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While there still remains some ten miles of canal to be restored to navigation, the towing path, known as the Cuckoo Way, is available to walkers throughout its 46 mile length. The Cuckoo Way is named after the unique vessels which folklore has it were known as 'Cuckoos', and which plied the Chesterfield Canal (the 'Cuckoo Dyke'), in commercial days. The name possibly had its origins in the 18th century when the river boatmen on the Trent used it to describe the canal boats, odd-looking to their eyes, which had suddenly appeared on the tidal waterway in their midst.

Tapton Lock
visitor centre

The towpath starts off Holbeck Way in Chesterfield (just beyond the Cadbury/Trebor sweet factory, signposted from Chesterfield Railway station. It initially follows the River Rother till the start of the canal at the first lock.

This first section may be a bit overgrown, but from the lock the path is excellent condition for the next 5 miles or so alongside the fully restored canal to Staveley.

The next 9 miles are not yet restored and, although there is a public right of way over the whole length, there is often not much sign of a canal - so do take a little care in following the correct route. Details of potentially difficult to find sections through Killamarsh and over the Norwood Tunnel are given below. From the eastern end of the Norwood Tunnel at Kiveton Park a fully restored canal reappears and the towpath is very easy to follow for thirty-two miles right up to the River Trent.

Route guide to the Cuckoo Way from Dog Kennel Bridge at Kiveton Park Station, to the A618 beside the Angel Inn at Norwood, across the top of the Norwood Tunnel. From the station, cross over Dog Kennel Bridge, turn right and drop down to the towing path in the cutting and walk along the towing path. Soon the cascade of the feeder from Harthill Reservoir enters the canal on the opposite side, and after a quarter of a mile you reach the sealed entrance to Norwood Tunnel. The tunnel was 2880 yards long, and so straight that you could look into it and see light at the other end. It collapsed in 1907 and was never reopened. Cross above the tunnel entrance and ascend the steps. Traces can be found here of a ruined building overlooking the canal. This was Penny Holme, built for John Varley, the canal's engineer after the death of James Brindley. Turn left through the metal kissing gate, and follow the footpath westwards above the tunnel across Pennyholme Marshes to Hard Lane. Cross Hard Lane, turn left, then after about 50 yards turn right off Hard Lane at the Public Footpath finger post. Pass through the hedge across a stile. Go left and immediately right behind the house and follow the footpath across the field keeping the wire fence to your right. Cross the metal bridge over the stream and walk straight on with the lagoon on your left, then over an uphill metal bridge across a ditch. To the right was the former Kiveton Park Colliery, closed in 1995. You can see the only remaining structures, the former colliery offices (with the clock tower) and the pithead baths. Both are grade 2 listed buildings. From the top of the short slope go straight ahead towards the wooded area, keeping the former colliery tip, now grassed and planted with birch, to your left. New housing comes close to the track on your right. Ahead you will hear the traffic on the M1, and as you round the wooded tip, on the skyline you can see traffic on the M1, with the houses of Kiveton Park across the field to your right. Head towards the motorway from now on. Follow the main track and the wire fence and hedge right as it swings away from the wooded tip to pick up the line of the overgrown railway cutting ahead. Keep this immediately on your right, with the open field on your left, as you ascend the path at the edge of the field towards the motorway. Follow the path to the concrete underpass which you will see as you approach, which takes you under the M1. When through the underpass, bear right and left, dropping down the hillside and keeping the hedge on your left. Ignore the path which forks left into Nor Wood. You are now standing above the western portal of Norwood Tunnel, with the canal in the cutting beneath you. Follow the wooden fence on your left until you reach a stile in the fence. Cross the stile and bear left at the fork in the track to reach the edge of the canal. There is an overgrown path by the canal edge, passing by the ruins of the top of the four staircases of locks in the Norwood Flight, back to the sealed mouth of Norwood Tunnel, where traces of the tunnel keeper's house can be seen. Here also were the staithes of West Kiveton Colliery, where coal was loaded onto the narrow boats for transportation to the River Trent and beyond. This however is private land and there is no public right of way. Continue down alongside the disused canal, first passing the old saw mill, now converted into a residence, three further sets of ruined staircase locks and side ponds, then the former Boatmen's Inn, similarly a private house now. Walk across the run off which controls the water level at the base of the flight, then under Norwood Bridge, a listed structure with the date 1833 on the keystone. Here you pass from Yorkshire into Derbyshire. A short section of the canal in water brings you to the A618 by the Angel Inn. Here the canal is obstructed by the lowering of the road. Cross this road with care as it is busy with fast - moving traffic and continue along the canal through Killamarsh. Please report any suggested modifications to this route guide to the Chesterfield Canal Trust footpaths officer, David Blackburn on 01246 417984 or by email to This text as a Word processor document for printing (opens as a new document)

