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Middleton Top

6.8 miles (11 km)

Ordnance Survey Map Open Streetmap At Middleton Top you will find an excellent visitor centre with a number of good walking trails to try. The site includes the Middleton Top Engine House which you can visit on certain weekends throughout the year. Built in 1829 it was used to haul wagons up the Middleton incline and has been recently restored.
This circular walk takes you west from the centre to Harboro Rocks, before returning via Griffe Grange and Middleton Moor. The route makes use of some of the popular waymarked trails which run through the area.
Starting from the centre car park you head west along the High Peak Trail. The shared walking and cycle path follows a disused railway line from Cromford to Dowlow. This section will take past Eniscloud Farm to Harboro Rocks. There's super views from here over the Peak District and the lovely Carsington Water.
Just after passing the rocks you turn north east to pick up a section of the Limestone Way. A footpath then turns south east to take you through Griffe Grange before passing the quarries on Middleton Moor. The route then turns south to return you to the visitor centre and the finish point of the walk.
Another good walk to try from the centre is the hike to the Cromford Black Rocks.
Follow the High Peak trail a short distance to the east and you will soon come to the site. Here you will find striking gritstone outcrop surrounded by the woodland of Cromford Moor. There are wonderful views of the Derwent Valley from the rocks which are in an elevated position above the town of Cromford.

Postcode

DE4 4LS - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locations

Middleton Top OS Map Ordnance survey map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Middleton Top Open Street Map Open Streetmap - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Pubs/Cafes

There's a cafe and shop next to the visitor centre where you can pick up sandwiches and drinks.
One nice idea is to stroll down into Wirksworth and enjoy some refreshments at The Blacks Head. They have a good menu and a lovely sun trap garden area for warmer days. It's cosy indoors with log burners during the chilly months. You can find them on the Market Place at postcode DE4 4ET for your sat navs.

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

The circular Brassington Walk starts from the nearby village and visits the site before heading to Carsington Water. The historic village is well worth a visit, with several centuries old limestone cottages, a church dating from the Norman period and a notable Tudor house built in 1615. There's also a fine 17th century inn with oak beams from the ships of the Spanish Armada.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Peak District Walks page.

Photos

Middleton Top engine house. - geograph.org.uk - 107706

Middleton Top engine house. This engine house is situated at the top of the Middleton incline and is the only one remaining of nine which were originally located at the top of every incline on the Cromford and High Peak Railway. It houses a Butterley beam engine which was used to haul waggons up the incline. The engine still operates one weekend a month during the summer using compressed air instead of the timber that was originally used to fire the boilers.

Harboro' Rocks (7872912792)

Just off the High Peak Trail, the Harboro' Rocks provide a grand viewpoint across Carsington Water and southern Derbyshire

Middleton Top - Viewpoint Indicator - geograph.org.uk - 349847

Viewpoint Indicator. Detailed closeup of plaque. It shows all the places of interest that you can see on a fine day from Middleton Top.

Former quarry workings at Harboro Rocks - geograph.org.uk - 448676

Former quarry workings at Harboro Rocks. These concrete remains have an air of Egyptian or Aztec temple remains about them.

Footpath crossing, Griffe Grange - geograph.org.uk - 272493

Footpath crossing, Griffe Grange. The footpath from which the photograph was taken, leads back to the High Peak Trail at Hopton Top.

Footpath to Griffe Grange Valley - geograph.org.uk - 1529678

Footpath to Griffe Grange Valley

Hopton Top Plaque - geograph.org.uk - 1625877

Hopton Top. Plaque Describing the difficult climb up the steepest gradient on British railways

Middleton Moor - geograph.org.uk - 60846

Middleton Moor. To the right is farmland, whereas by contrast to the left is rough grassland pasture now designated as access land.

Video

GPS Files

GPX File

Middleton Top.gpx (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold>Download Linked File)

Memory Map Route

Middleton Top.mmo (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold >Download Linked File)