the left. Pass a viewpoint on the right marked by signs. Beware the steep drop on the right-hand side
Just past the viewpoint you will come to a gate and steps on the right-hand side. Ignore this and instead take the path straight on through a gate to descend steadily emerging at Crich Fire Station. Continue down the road to Crich Market Place At the Market Place take School Lane between the village shop and ‘Hub 3’ Follow the path passing Crich junior school on the left and over stiles through a small meadow with Hilts Quarry (now disused) on the left. Cross a stile into the access lane for the quarry, turn left and then immediately right before you get to the quarry gate. At the fork follow the left-hand path into a field through a gate and follow the path downhill with woodland on the right. The path descends towards a large tree and then bears right and left through a gateway with a hedge on the left.
Continue downhill until the path swings left into some woods, over a stile and then sharp right to a road. Turn left onto the road and follow this for a few minutes looking for a footpath sign on the right. Go over a wide footbridge and then a stile heading uphill and slightly right. The gang road is now on your right and you soon come to a bridge over. Go over the bridge and then turn immediately left onto a footpath which turns into a lane past a cottage and follow this to Fritchley. (If you interested in the gangway turn left here and walk slightly downhill for an information board) Turn right onto the road and head across the village green, turning right to walk uphill returning to your starting point.
