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My daughter Sophie regularly asks me to take her to Curbar Edge for a walk on summer evenings. It ticks all the boxes - it's easy to get to, the walks are as long or short as you like, the views great, lots to see and, if you're a child or still act and play like one, plenty to climb and scramble over.
Curbar Edge makes a spectacular backdrop to the village of Calver just along the A623 road from Baslow towards Buxton. The fields rise gently from the River Derwent and climb steeper and steeper until the exposed millstone grit emerges from the ground nearer the top at about 330m above sea level. A strip of exposed gritstone runs along Curbar Edge from the Curbar road and gap until it joins Froggatt Edge about a mile away to the west. This has created a paradise for climbers who are almost always to be found clambering up the many routes along the edge. To climbers Curbar Edge is known as the "Cloggy of the Peak" as there are so many difficult routes amongst the 280 or so recognised routes along its length.
What to see and how to enjoy?
The views from Curbar Edge are broad and the eye can travel from the peaks in the north west of the region, follow the gritstone edges and then along the Derwent valley through the Chatsworth Estate and beyond towards Matlock. On the far side of the valley there are rather too many scars that bear witness to the limestone quarries that are still scattered throughout the Peak District, although many are now closing or have closed given the planning laws and the economics that make their existence rather more vulnerable than ever before. Whilst I have no desire to see large chunks of the region literally taken away in lorries, I am also somewhat sympathetic to the business interests and employment; quarrying has been going on in the area much longer than we can remember and large communities were built on the industry. If only a sensible balance could be maintained between business interests and the preservation of the Peak District but, alas, I fear that there is always too strong a bias which means something eventually has to give.
Back to this side of the valley and Curbar Edge. Along the edge there are many signs that this was once a busy source of millstones, including several nearly finished stones that were simply abandoned when the demand for stones made from millstone grit (known as "Peaks") slowed down during the late 18th century and early part of the 19th century. This reduction in demand is attributed to the increase in use of white flour which required smoother stones for grinding than the millstone grit, many such stones being imported from France. Seeing these stones is quite something when one considers they were cut and finished by hand and then transported without the powered vehicles we have available now. Each stone must weight around a ton and a pair would take about a month to cut. Then they would be taken along the top of the edge to be transported. Imagine the labour involved in doing that, the conditions in which people would need to work and the meagre existence this must have allowed. No quick buck here!
The walk along the top of the edge forms part of many published walks in the area and given the nearby public car park at Curbar Gap it is very accessible. This makes it busy with walkers, climbers and people just wanting to visit Curbar Edge. For a short walk starting at the car park and walking along the edge to Froggatt Edge and back again makes a wonderful and invigorating evening stroll along a path that closely follows the contour of the edge. I prefer evenings as they tend to be much quieter but you will rarely get the place to yourself as there will inevitably be other walkers or photographers if the weather promises a good sunset display, climbers tackling the many great routes or sheep trying to find something to eat.
What and how to photograph?
Curbar Edge faces south-west for its entire length so the evening sunlight will light up the rock edge quite beautifully, something many photographers have been keen to capture. That includes me, many times, and I have repeatedly visited over the last few years to try to capture the perfect picture! My favourite vantage point is an outcrop towards the western end of Curbar Edge, where the path starts to fall away gently towards Froggatt Edge. This allows me to move out from the face a little and look back along the length of the edge towards Curbar Gap and Baslow Edge beyond. When it's very windy this is rather exposed, so if you want to try be careful, the drop would be damaging, not just painful!
Along with Stanage Edge and Birchen Edge, Curbar is one of the most popular rock climbing locations along the Peak District gritstone edges, so there is often plenty to photograph if you want some activity in your pictures. From late afternoon into evening the light is most flatterring, although bright overcast days are great if you want action shots rather than great art.
The weather in all of Derbyshire is changeable at the best of times, but one of the best times to see the edges at the most dramatic is during rain, especially in the gaps between rain. The contrast between the dark millstone grit rock and dark rain clouds can be quite spectacular - as in the photograph below I once got lucky and managed to capture a rainbow against such dark clouds that ended at Curbar Gap. That was serendipitous!
Derbyshire can also be very foggy at times and as clouds descend across the peaks some interesting views can emerge.
How to get there?
There is a public car park (pay and display) at Curbar Gap which is a short walk away from the edge itself. This makes it very accessible to most although disabled visitors will find it difficult. Wheelchair access is not possible but pushchairs that can cross rough ground can get there. Do remember that Curbar Edge is much higher than the Derwent Valley below and there will almost certainly be a good breeze blowing to reduce the temperature further. This car park gets very busy indeed at weekends and during the summer, so be prepared to go elsewhere! Many cars park on the roadside causing an obstruction, so be aware.
Local amenities
The nearest village is Curbar which has next to nothing by way of facilities, but Calver on the A623 has a pub, craft shop with tea rooms, garage and a couple of shops including Outside which also has its own cafe. In nearby Baslow there are several excellent small shops, a hotel, pubs and restaurants. Bakewell is within a few minutes drive and has a broad range of facilities but gets very busy indeed, especially during weekends and bank holidays.
What else is nearby?
Curbar Edge is part of the approximately 30 mile stretch of exposed gritstone edges that traverse the Derbyshire Peak District. Froggatt Edge is immediately to the west and Baslow Edge to the east. The Chatsworth Estate is just a few miles away towards Matlock. The original plague village of Eyam is close by and well worth visiting. Bakewell is the centre of the Peak District and a must visit, although busy as noted above.
Useful links and references
For rock climbing at Curbar see the UK Climbing website. |
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