Bennerley Viaduct

What it’s like

A free, buggy- and wheelchair-friendly skywalk 18m above the Erewash Valley, with a café (Thu-Sun) and wildlife-rich nature reserve below.

Bennerley Viaduct is a Victorian iron railway viaduct spanning the Erewash Valley between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, now open as a free walking and cycling route with a quarter-mile 'skywalk' deck 18 metres above the valley floor. It's fully accessible for wheelchairs, mobility scooters and pushchairs as well as cyclists, and there's a nature reserve to explore in the marshy land beneath the structure. Kids can spot wildlife in the maze of iron girders below, take in big views from the deck, and there's an exhibition space telling the story of how volunteers saved it from demolition after it closed in the 1960s.

The new Visitor Centre (opened July 2026) has accessible toilets, an exhibition and education space, and a café serving locally-sourced refreshments, though it only opens Thursday to Sunday, 10am-3pm, and hours depend on volunteer availability, so it's worth checking social media before setting off. Entry to the viaduct itself is free and open all day, every day, so families can visit even outside café hours. There's car parking at the visitor centre, reached via Woodiwiss Road off Shilo Way (A6069), or you can arrive on foot, by bike or by canal towpath.

Beyond the regular visit, the Friends of Bennerley Viaduct run guided walks and special events (including one on DH Lawrence connections, since the viaduct features in Sons and Lovers, and Heritage Open Day tours), plus volunteering opportunities for those wanting to get more involved.

Facilities

Plan your visit

Experiences

• Bennerley Viaduct Skywalk

  outdoors

  Free quarter-mile walkway across Britain's longest iron viaduct.

• Visitor Centre Exhibition

  indoors

  Exhibition on the Victorian history of the viaduct.

Areas to explore

• Nature reserve beneath the viaduct

  outdoors

  Wildlife habitat and footpaths under the viaduct.

Also on site

• Visitor Centre Café

  indoors

  Café serving locally sourced refreshments.

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