Curbar Edge

• Long valley views across the Derwent Valley and beyond, taking in Chatsworth and the nearby villages of Curbar, Froggatt and Calver.
• Rock formations and monoliths along the top of the edge, plus discarded millstones left from the days when these edges were quarried for them.
• Photography of the escarpment itself, the moorland ridge behind it and the green valley below.
• Climbing, with named gritstone crags along the edge used for traditional climbing; the wider run of gritstone edges here holds more than a thousand routes.
• Walking along the clifftop, with moorland trails inland and woodland paths beside the River Derwent below.

Access is from the Curbar Gap parking area above Curbar, reached from the A623 or A621. A relatively easy-going footpath leads from there up to the edge and its viewpoint, and the crest can be followed for a considerable distance. Curbar Gap itself carries real history: the pass was an old packhorse route and later a turnpike, and a stone guide stoop stands near the car park. There is a picnic area with views, and Highland cattle graze the ground here. Longer circuits from the same start link Curbar Edge with Froggatt Edge and White Edge, mostly flat with one or two steep sections and some narrow, stony paths.

This is exposed, uneven ground. The gritstone slabs are broken and sloping, the top of the edge is open to the wind, and the sensible move is to keep well back from the cliff outcrops, especially with children or dogs. Wear boots with grip and be prepared for the weather to feel much stronger up here than it does at the car park.