Route guide to the Cuckoo Way - the former towing path of the Chesterfield Canal from the A618 Mansfield Road Killamarsh , to Station Road, Killamarsh. Walking towards Chesterfield from Worksop. This is a section of the Chesterfield Canal which has been extensively infilled and built over. However, all is not lost - the engineers of the Chesterfield Canal Trust have surveyed several routes around the obstructions in Killamarsh to ensure that in future full length narrowboats can once more navigate this historic route. Wherever possible the recommended route today follows the original towing path through Killamarsh, but several diversions are necessary through the housing estates where the canal has been built over.  For walkers continuing the walk over the tunnel top and through Killamarsh, this section begins at the A618 beside the Angel Inn. For those commencing the walk here arriving by car, park beside the canal on Bailey Drive in the Norwood Industrial Estate, not far from the entrance to the Rother Valley Country Park, and walk the short distance back to the A618 along the towing path. Take care not to obstruct vehicle entrances when parking. The A618 is a significant obstruction to navigation, as it has been lowered across the canal and will need raising again to provide the necessary headroom. Walk away from this busy road towards Killamarsh with the bed of the canal on your left and immediately you come to Norwood Colliery Wharf, rebuilt by North East Derbyshire District Council. This served the Norwood Colliery, which occupied the site now housing the Norwood Industrial Estate, through which the canal now passes. The houses you see across the field to the left you will soon pass by as the route winds round this spur overlooking the lakes of the Rother Valley Country Park below you to the right. It is down this hillside that one possible route for the restored canal may pass, to avoid the obstructions ahead. Soon the canal bed disappears under the extended gardens of the houses on Primrose Lane, and Sheffield Road appears ahead. You can clearly see the stone parapet and the top of the bridge hole through which the canal once passed, and in the garden you can just about make out the stone copings of Belk Lane Lock, now infilled, the last lock until Hollingwood Lock six miles away. The canal now follows the Rother Valley right into Chesterfield. Cross the busy Sheffield Road, taking care here as traffic travels very fast in both directions, and noting the Cuckoo Way signs, (West Stockwith 34.5 miles, Chesterfield 11.5 miles), and descend the steps on the far side. At the bottom, looking back, you can once again just make out the top of the arch through which the boats passed. The path here crosses the former bed of the canal. Follow the path behind the houses - the course of the canal is now on your left up the bank behind the hedge. Ignore the first access on your right into Pingle Road and continue along the path behind the houses until the path ends and opens out into a small parking area on Pingle Road. Turn left along Pingle Road to the end and take the passage between 26 and 28. At the end bear left and take the passage between 40 and 44 Valley Road. Here you regain the original towing path below the church, with the bed of the canal under the garden on your left, then through the short passage between the rear of 67 and 69 Nethermoor Lane, cross Nethermoor Lane and emerge between 20 and 22 Kirkcroft Avenue. Walk ahead along Kirkcroft Avenue to the end where you join the playing field. Turn left and regain the line of the canal which skirts the top edge of the field. Follow the path along the level green corridor until you reach Bridge Street, where Groundwork Creswell has carried out a small landscape improvement.Bridge Street is another obstruction. Here it is possible that the original canal bridge is incorporated into the present structure. To your right is the Navigation Inn, a modern inn on the site of a much older hostelry with strong canal connections. Crossing Bridge Street (note the Cuckoo Way signs) the stone building on the left is an old canal warehouse, and for a while the canal bed is apparent to your left. Just before you pass through a wooden gate note the narrows and stop plank grooves which are often covered by undergrowth in the canal bed on your left. From here the canal has been landscaped, but the towing path takes you across the grassed area. Keep a level path with the hedge to your right and the new houses on your left until you come to Walford Road. Cross Walford Road and once again pick up the canal bed and follow it as it winds along the contour, passing under a disused railway bridge. the track at the top of Station Road is reached beside the new bungalow which is number 85 Station Road. To your left you can see the stone parapets of a bridge. The Chesterfield Canal passed beneath this. For those with an interest in antiques, bric a brac and memorabilia, a short diversion down Station Road to the former Killamarsh Station building, now a junk emporium, is well worth a visit. The railway line which once served this station is now owned by Derbyshire County Council and forms the Staveley-Beighton Trail for walkers, cyclists and horse riders, eventually to form a link from Chesterfield to the Trans Pennine Trail from Liverpool to Hull and eventually Istanbul! Cross Station Road and take the narrow path opposite to the left of the wooden seat, beside the Cuckoo Way sign. You are once again following the towing path. The canal is to your left and massively overfilled. From this next section is another possible point of departure for one of the routes by which the canal can bypass the obstructions in Killamarsh, by dropping down here to the valley floor. Continue walking and you reach a recently-restored section, and can now follow the towing path easily to Chesterfield. Please report any proposed modifications to this route guide to David Blackburn on 01246 417984 or by email to This text as a Word processor document for printing (opens as a new document)

