Another trip into the deep dark hilly badlands of Derbyshire, this time to a hidden little gem called Lumsdale Valley. A wooded gorge of crumbled stone ruins from industrial remains, waterwheels, ponds and waterfalls. Tucked away above high above Matlock, under the shadow of Riber Castle and near Tansley, the site is owned by the Arkwright Society and open to the public. Its a lesser known site of a bygone age kept in frozen romantic decay.
You get the feeling that this place is meant to be hidden and not broadcast to the world for a throng of visitors. No signage, no indication, no cosy tea shops. Park yourself at the Highfields School and follow the footpath to the stone wall down towards the Bentley Brook and the lower dam. Now it becomes a natural path to explore the deep wheelhouses, old buildings and waterfalls from the power of the rushing water.
