Derbyshire Portway
A 48-mile long-distance footpath along the Derbyshire Portway, an ancient prehistoric trackway tracing a route from the Hemlock Stone on the edge of Nottingham to Mam Tor in the Peak District. With map, statistics, and GPX route file.
Statistics and Files
Grid Ref: SK 490 386
Distance: 48 miles (77 km)
Time: 20–24 hours
Duration: 3–4 days
Ordnance Survey Explorer Maps (1:25,000):
OL1 The Peak District – Dark Peak Area
OL24 The Peak District – White Peak Area
259 Derby, Uttoxeter, Ashbourne and Cheadle
260 Nottingham and Vale of Belvoir
269 Chesterfield and Alfreton
Summary
The Derbyshire Portway is an ancient prehistoric trackway which can be traced from Mam Tor in the north of Derbyshire to the Hemlock Stone on the edge of Nottingham. Along the route are a fascinating variety of prehistoric and historic sites, including hermitages, hillforts, tumuli, carved crosses, churches, and standing stones. Believed to date from the Bronze Age and in regular use until the late Middle Ages, the Portway has been followed by travellers for thousands of years as a link between the Trent Valley, the Peak District, and beyond. The journey of about 48 miles can be walked as a whole or in stages, and includes Dale, Morley, Coxbench, Holbrook, Milford, Wirksworth, Alport, Ashford, and Wardlow. Much of the route follows quiet lanes or footpaths, taking the walker through some of Derbyshire’s most delightful scenery, from the lush Derwent Valley to the moors of the Dark Peak.