The River Wye is a limestone river in the Peak District of Derbyshire, England. It is long, although it is widely quoted as being long, which refers to the section within the National Park. It is one of the major tributaries of the River Derwent, which flows into the River Trent, and ultimately into the Humber and the North Sea.
The river rises just west of Buxton, on Axe Edge Moor, and the flow is augmented by water which passes underground through Poole's Cavern before rising at Wye Head. The two sources join as they cross the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton. The river then flows east through the dales of the Wye Valley, along a route roughly followed by the A6 road. It enters the Peak District, flows just south of Tideswell, then through Ashford in the Water and Bakewell, passing to the south of Haddon Hall, before meeting the River Derwent at Rowsley. The main tributary of the river is the River Lathkill, which enters approximately one mile from its mouth.
It is possible to walk alongside much of the length of the river, either following public or permissive footpaths that run along the river bank, or following the former Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway line, part of which is now the Monsal Trail and provides views of the river. Its final crossing of the river at Monsal Dale is by a viaduct some above the river, which enraged the writer John Ruskin at the time it was built, but is now a listed structure.
The River Wye is one of Derbyshire's best-known rivers and is popular with anglers because of the large numbers of wild brown, rainbow trout and grayling it contains. The alkalinity of the Wye provides a rich source of nutrients that leads to an abundance of insects, invertebrates and other wildlife. This ensures that the trout and grayling grow quickly on a diet of freshwater shrimp, caddisfly and mayfly. The river is the only river in Britain known to support a breeding population of rainbow trout, as most varieties do not breed in British waters.
The river has supplied water power to a number of water mills along its length in the past. Those on the upper river were largely used for milling corn, but cotton mills were a feature of buildings further down stream. Some have disappeared without trace, but several of the buildings have been reused for other purposes. Cauldwell Mill survived until recently, being operated by a charitable trust after it ceased commercial production in 1974. It served as a tourist attraction, but it closed in 2023 when the trust became bankrupt.
Course The River Wye rises as four small streams on Axe Edge Moor, to the south-west of Buxton. All four streams are crossed by the A54 road before they join and continue northwards. The river turns to the north east, and is crossed by a disused railway embankment, before it reaches Burbage, where it is crossed by Macclesfield Old Road and Bishop's Lane. A small tributary which flows to the south east joins on its left bank, as the river turns to the east. Another tributary, flowing southwards from a waterfall near Cavendish Golf Club, joins on the left bankOrdnance Survey, 1:25000 map just before it enters Pavilion Gardens, a grade II* listed park and gardens. They cover around and during the 17th century were the private gardens of Buxton Hall. The area beside the river was enhanced in the 1830s by Joseph Paxton, for the 6th Duke of Devonshire, and further work took place in the 1870s. The 7th Duke gave it to the Buxton Improvements Company in the 19th century and ownership later passed to Buxton Corporation, who have retained it as a public park.
Within the park, the main channel is joined by another source of the Wye, which flows through the public show cave of Poole's Cavern and emerges on the north side of the B5059 Macclesfield Road at Wye Head. It enters the park and passes through some large ponds before the junction. Where the river reaches the eastern edge of the park, it enters a culvert. Prior to 1780, the river followed a west-to-east route beneath what is now The Crescent. The 5th Duke of Devonshire employed the architect John Carr to carry out building projects to make Buxton more attractive to visitors. In order the build The Crescent, he diverted the river further to the north, through a culvert, and then built the semi-circular building over the river bed. It consisted of a hotel, an assembly room and five lodging houses, and was completed in 1788. Although altered in the 19th and 20th centuries, many original features remain, and the building is grade I listed.<rev> More of the river was culverted in the 1980s, to allow the Spring Gardens Shopping Centre to be built over it. Two small open sections are still visible before it passes under Bridge Street and a railway embankment to emerge into the open air again, close to the Ashwood Dale play area.Ordnance Survey, 1:2500 map
Here it is joined by another tributary. Hogshaw Brook rises on Combs Moss, and flows to the south east. Nun Brook rises near Blackedge Farm, and flows to the south. They join, and then enter a culvert which starts near Lightwood Avenue, and ends to the south of the freight-only railway line to Tunstead Quarry. The stream is crossed by the A6 Fairfield Road just before its junction with the Wye. Below Buxton, the river flows in a steep-sided valley, with the A6 road on its southern bank. The railway to Tunstead Quarry is sandwiched into the same valley, but takes a somewhat straighter course, crossing the river six times. The valley is called first Ashwood Dale, where there is a tributary which joins the right bank of the river, then Wye Dale, where the river is joined by another right-bank tributary which flows northwards through Deep Dale, and then Chee Dale. Here the railway to Tunstead Quarry turns northwards up Great Rocks Dale, while the original continuation of the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway to becomes the Monsal Trail, a walking, cycling and horse-riding trail that runs to Bakewell. The A6 road leaves the valley, to follow a more southerly route.
