High Peak Junction Visitor Centre & Workshops
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Overview
High Peak Junction, at the meeting of the Cromford Canal and the High Peak Trail, was once the hub of transport activity but is now a haven of heritage and wildlife. A mile southeast of Cromford, it forms part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. There are buildings and workshops from the former Cromford and High Peak Railway – one of the first railways, built on canal principles. The High Peak Junction Visitor Centre offers information and a warm welcome, in addition to refreshments, gifts and a variety of maps, walk leaflets and books. Just a few minutes’ walk away is the canal aqueduct over the River Derwent and the magnificent Leawood Pump House, a steam powered beam engine which operates on some summer weekends and Bank Holidays. Claimed to be among the world’s oldest surviving railway workshops, the High Peak Junction Workshops were built around 1830 and are now faithfully restored to how they would have looked in the 1880s. Standing literally at the junction of the Cromford Canal and the High Peak Trail, a mile south east of Cromford village and in the beautiful Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, it is now a haven for wildlife and an ideal location for a stroll or a heritage or nature walk. An audio guide takes visitors back to the days of steam on the former Cromford and High Peak Railway.
Features
- Opening Times
- Open all year
- Opening Times: Open Easter-Oct 10-5; Nov-Easter 10.15-4.15
- Facilities
- Parking onsite
- Parking nearby
About the area
The natural features of this central English county range from the modest heights of the Peak District National Park, where Kinder Scout stands at 2,088 ft (636 m), to the depths of its remarkable underground caverns, floodlit to reveal exquisite Blue John stone. Walkers and cyclists will enjoy the High Peak Trail which extends from the Derwent Valley to the limestone plateau near Buxton, and for many, the spectacular scenery is what draws them to the area.
Places to eat nearby View all
Nearby places to stay
View all (8)
Self-Catering
The Waiting Room Holiday Cottage
- Private garden
- Washing machine
- Sky or freeview
- Linens provided
Nearby places to stay
Holloway House
Set on the edge of the village, Holloway House is a 19th-century, pre-Victorian delight. The place has a great atmosphere and a real sense of period elegance. The dining room is particu...
Holloway House
Set on the edge of the village, Holloway House is a 19th-century, pre-Victorian delight. The place has a great atmosphere and a real sense of period elegance. The dining room is particu...
The Waiting Room Holiday Cottage
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The Waiting Room Holiday Cottage
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Oakhill
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Portland House
Portland House is a large Victorian holiday home in historic Matlock Bath. Large groups can be easily accommodated, in the mostly en suite bedrooms, delightful dining room, sitting room...
Portland House
Portland House is a large Victorian holiday home in historic Matlock Bath. Large groups can be easily accommodated, in the mostly en suite bedrooms, delightful dining room, sitting room...
Carpenter's Cottage
Ideal for a family holiday, this spacious, welcoming cottage is located on the Derbyshire Dales. There are amazing views down the valley towards Matlock and across the hills, and the co...
