Experts and enthusiasts frequently rank it among the very best in the country.
- Where to start
- Tapton Lock Visitor Centre, Lockoford Lane, Chesterfield S41 7JB. A short way from the Hospital.
- Map
- Google Maps
- The towpath
- Free to walk or cycle
The Chesterfield Canal
Chesterfield Canal
a towpath from the town
Affectionately known as "The Cuckoo Way", the Chesterfield Canal is one of the most beautiful and historic waterways in England. Stretching from the River Trent all the way into the heart of Chesterfield, it offers a beautifully quiet, leafy green escape from the bustle of the town centre. Within the world of British waterways, the Chesterfield Canal holds a truly elite status for both its scenery and its pioneering history.
High praise
Robbie Cumming, a prominent narrowboat enthusiast and star of the BBC’s Canal Boat Diaries, explicitly described the Chesterfield Canal as “one of the most beautiful canals in the whole of the system”.
The engineering
Opened in 1777, it was surveyed by James Brindley, the legendary “father of English canals”, who died in 1772, before it was finished. It features some of the earliest staircase locks ever built in Britain, now over 250 years old.
The stone for Westminster
The Magnesian Limestone used to build the Houses of Parliament was quarried in North Anston and carried along this canal to the River Trent.
Why it still looks like this
Stretches of the canal and its visitor hubs have won national Green Flag Awards. Because it was never heavily altered by later industrial expansions, it keeps a lush, winding, unspoiled character. Parts of it are Sites of Special Scientific Interest, for rare aquatic wildlife and the water.
Walk, cycle, and look
The flat, well-maintained towpath is a gentle stroll, a morning run, or a family bike ride under a canopy of weeping willows. Keep an eye out for kingfishers, herons, and water voles.
A boat trip
The Chesterfield Canal Trust runs public narrowboat trips in the season, through the historic locks.
- When
- Seasonal. Dates and fares are on the Trust’s website.