Volunteers join forces to lead tours of historic Derwent Valley

Volunteers at Cromford Mills are joining forces with those at another mill to provide comprehensive tours of the Derwent Valley to the public.

They are teaming up with volunteers at Strutt’s North Mill, in Belper, to run a programme of escorted full-day tours of the historic valley, taking in all the popular sites and some fascinating lesser-known ones.

There are three different tours on offer. One covers the highlights and takes in Cromford Mills, the Cromford Canal, the High Peak Railway, Belper Mill and Darley Abbey, with walking tours and visits.

The two other tours give a more detailed exploration of the Cromford and Belper areas generally.

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Guests are picked up in either Derby or Matlock and tours provide value for money lunch opportunities.

Trevor Griffin, the volunteer team manager, said: “The team must have over a century of experience between them in leading tours and each one has learned a lot more about the valley in order to spread their professionalism wider.

“We know that people will enjoy spending their day being personally escorted and looked after by very knowledgeable and entertaining people.”

The tours are part of an experiment funded through Great Place, a joint National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England Scheme.

Professor Ian Whitehead, chair of the Great Place Scheme Board, said: “It’s important to look at new ideas which engage wider audiences with the World Heritage Site and its stories.

“The Experiment Fund has been a great opportunity for us to test out some of those ideas, and we hope the tours will be a great success for the valley.”

Tickets are currently on offer, priced £25, through the Derwent Valley Tours website www.derwentvalleytours.co.uk.