Middle river Within Chee Dale, the river is crossed by a railway bridge carrying the Monsal Trail and another disused railway bridge which formed a chord to the Great Rocks Dale line. The Monsal Trail crosses on another railway bridge, and the river then loops back on itself and forms a large loop to the north. Wormhill Springs adds to the flow of the river, and Chee Dale Nature Reserve is on the left bank. The reserve covers and is managed by the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. It is notable for its ash woodland, limestone grassland, and the deep gorge through which the river runs. The Monsal Trail avoids the loop, crossing to the south of the river at is start and end, with a tunnel between the two bridges. The second bridge has three arches constructed of blue brick, supported by two pillars of limestone. A stream flowing northwards through Blackwell Dale joins the river on its right bank and the B6049 road crosses as the river enters Millers Dale. There are toilets and car parking available at the former Millers Dale railway station, which provides an access point both to the Monsal Trail, and to the riverside footpath which runs upstream along the left bank to Topley Pike junction, where the trail starts.
The next crossing is the north and south railway viaducts, two parallel bridges that cross the river obliquely. The south viaduct dates from 1862 to 1863, and is grade II* listed. A wrought iron deck is supported by three masonry arches to the west and three spans of wrought iron to the east. Because of the angle of the crossing, the pillars are staggered and are of an irregular hegagonal shape. The deck is around above the river, and carries the Monsal Trail. The north viaduct was added in 1905, as traffic on the railway increased. It is of similar appearance and is supported by four masonry arches to the west with three steel spans to the east. The stream which runs down Monk's Dale joins the river on its left bank, and a minor road to Litton Mill shares the valley. At Cressbrook, the stream that flows down Cressbrook Dale joins on the left bank. In Monsal Dale, the Monsal Trail emerges from a tunnel and crosses the river for the final time. The viaduct has five round arches, and is built of limestone rubble with brick detailing. It dates from 1862 to 1863, and has been repaired with gritstone and red bricks. It is around long, and carries the trail above the river. When this structure was built John Ruskin was enraged, and spoke of the Gods being banished by a scheme intended to convey "every Buxton fool to Bakewell in half an hour" and vice versa, "and you call this lucrative exchange—you fools everywhere".
The river makes a large loop back to the west. Halfway round the loop, the A6 road rejoins the valley, and crosses the river twice, before it reaches Ashford-in-the-Water. There are three bridges over the river in Ashford-in-the-Water. Sheepwash bridge has three shallow arches, and may have been built in the 18th century, although there are also suggestions that it may date from the 16th. There was an attached sheep dipping pen on the south east corner of the scheduled monument. Below the bridge, the river splits into multiple channels, associated with a water mill. The A6020 road crosses two channels, while below the mill building, Mill Bridge crosses the northern channel. It has three arches and carries a date stone showing "M Hyde 1664". The southern channel is crossed by Lees Bridge, with four arches dating from the 18th century, but remodelled in the 19th. The northern channel feeds Ashford Lake, part of the estate of Ashford Hall, which was built in 1785.
Lower river Lumford Mill is situated on the left bank of the river. An early 19th century bridge with three sandstone arches crosses the river near the mill building, while just below the end of the tailrace is Holme Bridge. It is a packhorse bridge dating from 1664, is made of ashlar gritstone, and has five arches. Above the bridge the channel splits, with the southern channel feeding Victoria Mill. Where the tailrace emerges from beneath the mill yard, it is spanned by a single arched bridge with an attached stepped obelisk. Near where the tailrace rejoins the main river, it is spanned by a humpback bridge. Milford Bridge dates from the late 18th century or early 19th. The bridge carrying the A619 road over the river in Bakewell dates from around 1300. It has five pointed arches, with triangular cutwaters, which provide refuges to protect pedestrians from the traffic. It was widened in the 19th century, when the upstream side was built in a style to match the original, and is grade I listed.
A small bridge carries Agricultural way across the river, to provide access to Bakewell Showground. Sheep Bridge provides access to Haddon Park Farm, after which the river enters the grade I listed park and gardens of Haddon Hall. The gardens were laid out in the 17th century, but may have earlier origins, while the parkland dates from the 18th century, again with earlier origins. The main access to the hall is over a three-arched bridge built in 1663. Accounts for the building of the bridge still exist, in the archives of the Duke of Rutland. A little further downstream is Dorothy Vernon's bridge, a narrow footbridge with two arches dating from the 17th century. It is so named because Dorothy Vernon is believed to have used it to escape from the festivities of her sister's wedding to elope with her lover. As the river leaves Haddon Hall park, it is crossed by Old Fillyford Bridge, a three-arched bridge dating from the 18th century with parapets added in the 19th. It is no longer in use, as it has been replaced by the A6 dual carriageway bridge immediately to the south. The River Lathkill joins on the right bank below the bridge.