Dogging in Derbyshire: area guide

The lie of the land in Derbyshire

Derbyshire has two faces. Derby sits in the south, on the River Derwent, and is the county's only city. Chesterfield, Ilkeston, Long Eaton, Swadlincote and the old mining towns of the east are all low-lying and built up. Here the M1 runs along the edge and the county runs into Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire without much of a break.

Head north and west and the ground rises fast. Much of the county sits inside the Peak District National Park, the first in Britain. The south of it is the White Peak, with pale limestone, steep dales and drystone walls. The north is the Dark Peak, with gritstone edges and bare moorland. Buxton, Matlock, Bakewell and Ashbourne are the main market towns of the hills, and Glossop sits on the western edge facing Greater Manchester.

That mix draws people from every side. Some drive up from Derby and Nottingham, others come over from Sheffield and Manchester, and many pass through on the way to somewhere else. The hills are a long way from the city lights, and they are often emptier than they look on a map. That is a good reason to read up on the ground before you go anywhere.

Getting about safely

The M1 runs up the eastern side of the county, with the A38 and A52 crossing through Derby. The A6 follows the Derwent Valley through Belper and Matlock into the Peak. Across the high ground the main routes are the A515, the A53 to Buxton and the A57 Snake Pass towards Sheffield. The Snake Pass and the A628 Woodhead route are among the first roads to close when snow or fog arrives, so check before you set off.

Derby has direct trains to London St Pancras, Birmingham, Sheffield and Nottingham. The Derwent Valley line runs on to Matlock, and Buxton and the Hope Valley are served from Manchester. Services thin out after about 10pm, and some branch lines stop earlier, so look up the last train before you leave and not once you are out.

Away from the main roads, lanes in the dales are steep and narrow, with walls on both sides and nowhere to pull in. Most are unlit. Mobile signal drops out in the deeper valleys, and the high moors can be in cloud when Derby is clear. Ice sits in shaded bends long after the towns have thawed. The Derwent and its tributaries flood low roads around Matlock, Belper and Derby after heavy rain, and floodwater can be deeper than it looks. If a road is under water, turn round.