Two days of walks and events are being held to celebrate the beauty and heritage along the scenic Derwent Valley Line. This includes the riverside walk between Cromford and Matlock Bath through the grounds of Willersley Castle. This path is normally only open to the public for the Boxing Day raft race.
On Friday 16 and Saturday 17 May there will be guided inter-station walks, towpath walks along the beautiful Cromford Canal, tours of the historic mill communities of Belper and Cromford, nature walks and opportunities to explore the town trails in Matlock.
On the Friday evening in Cromford, discover more about East Midlands Trains planned service improvements on the Derwent Valley Line. There will also be an opportunity to view an exhibition about the history of the line.
The events have been organised by volunteers from Friends of the Derwent Valley Line (FDVL) to highlight the array of opportunities that the Derwent Valley Line offers for scenic walks and to publicise improvements to the rail service which start in December 2008.
Ian Ambrose, FDVL Chairman said "There are so many interesting places in the Derwent Valley. We hope local people will use the train to come on guided walks and find out more about this area of Derbyshire. From December 2008 East Midlands Trains will run a train every hour from Matlock through to Nottingham, which is a major improvement. We want to encourage people to avoid congestion on the A6 and relax on the train. Children in particular love train rides."
A leaflet detailing the events has been produced by the Derwent Valley Line Community Rail Partnership and is available from staffed stations, local outlets, from call Derbyshire on 08456 058 058 or at fdvl.org.uk
Emma Knight from East Midlands Trains commented "We’re keen to work with the local community on promoting services throughout our route. The events that have been arranged as part of the Community Rail Weekend are a perfect example of joined up thinking in getting more and more people onto the network and discovering the potential that train travel can bring."