Cotton

I had a fabulous day! For reasons that are not crucial to this story, I needed to go on a scenic train journey. I decided to go to Matlock Bath, Derbyshire, as the Derwent valley line is said to be very beautiful. I had a vague idea that I would go on a cable car ride when I got there, to a sort of theme park.

So far, so good. I even had time for a walk between trains in Derby, though I did not succeed in finding the city centre, only the vast Derbyion shopping mall and a newsagent that did not sell newspapers!

On boarding the Derwent valley line and getting a seat, it soon became apparent that most people were going to be standing! ‘Most people’ included a bunch of lads with loud voices, and there was little opportunity for seeing out, though the meandering river Derwent was pretty, as were the trees in bud and the sheep with their little la-a-a-mbs. I didn’t know where to get off, because the leaflet promised walking trails from station to station, but didn’t mention how long the distances were! In the end, I got off at Matlock Bath, and immediately regretted my decision because the traffic through the town was nose to tail, including motorbikes, and all I could smell was pollution and fish and chips! I skipped the the cable car ride (it was £29) and headed for a park where the river ran. I attempted to follow the river path, but it beckoned me to a high tor and I was only wearing non-grippy trainers.

I returned to the road and walked out to Richard Arkwright’s (he of the Spinning Jenny machine….remember the Industrial Revolution?) Masson Mills, a factory museum. Had a coffee and bought some multicoloured cotton string in the visitor centre, and watched a student working a loom, then I descended to the vast bowels of the red brick factory, passing red painted fire buckets hanging from the walls by the staircase. Today was a self-guided tour day, and there were QR codes to scan for more information about exhibits. A woman in period costume demonstrated some working machinery, including the 1950s machine that spins three different coloured strands of domestic cotton into the multicoloured string I had seen and bought earlier (some people call it Baker’s twine, but that has only two colours). She also showed me a couple of working looms, including one that makes a thick type of denim cloth. These looms were from Lancashire, and looked familiar. Where had I seen them? Ah, yes, in small houses in India, one loom filling an entire room. It turned out that the same types of loom, after they fell out of use in the UK, were exported to various countries, including India. You can see one in my India travel blip of 17th February 2025.
Also in my blip shots above Is a cotton plant with bolls, which need to be teased out on the fearsome machine on the top shot, and a bale of cotton, which is then separated into soft strands like a very weak ‘rope. How this then becomes sewing cotton I’m not sure, but I did see the ‘Mule’ machine (also dimly remembered from my history lessons) and this may have something to do with it.

After I had torn myself away from the museum, and the craft fair on the floor above, I walked onwards until I found a path around a massive limestone crag. This led to the church of St Mary at Cromford, perfectly framed by a flowering cherry tree, and the river Derwent behind it. Unfortunately it was closed, but I found the way to the Cromford canal, where I sat and read the newspaper before exploring Cromford Mills, a complex of old workshops and old industrial buildings centred around a courtyard, some of which have been converted into small shops. I admired the water wheel, which has been turning again since 2024, powering the units at Cromford mills.

I then walked up to Cromford station, which had some fairy tale architecture (think Hansel and Gretel without the sweets/witch) and floral displays. When the first train came in, it was rammed and no one could even get on. Apparently the previous train from Matlock had been cancelled….I waited for the next ‘up train’ and was allowed on to get up to Matlock at the head of the line, and then back down again via Matlock Bath. This ensured that I got a seat, and found an interesting mother and daughter to talk to. Have decided that I will return to the region, but book a B and B, and research the walking opportunities in more detail.

Following many more train journeys, which did not involve changing at Birmingham New Street, thank goodness, I arrived back in Stroud at 10 pm. I hadn’t had a particularly amazing train journey, but I had had a Grand Day Out.