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Horsley, Horlbrook, Horsley Carr & Brackley Gate
Walk Information
Walk Area:
Distance:
Start Point:
Map Ref:
Horsley
6.75 Miles (10.9 Km)
Horsley
SK 375 444
General Information
Parking:
Road Side
Tea Shops:
None
Duration:
3 Hours 10 Minutes
OS Map:
Explorer 259
Derby, Ashbourne & Cheadle
1:25000
Altitude Data
Start:
302 ft (92m)
Minimum
184 ft (56m)
Maximum
462 ft (141m)
Altitude Profile
A six and three quarter mile circular walk with one
or two assents along the way but nothing too
onerous. Starting near the Church of St Clements
in Horsley the route heads out to Holbrooks then
on to the outskirts of Litlle Eaton and Coxbench
with some fine views along the way. From the
edge of Coxbench the route makes it's way under
the A38 and up to Horsley Carr and Brackley
Gate. The route then crosses farmland towards
Horsley Woodhouse. The final leg skirts Horsley
Lodge golf course to return into the far end of the
Horsley and finish off with a walk through the
village past the three Sitwell Fountains and the
unique Grade II listed pillar box on the corner of
French Lane.
St Clement's, Horsley
Getting There:
Horsley is situated six miles to the north of Derby and around four miles to the south of Ripley.
Access by road to Horsley is best from the A38 to the north of Derby. Leave the A38 at the exit for
Kilburn B6179, follow the signs for Kilburn and Ripley, at the traffic lights turn right onto theA609.
Follow the road past a small painted traffic island into the outskirts of Kilburn. After a short
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Horsley, Horlbrook, Horsley Carr & Brackley Gate
distance the A609 wings sharp left, here take the side road that appears to go straight ahead on the
crown of the bend. This road is quite narrow and parked cars often reduce it to single file traffic.
Follow the road into Horsley and up to the Church of St Clement's and St John, parking for this
walk is road side only. It is also worth noting that St Clement's is a well attended church and on
Sundays when services are held you may find that you need to park a little further away from the
start point of this walk than at other times.
Horsely also has a regular bus service "Amberline" which stops near to the start of this walk making
this walk easily accessible from Derby, Heanor, Hucknall and Eastwood. The current times for this
service are available from both Derby Bus Info and Trent Barton Buses websites.
The Walk:
This walk starts at the rather ornate fountain on the triangle of grass near to St Clements Church,
like all of the fountains in Horsley it is named after one of the daughters of the Rev Sitwell who
gifted three fountains to the village in 1864, this one has the name Sophia. Walk towards the church
from the fountain then take the footpath on the right through the stone stile at the edge of the
churchyard, follow the path the length of the churchyard to exit over another stile at the rear of St
Clement's Church. Keeping the metal handrail to the right and a hedgerow to the left follow the
footpath down the hill away from the church, at the end of the handrail pass left through the hedge
and squeeze stile then down a short flight of stone steps to enter into a field. Turn right and continue
down the hillside to a wooden step stile in a wire fence, then continue a head to a wide step stile to
the right of a white farm gate. Turn right once again and walk along the path with a hedge to the
right until another stile to the left of another farm gate is reached, cross this step stile then follow
the drive way ahead down to B6179 between Lower Kilburn and Coxbench.
On reaching the road cross to the other side taking care as you go as this is a fairly busy fast flowing
road, then turn left to walk under the A38, once again take care when crossing the slip roads,
especially the final one as traffic tends not to slow down when entering that one. Once past the A38
slip roads carry on along the pavement to a footpath sign on the right pointing into the hedgerow.
Cross a rather dilapidated wooden stile into a rough
paddock, on the other side of the paddock there is a
way marked gap in the fence on to a gravel track.
This track is what was until recently a disused
railway line between Little Eaton and Kilburn, the
gravel is now all that remains. On the far side of the
former track bed pass to the right of a wooden farm
gate into a field, walk up the field with the hedge to
Onwards To Holbrook
the right and exit over a stone footbridge and step
stile into a second field. Walk directly ahead across the field (or around the boundary if crops are
present) to a double stile arrangement just to the left of the telegraph pole and bus stop on the other
side of the hedge.
