The Derwent Valley Trust was the brainchild of Graham Knight (1949 – 2009). Graham worked in local radio in Nottingham and Derby and whilst undertaking an MA in Conservation Management, produced a list of places of historical interest within the wider river corridor. He thought that this valuable heritage should be better known and shared with a wider public.
Graham was keen on the idea of a braided way running along the valley, eventually to become known as The Derwent Valley Heritage Way. The vision was for a combination of footpath, cycleway and bridleway on the same route where practicable but otherwise crossing and joining each other. If visitors could be encouraged to leave their cars and use the Way, traffic congestion would be reduced and they would find more to see. The route ran from Ladybower Reservoir at the head of the Valley to Shardlow at the confluence with the River Trent and took in what was later to become the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This idea was adopted by the Trust but initial costings showed that the cycleway had some problems with finding a safe route avoiding busy roads and would be expensive. Hence the footpath became the first target. Maurice Deakin of the Peak and Northern Footpath Society helped to identify a route based on existing recognised footpaths. Financial support was provided by Lafarge Cement, Derbyshire County Council, the Peak District National Park Authority, East Midlands Development Agency, the Environment Agency Southern Derbyshire Chamber, and WREN (Waste Recycling Environmental) .
Following the millennium, a guide book was published for the Heritage Way and this was updated by Brian Walters and reprinted in 2013.
In 2015 Derek Latham and Ian Scott became Trustees and, having cycled down the Danube cycleway , resurrected the concept of a Derwent Valley Cycleway. A working group was formed and a new, off road, route identified. With the support of Derby City Council, a financial cost benefit appraisal was undertaken which showed a very high value return on investment, in terms of economy and the convenience, health and safety of potential users.
The Trust then prepared a comprehensive brief for a new feasibility study
New trustees were recruited and a lobbying campaign was launched with a promotional cycle ride and numerous exhibits at local shows, recruiting over a thousand supporters. The County Council assessed its priorities as part of the Key Cycle Network and in 2020 commissioned Aecom to undertake the feasibility study in partnership with the Trust.
Meanwhile, the Trust, envisaging a world class tourist attraction of cycling from the Inland Heritage Port of Shardlow at its confluence with the River Trent, up the valley to the reservoirs near the source of the Derwent, and canoeing back across the reservoirs and down the river to the Port, created the concept of a Derwent Riverway, or Paddle Trail, which it is now pursuing.
Given the increasing burden on local authority finances, with the support of The Lubrizol Corporation, in 2021 a team of Rangers was created to help maintain the Heritage Way and act as ambassadors for the Trust. In 2023 the 2nd edition of the guide book sold out and a 3rd edition was edited by David Moreton and will be published with the help of Lubrizol.
In the future it is planned to create a Derwent Valley Horse Trail, linked to the Pennine Bridleway, which will fulfil Graham Knight’s original vision.