July 17, 2006:

FOLLOWING THE CUCKOO WAY OVER THE NORWOOD TUNNEL

Footpaths along the canal line over the former Kiveton Colliery site have been subject to diversion whilst reclamation work has been undertaken. Work is now substantially complete and from 1 July 2006 all footpaths have been reopened. The colliery site is now an extensive public area and thousands of trees have been planted. It is known as the Kiveton Community Woodland and is being managed by the Forestry Commission.

Approaching from the west (Eckington) direction, follow the path into the site, keeping to right. Past the metal footbridge, turn right and follow clear path left along very edge of the site; this leads to Hard Lane and Cuckoo Way signposts show way from there

From the east (Shireoaks) direction, ignore main site entrance and follow waymarked route to south and along edge of the park. Where path turns left and joins restored area, turn left on red shale path – following the route the canal will take on restoration. On leaving park at metal frame stile, route of Cuckoo Way is waymarked

There are 4 fishing ponds, securely fenced off from walkers. This area has been bought by British Waterways to protect the line of the canal. Cuckoo Way footpath is to the south (Harthill direction) of these

There is a large, free, public car park on the site, entrance off Hard Lane. It will be locked at dusk each evening by the bailiff at the nearby fishing ponds. The new car park provides a good starting point for canal walks. The site is also accessible by public transport. Kiveton Bridge Railway Station is a few minutes walk from the north end of the site – handy for linear walks to Shireoaks, Worksop or Retford

db July 06

Circular walks on the Chesterfield Canal

A growing range of short circular walks based along the Chesterfield Canal is available from Tapton Lock Visitor Centre, Lockoford Lane, Chesterfield, S41 7JB Tel 01246 551035.

At present these include:

• Eckington and Chesterfield Canal 5 miles
• Around the Bluebank Loop: Access for All. 2.5 miles
• The Lady Lee Circular Walk (Worksop) 4 miles

It is hoped that during 2003 more walks will be published in a pack for purchase. Details will appear on the website.

WHAT DOES THE CUCKOO WAY OFFICER GET UP TO?
by David Blackburn (06-12-2003)

When Keith Ayling rang and asked me for about 100 words on this for "Cuckoo", I wondered how I would manage to use them. But when I sat down to type them, I discovered they would be nowhere near enough. So here are the things I have been doing over recent months:

-planning and leading walks

As I walk along the towpath planning walking routes, I take the opportunity of speaking to as many people as possible. Many leave with a membership application form, though in reality few actually join. What is rewarding is that everyone I meet, especially on the newly restored section, feels that all the effort and expenditure has been worthwhile – boaters who came out of curiosity are bowled over and vow to return, everyone wants to know when work will start on the Kiveton Colliery / Norwood Tunnel site. Yorkshire Forward please note that there’s an amazing level of support for having the canal at the centre of regeneration plans for the area.