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Horsley, Horlbrook, Horsley Carr & Brackley Gate
Exit the field onto Port Way and turn right, then cross the road and
take the continuation of the foot path just beyond the bus stop and
telegraph pole. Follow the path up the rather gloomy path between
two properties to return to daylight through a wooden gate onto the
back lawn of one of the properties, please respect the fact that this
next short section is someone’s garden! Keeping as close to the hedge
on the right as possible walk up the lawn and exit at the top right
corner through an old stone squeeze stile into a field.
The exit from this field is through a double wooden farm gate just
beyond an old stone drinking trough in the far top left corner of the
field, make you way there at your own discretion as the grass is quite
long and will hold water for a while after rain. Turn left after exiting
the field and walk along the road past a cottage with rambling roses to
a signed stile beside a rusting farm gate. Beyond the stile a short
Stone Drinking Trough
distance ahead is a second basic stile in a wire fence, cross this fence
into a paddock containing a couple of horses, the horses are quite friendly and may well wonder
over to see if you have anything edible for them. The exit is again in the top left corner of the filed
over a step stile beside a metal gate, cross the small paddock (yet more horses) and exit over
another stile beside another metal gate. Continue in the same direction along the obvious path
towards the tree line ahead and pass through a way marked gap in a wooden fence into a narrow
strip of woodland then follow the path to exit into another field. From this point cross the field to a
gap in the hedge line then continue heading slightly left towards the middle of a block of trees on
the far side of the next field. The trees ahead are the edge of Eatonpark Wood, on reaching the
wood enter via a way marked stile then follow then follow the path to a junction of footpaths. There
is now a choice either continue as described, or bear left and reduce the route by just over threequarters of a mile.
If you take the shorter route, turn left and follow the Millennium Way long distance footpath down
through the woodland into the top of Whittaker Lane, then down Whittaker Lane until you reach
Alftreton Road near to the Bell and Harp public house then turn left to rejoin the walk.
Staying with the published route turn left then take the stile
almost immediately to the right with the Millennium Way twin
acorn marker to enter a narrow pasture. Walk across the pasture
and exit through a stock gate into another section of Eatonpark
Wood, keeping the wire fence to the left walk through the wood
and exit through another stock gate. Bear left and follow the
hedge line for a short distance then continue on the same
heading across the field to a rather well made wooden
footbridge across a brook that may or may not be flowing
dependant on when the route is walked. On the far side of the
bridge follow the path to exit the woodland into open farmland,
continue ahead to a double plank bridge into another field.
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Wooden Footbridge
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Horsley, Horlbrook, Horsley Carr & Brackley Gate
Once again keep to the left and follow the field boundary to the far corner, exit through a hedge and
over a wooden stile then go down the slope to the right of a large tree, keeping left follow the hedge
and power lines to a sign post pointing right to Rigga Lane, turn left and go through the metal
kissing gate. Follow the path across the next piece of land to another metal kissing gate with the
AVBC (Amber valley Borough Council) Routeway 9 way-marker, go through the gate and turn
immediate left. With a wall to the left follow the path until it enters a piece of open ground through
a rather awkward squeeze stile, walk along the well worn path across the field towards a dip in the
tree line on the opposite side of the field and exit through a rather rickety gate onto a lane. Turn left
and follow the lane down the hill until it reaches Alfreton Road on the outskirts of Little Eaton.
Turn left and follow Alfreton Road for around half a mile
passing both Whittaker Lane and the Bell and Harp public house
(parts of which have been a hostelry for over two hundred years)
along the way. Beyond the Bell and Harp take the bridleway on
the right beside the white clad cottage near the Coxbench sign,
although it may look like some one's driveway (which it is) the
bridleway exit ahead is immediately obvious as you enter. Cross
the gravel trackbed of the former railway line and the footbridge
over Bottle Brook to exit out onto the B6179, be careful as there
are no footpaths.
The bridleway continues on the opposite side of the road, but be
careful as you cross as this is a fast flowing road and drivers are
unlikely to be expecting people to be crossing at this point.
Continue along the bridleway, following as it turns sharp left to
track along side the A38 then right through an underpass that
The Bell & Harp
has no obvious reason t be there. On the far side of the
underpass the route turns right to a wide wooden gate then left to resume it's original course up to
Horsley Carr. Walk up the hill with the wall and hedge tot he left into the woodland of Horsley Carr,
as you enter the woods the path becomes steeper ans splits. Taking the left path climb the final
section of the slope to reach a roadway and the half way point of the walk.
