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Matlock Route
Route Summary - Matlock, Chatsworth, Youlgreave, Haddon Hall, Birchover, Darley Bridge, Matlock
Route Description
Turn left from Stanley Fearn's along the A6 for 3km to the Texaco Garage on the right hand side. Turn right immediately after the garage and continue up to the next junction. Turn right along major road (not the minor road with 7.5T weight sign).
The road stays fairly level for 500m then turn sharp left up a steep hill quickly followed by a sharp right-left S bend. Climb up hill to pass some bungalows on left and then come to a short terrace of houses (Buxton Terrace) about 250m after the S bend.
Turn left immediately after the terrace into a steep track, which is a bridleway. Follow the track for about 1km until you meet a tarmac road, which passes Woodside Farm, again climbing.
300m after Woodside Farm the lane levels and forks into two. Bear right here, to stay beside the woods. After another short climb the lane finally levels off. Continue for 500m (ignoring a Forestry road cutting back to your left) to a proper tarmac road.
Bear left along road, after 1km meet a crossroads. Go straight across on the rough road for 800m to another junction. Turn left, soon starting to descend. After 1km of straight road come to a sharp left hand bend. Leave road here to take lane to right
You are now on the Chatsworth Estate
Follow the lane, bending left around a plantation (ignore a minor lane to right and footpath to left) enjoy a nice descent of some 2km.
At bottom of hill give way to a road. Turn right (not the minor private road through a gateway) cross River Derwent via humpback bridge and follow bending right then climbing to cross over cattle grid. Climb steadily until you reach a high point about 800m after the cattle grid.
Stop here to study the next part of the route, which crosses up grass hillside to your left. You have to follow a bridleway, which is only defined by low marker posts. Look down the road 100m then 35m left into the grassland; you should see the first post.
If you now look left from where you are, up the hillside, there is a second post to the right of some mature trees about 300m from you. Ride down the road for 100m to follow the bridleway. From the second post you should see the third post 200m up the hill. (At the third post you should see some steps over a wall 50m to your left but ignore these - it is not your route).
From the third post turn right along a level stretch for about 50m then bear left up a rutted track.
After 400m reach a gate on your left into the woods by an information sign. Go through the gate and climb through woods to another gate, then down through a field passing a signpost (follow Rowsley direction) until you reach a wall.
Turn right and follow wall down to a gate. Don't go through this one but turn right around top of wood, staying beside wall to drop down through wood at another gateway.
Follow wall round to left for 50m then bear right on a track up hillside, passing to left of some stone drinking troughs in 300m. Follow direction of blue marker to plantation on horizon - use the stile gates and then take the well worn path with a wall on it's right hand side through the fir plantation. After about 100m you reach open ground. Bear left across here, soon reaching a line of electricity poles.
Follow these for less than 100m then bear right through the trees for 100m to pass between stone gate posts. (This is a nice picnic spot, looking down the wooded hillside). After the gateposts turn left alongside the wall, descending through the woods.
After 400m merge onto another prominent track. Bear left and down hillside for 100m, then at another junction bear right continuing down hillside for 400m to prominent junction of several lanes.
Take lane at approx 90 degrees to your right (not the sharpest right lane). After 300m turn right at junction. Follow lane along and down past small farm (on your left). After farm, lane turns sharp right and levels off, but you leave it here, by carrying straight on down narrow bridleway (signposted)
After a short while bridleway turns right alongside fields, eventually dropping down to a tarmac farm road. Turn left following road down over River Wye to meet A6 road. Turn left along A6 road for 1km, 40m before Haddon Hall car park turn right up bridleway (signposted Youlgrave).
Follow stoney track up the hillside, ignoring any paths to side. Looking back, you get a good view of Haddon Hall. A stoney surface fades away near top of hill; continue on a straight line through several fields keeping wall to your left. After passing a small farm (on your left) descend until you meet a bridleway sign pointing left.
Go through Iron Gate, you will see Youlgrave Church tower on hillside in front. Drop down rough path to Lathkill River below. As you cross Lathkill you can see fish in the clear waters.
Climb up into Youlgrave, heading for the church, at staggered crossroads go straight ahead, down by right hand side of church.
After 250m road splits, fork left then after 100m turn left off road (at Braemar House) down a track to cross the river Bradford. Turn left along well-made lane that bends right after 250m to climb up hillside (ignore paths to left).
After lane levels off go straight on at crossroads, passing Lower Greenfields Farm (on your right) and onto another farm (also on your right). Beside the farm you come to a pair of gates side by side.
Don't worry about the private sign on the big gate - you have bridleway rights through the smaller gate. After the gate the track bends left. But you leave it here to cross the field in front of you, making for a gateway at right end of the fence on the far side of field (past some caravans, at time of writing this - please don't annoy the inhabitants!!).
Pass through gateway and straight across next field to pass through another gate onto tarmac road.
Cross over the road and into the field opposite. Cross this field aiming for the TV mast on the horizon. On reaching a line of trees, just before a steeper drop turn right and descend diagonally down the field, below the main tree line.
Gradually curve left to cross a brook using a tiny-gated bridge. Bear right to pass through another small gate onto a road.
Turn right along road. After about 500m at a junction take road left uphill to Birchover. Stay on main road up through the village passing the Red Lion (on your left hand side). 200m after the Red Lion there is a minor road off to the right (with a triangle and lamppost at the junction).
Drop down this minor road, soon climb up again, about 200m up the hillside at a junction take the lane on your left. (Note the small-restored stocks at this junction).
The lane curves right then left, soon reaching the brow of the hill and the yard of Uppertown Farm. Once through the farmyard you have a clear descent of over 1 ˝km down the lane through Clough Woods without any gates or junctions to worry about. (BE CAREFUL: the lane gets very steep and rough in it's lower section, with a sharp right hand turn at one point).
As the roughest surface ends the track widens out and you come to a junction of lanes. Turn right then after only a few metres turn left. (Don't go down the earlier left track with the wooden gate).
You will see Enthovens Lead refinery on your left hand side, and then reach a bigger road. Bear right, dropping into the Village of Darley Bridge. At the main road turn left, to reach the bridge in about 100m. The rest of the ride is very easy but there are two alternative routes. Both of 4km.
Option A
Quickest finish (all tarmac using nearly 3 km of A6). Cross over bridge. Follow road round crossroads. Turn right. At next junction, turn right onto A6. Follow back to Matlock
Option B
1km gated lane. 3km minor roads with little climbing. Don't cross the bridge, but take the minor road running beside the river. As you reach the end of the houses continue straight ahead onto a gated section of lane passing through several fields and then into Oaker village.
After passing through the village you will come to a T-junction with a bigger road. Turn left. Pass through the hamlet of Snitterton and then onto Matlock. As you drop into Matlock give way to the A6 and cross over the bridge, then turn left at the roundabout to Stanley Fearn's
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