Curbar Edge and Chatsworth House
It's a hike I've done beforehand and one I come back to time and time again. For one it's convenient parking-wise, there is a nice balance of flat, up, and downhill stretches, plus it's very easy to navigate or add extra bit on to it. In fact, that's what I did this particular time committing to walking all the way along through Chatsworth from Baslow to the parking near the Garden Centre before looping back via the village of Edensor. Altogether the walk covered ~9.6 miles and took me around 3 hrs, though I didn't stop for any lunch, just small snacks.
After parking at the Curbar Edge car park (pay & display unless National Trust member), I chose to follow the edge southwards towards Baslow. On outbound trip I walked along the edge as it gave the best views, unsurprisingly, but after a while it joined up with main gravel path which turned to go south-west and downhill, turning into a gravel track and finally a narrow road which ran into Baslow.
A little way into Baslow I turned left onto Eaton Hill which I followed all the way to main road. Crossing this, my route took me along Church Lane in roughly the same direction as I was already going. It passed over a quaint little bridge, which underneath runs the well flowing Bar Brook. Immediately after the bridge it was a right turn, following signs for Chatsworth, along a row of thatched cottages before going through a squeezer of sorts onto a path. This path then led me all the way to the bridge which crosses the River Derwent about 1 mile away.
Essentially at this point, the first stretch of the walk is complete. If you were walking this route yourself a decision could be made to walk further, explore Chatsworth House & Gardens (it costs however), or even just return the way you came if a slightly shorter walk is what you're after. In my case, I decided to continue this hike further.
I crossed over the bridge and then turned to go over the field next to the river. The path is well walked so was easy to follow initially making its way from the bridge diagonally across the field veering away from the river. It then goes up some steps and continue along the river's course. The option exists around this point to either go down next to the river or remain higher up the valley slopes away from. As I was going to have to come up out the valley regardless, I chose the high road. Following the path further, still well worn, it eventually reached the road which runs through the heart of the Chatsworth Estate.
I moved over to the other side of the road and continued walking perpendicular to the road up one side of the valley, this time on a less well marked grassy path. On either side of the valley, woodland marks the edges of it and before reaching it on the side I was on, the path turned to follow the edge of this woodland. I followed this path for a little while, somehow getting a little lost at one point, before making my way down by the village of Edensor. Here I crossed the main road running through Chatsworth again, and then followed a gravel path back to the bridge I began this section of the walk at.
From this point onward, I returned to the car following the same path back to the edge as I came down on. The only difference was, I decided to not walk along the edge but the path set slightly further back which passes by Eagle Rock, which is coincidentally a Pokestop. I also was once again reminded that regardless of the size of the hill, whether it be a small hillock or lumbering mountain, they can all prove a pain.
Overall, this is a walk I could recommend to anyone providing interest, exercise, and plenty of options to make your own.