Follow the roadway to the left through the woodland for just under a mile to Brackley Gate. Along
the way there are a couple of permanent mud bath sections, but in both cases there are paths around
them to the right, as you go ignore foot path signs off to the right and at the point where the track
divides take the lower path to the left directly ahead. At the Brackley Gate road junction continue
along the road ahead for a short distance before taking the footpath on the left just beyond the farm,
once again there are no pavements so take care. Cross the stone step stile on the left beside a double
wooden gate, the stile is a bit awkward form this direction but has steps on the other side. Cross the
small rough paddock and exit through a stone stile beside a metal gate. Pass in front of the wooden
cattle shed and keeping the wall to the left exit the field through a double way-marked stile in the
corner. Here there is a junction of fields and gates, the route we want is through the adjacent field
directly ahead with the field wall to the left. Follow the wall to the pair of Hawthorn trees visible in
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Horsley, Horlbrook, Horsley Carr & Brackley Gate
the distance and exit the field between them the fence beside a cracked metal dome. Walk across
the next field to a stock gate and wooden bridge across a ditch then walk down the left side of the
next long field to exit onto Smally Mill Road through another stock gate.
Cross the road and go through the metal kissing gate on the other side, cross the
small paddock to a stock gate with a AVBC Routeway 2 marker then onto
another stock gate and a footbridge over Park Brook. Cross diagonal right
across the next paddock to yet another stock gate then walk up the length of the
next field to a wooden kissing gate near the corner of the field. Once through
the gate cross a ditch over another wooden plank bridge then go diagonally
right again to a footpath marker post. At the post do not go through the hedge
instead follow the AVBC 2 arrow and walk up the field with the hedgerow to
the right. At the top of the field there is a stock gate that does not open too far
because of a large wooden post, get through this gate as best you can then
continue as before to a another similarly obstructed stock gate. Cross the
paddock ahead and exit through a wooden gate and stile combination onto the
road between Woodside and Horsley Woodhouse near to the Sitwell Arms
public house. Cross the road and head left away from the pub for a distance of
Marker Post
around 350 yards (320m) to a 40 mph road sign as the road begins to drop
down away from Woodside. Across the road at this point is a way marked stile, the marker post for
this footpath has recently fallen down so it may not be immediately obvious. Cross both the road
and stile and enter into a wide field with a hedgerow and trees to the left.
Keeping the hedge to the left walk across the field to a metal gate in the far corner, walk directly
across the next field (there are usually lambs here in spring so please keep dogs under control) to
another metal gate. Here there is a warning of a Bull in the next field,I have walked this path
several times and never seen it! Cross the field and exit through a wooden kissing gate and plank
bridge. The next section is quite short but narrow with the path squeezed between a hedge to the
right and a wire fence to the left, this is soon exited over a step stile through the hedge into an arable
field. Keeping the hedge to the left walk along the field to a farm vehicle gap in the fence ahead, go
through the gap then bear right down the field along a well trodden path to a gap in the hedge just to
the left of a Holly tree. Cross the ditch over another plank bridge and step stile then bear diagonal
left to another step stile through a Hawthorn hedge. Continue directly across the next narrow field
to a metal kissing gate then keeping the hedge and golf course to the left continue across then next
two fields to arrive at another metal kissing gate. There were lots of butterflies along this section
including large and small whites, orange tip, and fritillary's. Follow the way-marked path up into
an area of shrubs and small trees to arrive at another metal gate leading onto the golf course. Do not
go through this gate instead turn right and walk up the slope a short distance to a metal kissing gate.
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Horsley, Horlbrook, Horsley Carr & Brackley Gate
Pass through the kissing gate, ahead now should be the brick building that is Horsley Telephone
Exchange and some houses. Continue along the path across a grassy area to a metal garden style
gate. Continue along the path across a grassy area to a metal garden
type gate and exit between the houses onto Lady Lea Road. On
reaching Lady Lea Road turn left and walk towards Horsley and the
Coach and Horsed public house, on the opposite side of the road to
the pub is a road junction with a small sunken triangle of grass, this
is the site of Rosamund the smallest of the three Sitewll fountains
(and the only one still in water). Continue along the road to reach
the primary school, a little further along on the opposite side of the
road is French Lane, each of the corners into the lane has an item of
historic interest. The first corner has the second of the Sitwell
fountains (Blanche) set into a garden wall under a tree, the opposite
corner is home to a unique Grade II listed pillar box. From French
Lane continue along the road back to the village green and Sophia
the most ornate of the Sitwell fountains to complete the walk.
The Rosamund Fountain
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