Tapton Lock Visitor Centre Review

Great walk along the canal and a nice coffee at Tapton lock

What a lovely place. Friendly staff and knowledgable volunteers. Such a fantastic job done there.

Nicely positioned visitor centre beside the Chesterfield canal. Staffed by very friendly people.
There's a small cafe if you fancy a hot drink during the winter months. Wildlife charts and info boards.

Pleasant location by canal lock gates. Good place for a few minutes rest and a cuppa.

Small shop and cafe with information about local walks.

Fantastic coffee after a lovely walk along the canal in snowy weather.

Lovely little tourist info cafe, a great walk along the canal.

Clean toilets and friendly staff. The hot drinks are from a machine but perfectly OK and cheap.

Nice walk cafe and toilet with outside benches there is also boat trips

Lovely setting and very helpful staff. Enjoyed the good value lunch deal.

Great stop for toilets and refreshments. Very few parking spaces as on street.

Nice little stop off whilst cycling on Canal. Toilet's here during business hours. Tea and coffee plus sandwiches sold in shop.

Nice place to sit and enjoy a cuppa next to canal. Only downside is the very limited parking available nearby on roadside. Double yellow lines all around, a shame some of the car dealerships next door couldn't allow some parking beside their showrooms.

Very clean toilets and a good cup of coffee what else could you ask for during lockdown. A good place to aim for when on a walk..

nice place to grab a coffee and cake whilst walking along the canal

It's amazing how the world just slows down the moment you step on a barge, well worth the price for an hours trip down the canal. The barge is manned by volunteers who are well trained and lovely people to talk to.

A great place for a narrowboat ride through 2 locks on the Chesterfield canal which is close to the city centre along the towpath.

Very relaxing ' Water n Ducks n peace n quiet ! Good visitor centre !

This is a tiny cafe. But a great place to start a barge trip or walk along the tow path. You will need to check when the trips are sailing

Good place for coffee & a snack before walking on the canal but parking is difficult.

Nice visitor centre, the canel is great for a walk/run. Boat trips are available.

Santa barge brilliant christmas event daughter thoroughly enjoyed it. Father Christmas was wonderful. Loved going on the tunnel with all the twinkly lights.

Lovely place to rest and take refreshments from the Cafe run by friendly staff.

3hr on street parking adjacent to the lock and visitors centre. Cafe and info centre open for take away. Toilets benches and a table for a sit down by the canal for passing walkers and cyclists . Great walking from here.

There is just an over priced cafe and one lock. Very much a let down

great location to take the dog and kids.also lovely little cafe with friendly staff

A nice working lock. You can get a variety of canal boat trips from here. Check the website for details.
We took one of the 45 minute trips, we were lucky to get the boat to ourselves so the children got a go at steering the boat.
A nice little relaxing ride.
Well priced boat trips and the staff on the boat and at the Lock visitor centre were very friendly and welcoming.
If we're coming back this way some time soon we would look at booking one of the longer trips.

Walking by water helps you body and soul. So calming walking along the canal. People say good morning, social distance. Sets you up for another week.

A very nice place to walk or cycle along. I go there every time I want some time outside rather than any sort of park!

What a fabulous starting point for a walk/canoe paddle/cycle/run etc. Within a few moments, you could be out in the countryside, as you very quickly leave the town behind.

Beautiful & scenic. Have really enjoyed the ride from Rother Valley to Chesterfield

A great place to walk with the dog could do with more dog poo bins on the trail

Cycle past here regularly, good place to get info about the canal and drinks and snacks.

A Derbyshire help location for the Chesterfield Canal and a coffee stop too the Canal rangers are based here so you can leave messages or if you're lucky chat to them for wildlife information

During lockdown this place has provided a haven with its takeaway service. Perfect stop off for a coffee while walking. Thanks for staying open and having a loo !!

It was busy on this visit but still a nice 0lace to go. Has shop where can get drinks etc. Offers boat trips on certain days. A couple minutes walk alobg canal path and you would not know you are so close to chesterfield center.

A white-knuckle ride through the industrial archaeology of the Chesterfield area. Experienced and chatty crew with hundreds of years experience between them.

Good place for walking. Also can grab a coffee at the visitor centre.

Wonderful walk from hollingwood hub where there is a tasty cafe up to tapton lock with another less formal cafe then a trip on the canel to the mill pub then carry on the walk back to the hollingwood hub

Worth a visit. We went on an hour's cruise with a very informative guide.

Lovely spot along the canal on the way to Chesterfield. Stopped for a well earned coffee and comfort break whilst cycling from Poolbrook Country Park to Chesterfield. Excellent tea and coffee, self served. Sat outside the cafe which was a perfect sun trap. Well worth a visit when passing. Cycled back to Poolbank via the very steep bridleway. Next time, we will do the circular route the other way round and cycle down the bridleway into Chesterfield and back via the flat canal. Excellent day out. Visited the twisted spire church in Chesterfield.

Great place to relax , have a canal boat trip and walk

This is the ideal starting point for those wishing to walk this currently isolated but beautifully restored end of the Chesterfield Canal. Going to the town end of the canal is a two-mile return journey. Walking the whole length of the canal as far as it is in water in the other direction is an eight-mile return but is very rewarding. One passes immaculate locks which have been restored/rebuilt by volunteers from the Chesterfield Canal Society through woodland and rural countryside. Hopefully, within the next five years, narrowboats shall return when this section is reconnected. The Tapton Lock Information Centre is staffed by friendly, welcoming folk. Refreshments are available but it is also a marvelous spot for a picnic! Surprisingly quiet and green for being so close to the town.

It's a good are for walking and enjoying the canal. Parking is a pain. Pity it's not developed fully. There's plenty of room the other side of the road

Needs updating and paths resurfacing badly. More volunteers needed to keep the canal free from the senseless rubbish throwers.

Small but the bike ride between tapton lock and rother valley excellent

Good place to visit to learn a bit of history and about local wildlife. It's possible to see the lock working or even ride the canal barge. It's run by friendly staff and volunteers.

This place is a hidden gem if ever there was one. An excellent facility and public amenity. The actual lock gates for Tapton Lock are new this year as is the trip boat and the two hour cruise which we took was delighfull and inexpensive. It's run very well by volunteers and there are a lot of different excursions you can choose. Highly recommended.

Information on local walks available. Not just canal
Friendly staff,great place to sit and enjoy fine weather
Added attraction, John Varley II,using the lock

It's lovely to see the lock and there is a place to have a drink

Very nice cafe with seating over looking the cannal

Good place to board a boat trip up the canal. Parking is very limited at busy times.