Wirksworth
Anything but a cookie-cutter town. Arty Wirksworth is cool and quirky with a strong sense of character and community. Part of our Top 300 Places to Live series.
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WHY?
With a clutch of cool indie eateries, stunning scenery and a thriving, arty community, Wirksworth is an absolute gem. People who live here, love the friendly people, buzzing festivals and community vibe. Narrow alleys wind up the hillsides from the market place, past pretty stone cottages and lead to lovely rural walks with jaw-dropping vistas. You can have that middle-of-nowhere feeling within 10 mins of leaving the town on foot. If you’re after a town and country, with a strong sense of community and oodles of quirky character, then boho Wirksworth is the place for you.
EAT
Webster’s, the Heritage Centre Café, is a popular pitstop with lovely outdoor courtyard that welcomes muddy boots and cyclists. Feel like pigging out? Try The Sizzling Pig and its gut-busting Yorkie pud wraps. Head to Otto for amazing Italian coffees and sweet bites. New on the scene is Cicchetti by Carlo, serving up tapas and brunches in a cosy space, while tiny Italian Gino’s is a charmer. French-inspired Le Mistral is a cosy, romantic bistro and café/bar that’s always bustling (look out for their marvellous ‘moules nights’). For good value, no-nonsense breakfasts, head to The Dining Room café. If a party is looming, check out Rhubarb Kitchen which creates fantastic home-cooked food for gatherings and events.
Duck inside quirky craft beer specialist Feather Star Alehouse which mixes it up selling vinyl records. Down the hill there’s the traditional Hope & Anchor pub bang, slap in the middle of town or the cosy, stone-built The Quarryman (complete with beer garden for summer and log burners for winter).
SHOP
Marsdens Gifts is an Aladdin’s Cave of gifts, treats and cards (that transforms into a wizarding pop-up shop each October). Be sure to look up at the Italianate plaster ceiling dating back to the 1630s. The Heritage Centre gift shop and its mix of gemstones, fossils and quirky gifts is a must for mini magpies too, while Everything Art is a brilliant emporium of art and crafts supplies. Building on the town’s eco-credentials, there’s Zero waste place Skopa
Interiors more your thing? You’re spoilt for choice in Wirksworth. There’s supercool indie designer Blackpop for elegant fabrics and furniture, Mimosa for vintage finds, Seymour Interiors for papers and paints, Beavamp for hand-stitched lampshades and Goodwins for kitchen, bedroom and bathroom revamps. Although you’ll need a trip to Matlock or Belper for a big shop, there are a few mini-markets dotted around the town and two brilliant butcher’s – Mitchell’s Artisan Butchery or Steve Walker family butcher’s.
HEALTH & WELLBEING
No pool, but Wirksworth Leisure Centre has a sports hall, outdoor pitches, gym and fitness classes as well as fabulous climbing walls.
COMMUNITY
Festivals are Wirksworth’s thing. Not your mainstream, musical kind, but your quirky fun-to-stumble-across variety. One of the best is Wirksworth Art Trail in September. There’s also the ever-burgeoning Wirksworth Wizarding Day every October when thousands of wannabe wizards take over the town for Harry Potter-esque activities.
Local traditions are kept alive here and May’s Carnival weekend culminates in the well-dressing festival. There’s also Wirksworth Book Festival each Spring, Antiques in the Street in July.
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS
Wirksworth may be land-locked but you can paddleboard, kayak and sail just four miles away at Carsington Water. There’s also a brilliant family-friendly cycle path that runs for eight miles around the lake and is a lovely spot for weekend walks or long runs. Head towards Cromford and you’ll find Black Rocks, a popular climbing spot, picnic place and access to the High Peak Trail for stomps with stunning views.
CULTURE
Wirksworth Heritage Centre is fascinating and fun, with three floors of interactive displays that bring the town’s past to life. For a cultured evening out, bag a squishy sofa (stylishly covered in local Blackpop fabric) and pour yourself a drink at cute, quirky, arthouse cinema Northern Light Cinema tucked away in the old Malthouse.
AVERAGE HOUSE PRICE
Property prices in the town are 5% up on last year, coming in at an average of £296,471.
HOT PROPERTY
NURSERIES
Little Wonders in the town is rated Good as is Wirksworth Pre-school Playgroup.
SCHOOLS
There are three primaries close by, all of which rated Good in their last inspections – Wirksworth Junior School, Cromford CofE Primary and Middleton Community Primary. For ‘good’ secondary aged kids have a nose at Anthony Gell School, a comprehensive and Sixth Form in the town. For independents, check out St Anselms Prep and Pre-Prep in Bakewell or, further afield Abbotsholme or sporty Denstone College.
BEST-KEPT SECRET
Don’t miss the stunning Star Disc, a 21st century stone circle (illuminated at night) inscribed with the constellations. Well worth the very steep walk up Green Hill, you’ll be rewarded with stonking views and most likely have this amazing spot all to yourself.
COMMUTE
Derby is a 30 min drive, and you’re within an hour’s reach of Nottingham, Sheffield and Stoke. Matlock and Ashbourne are both 15 mins away, but there’s a strong WFH community here too.
View the full Top 300 Places to Live.