Derbyshire Portway

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The Derbyshire Portway, also known as Old Manchester Lane or The Chariot Way, is a pre-historic trackway that runs for over 40 miles across the Peak District of England. [1]

History

The well-known section of the trackway runs from Mam Tor in north Derbyshire through the Peak District via Wirksworth [2] to the Hemlock Stone near Nottingham and is said to have existed since the Bronze Age before falling out of regular use in the Middle Ages. [1] However, there is evidence to suggest that the trackway originally extended to Manchester at the northern end and to Nottingham in the midlands. [3]

The trackway takes in several historic locations, amongst others: [4]

The Portway was the subject of a 2017 episode of the Channel 4 programme Britain's Ancient Tracks with Tony Robinson .

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References

  1. 1 2 "Derbyshire Portway". derbyshire-peakdistrict.co.uk. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  2. "Wirksworth Archaeological Society Portway Report". www.wirksworthromanproject.co.uk. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  3. Bailey, Stephen. The Old Roads of Derbyshire : walking into history : the Portway and beyond. Troubador Publishing Ltd. ISBN   978-1789018431.
  4. "Derbyshire Portway". The Long Distance Walkers Association. Retrieved 7 October 2017.