Alport Heights

A popular picnic site and local landmark with extensive views of the Derwent and Ecclesbourne valleys. Alport Stone is the name of the pillar of quarried gritstone, some 20 ft high, which stands at the summit of Alport Heights. Nine acres of land near the summit adjacent to but not including the land occupied by the masts, were acquired by the National Trust in 1930 and became the first acquisition by the Trust of a scenic nature in Derbyshire. Access to the Trust land is free of charge.The nearby small pictureseque village of Alport is situated just off the main road.Named after the portway road which ran through the settlement, the Saxon inhabitants of Alport, added the prefix`al` (old). The stone houses with pretty gardens date back to the 17th and 18th centuries. This was lead mining country in the 18th and 19th centuries and there is still much evidence of this in the area.The river Lathkill cascades down through the village in a series of weirs and meets the river Bradford coming from Youlgrave. Here in a near idyllic setting among the trees below a clear pool a weir that John Bying, passing this way in June 1790, noted as a `pretty cascade`. Beside the weir is an old corn mill. A mill was recorded here at Alport in 1159, and it may have been the same one mentioned in the Doonsday Book, 70 years earlier, as standing at Youlgrave. Thnigs to do; There are no pubs, cafes or shops but from Alport you can walk the 5 miles north through Lathkill Dale to Monyash, one of the most scenic walks in the peak district, or you can walk along the river Bradford to Youlgrave, again a very pleasant walk.