Leading the walks can be a bit of a worry, as I never know how many will turn up- numbers this summer have ranged from half a dozen to over 80. Other commitments mean I am not available at weekends, but I am sure organised walks on Saturdays on Sundays would be popular –anyone out there willing to help? (I can assist by suggesting suitable routes etc). Also, would anyone like to organise a cycling event?

-checking footpaths

As well as walking the towpath, I check on paths which link in to it. This sometimes involves asking the local authority Rights of Way teams to repair a stile, check an obstruction, erect a signpost and so on. I get excellent cooperation from those involved, though I must give the Rotherham team star rating. I have worked with them on waymarking the path over the top of Norwood Tunnel, seeking improvements to places where footpaths cross the railway line and efforts to secure access to the towpath from the public footpath over Thorpe Treble Top Lock Bridge, near Thorpe Salvin. In Derbyshire, I have been involved in negotiations to improve the state of the towpath on the approach to the County boundary and Norwood Locks and suggested improvements on the River Rother section of the towpath in Chesterfield

-writing walk descriptions

Its one thing actually doing the walks, but quite different when you are asked to write them down. Some walks appear in Cuckoo and currently I am helping with a leaflet to be produced by Rotherham Council. This will be incorporated in a pack of leaflets including towpath walks in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Rotherham. Hopefully the pack will be on sale soon, but it has taken some years to get to the present position, so its not likely to feature as a Christmas stocking filler this year!

-opening up new routes

An enjoyable task is negotiating with Sitwell Estates for a concessionary footpath along the original line of the canal near Renishaw (where the canal was diverted in 1890 to allow for the construction of a railway line). One section is already open to the public and negotiations on a second section are going well – we are just waiting for some forestry work to be completed before we can work on the towpath.. Work has to take account of some badgers resident near the site – as a protected species there are regulations to prevent disturbance to these animals. Again, we are getting good cooperation.

I am also negotiating with Derbyshire County Council to have a "missing" footpath reinstated by the River Rother near Barrow Hill –it was somehow lost when opencast mining took place some years ago. The area has few paths and the missing one could offer an interesting circular walk – especially for those interested in industrial archaeology

Killamarsh

It should be a straightforward matter to get the canal route waymarked through the town- but efforts have been unsuccessful over many years. Now the Cuckoo Way appears on OS maps as long distance footpath, more people are attracted to walk it. But getting through Killamarsh on anything like the line of the canal is difficult without help. So we are hoping that the present efforts to waymark the route involving Groundwork Creswell and the Killamarsh regeneration agency, might succeed

Other matters

I’ve recently been involved in efforts to get Shireoaks station reopened on Sundays. Situated right next to the canal, it’s a pity that trains stop 6 days a week but just rattle through on Sundays.

I also deal with enquiries wanting to know if any bits of the towpath are closed, suggestions for circular walking routes and ,increasingly, whether its accessible by cycle. I don’t know the answer, though my understanding is that parts (eg near Chesterfield and Worksop) are official cycle routes, most of the rest is not. I would welcome information about the correct position

Being Cuckoo Way Officer gives me reasons to walk by the canal more often than many people. Its gives me a great deal of pleasure. Sometimes its quite magical – one day recently the summit pound above Thorpe Top locks was bathed in sunshine and, with the covering of fallen leaves, looked like a golden carpet. A little further on, Kingfishers were fling ahead of me for almost a mile, not just on the canal but also by the feeder between Turnerwood and Brancliffe Grange. Glad to see they have returned home after all the recent disturbance during the restoration works.

I would like to hear from anyone who could help with my work as Cuckoo Way officer, however infrequently. Ring me on 01246 417984 if you are interested in any aspect of these activities.