It’s a warm weekday afternoon and friends Helen and Mavis can be found putting the world to rights on a bench just opposite the Clockwork Café, a popular spot with cyclists making their way around High Peak.
“It’s a very close-knit community around here,” offers Mavis as she gestures to the high street full of cafes, shops and pubs in front of her. You can just plonk yourself here and someone will come and chat with you.”
A gateway to the Peak District, the picturesque town of New Mills is often seen as an ideal base from which to explore the beautiful Derbyshire countryside. But the town itself has also become a magnet for day-trippers, many keen to explore the natural sandstone gorge known as The Torrs that sits below the town, and where the River Sett joins the River Goyt.
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It is here that the Torrs Riverside Park sits, a scenic spot home to beautiful meadows leading up to the Peak Forest Canal, a climbing gritstone wall, and Archie, the community-owned hydroelectric turbine. Descending into the gorge, visitors also flock to Torr Vale Mill, a Grade II-listed former cotton mill, accessible via the Millennium Walkway, a 175-yard aerial bridge.
The mill, with its barrel vaulted ceilings, cast iron columns and exposed stone walls, has been restored by the Cunningham family, and today its various buildings have become home to a variety of food and drink spots including Torr Vale Tap and Hope Valley ice creams.
Back on Market Street, where the town’s mills and Kinder plateau can be seen in all their glory, Helen is reflecting on life in New Mills. “We don’t really stop and appreciate what we have right on our doorstep,” she says.
“I’ve lived here all my life but as a teenager I just wanted out,” adds Mavis. “But since I’ve grown older I’ve appreciated it more, and when I go on holiday I always tell people about New Mills because it’s a very nice place and there’s always something going on.
“Last week there was the town’s carnival, then we’ve also got the New Mills One World Festival coming up, we have a light switch on event where they shut the road and we have a fair, plus there’s an open garden trail and art trails - there’s plenty to do.”
As well as the Millennium Walkway and Torr Mill, there’s the Sett Valley Trail - a former railway line converted into a trail for walkers, cyclists and horse riders - linking the town to Hayfield. The town also has a thriving music and arts scene and is home to Spring Bank Arts community space, New Mills Art Theatre and the Rock Mill Centre, a community and visitor centre which celebrate everything about the town.
One of those heavily involved in fostering the community side of the town is Sue Nathan. She moved to the town around 18 months ago to be closer to her daughter and grandson. “I’ve spent a lot of time over here, especially during Covid, and I just love it,” she smiles.
“It’s a really nice town with a lovely community. There’s independent shops and you can walk to the countryside from anywhere in New Mills.
“I’m involved in the Rock Mill Centre, I do supper clubs there once a month to raise money for the centre. It’s a two-course meal and we have about 60 people every time, and in the winter we do free soup and bread on some Fridays.
The centre also hosts a monthly book club, guided walking tours, a nature cafe and a heritage trail amongst other events. Meanwhile, next weekend, Sue will also be helping with the open garden trail in the town, a chance to see the beautiful gardens of New Mills as well as all the flowers and wildlife that have taken over the gardens.
“When you say you live in New Mills to people outside, very few people have heard of it, which I think is quite nice. However, that is changing as it was voted the fourth most desirable place to live in the UK in national ranking, and we definitely notice that on the trains, there’s far more people wandering around, seeing the Torrs and going on the walks around here.”
Sue just hopes that the uptick in people moving to New Mills, or visiting, is sustainable for the small town. “My daughter’s partner did a photographic exhibition recently of key characters in new Mills, who have been here a long time, and they said there’s advantages and disadvantages to more people coming here,” she says.
“They bring money, they visit the pubs, spend more, but on the other hand it’s changing the community - I'm still thinking it’s still quite working class, Swizzels is the main employer, but also there’s a lot of artistic people from Manchester, which means there’s more going on - you could go to something every weekend, there’s two arts centres, a theatre, and so much to do.
“It’s changing and hopefully for the better, but I hope it won’t mean that people from here can’t afford to rent or buy here, that would be awful. But just look at how prices have gone up in other places.”
For some who live in New Mills, the appeal is also its transport links. Two railway lines take commuters and visitors to Manchester in just over 30 minutes, while trains also run directly from the New Mills Newtown station to nearby Disley and Buxton.
Its second station, New Mills Central station, is on the scenic Hope Valley line, so day-trippers can also hop on the train and easily get to day walks from Edale, Hope, Hathersage, Grindleford and Bamford.
For Sydney, who works at New Mills Youth & Community C.I.C., which encompasses a community pantry and emporium selling new and pre-loved clothing, gifts and toys, moving to the town has been ideal for her young family.
“I was pregnant and didn’t want to live in the city anymore so we recently decided to move here,” she explains. “You have to live here to know though.
“It’s very close to nature here, with lots of walks, a nice, small community and really good transport links so I can hop on a train back to the city.
“If you have young kids there’s loads of walks and parks, maybe not as much for teenagers, but for myself and as a young mum, it’s great. Lots of free stuff too and they do the carnival and duck race, plus Buxton is nearby too.
“It’s mint really, the community is great and becoming more diverse too. It’s also modernising too but with the traditional charm still intact.
“When we first did a viewing here I wasn’t quite sure, but we went for it and don’t regret it at all, I think I’ll be here forever, I can’t imagine myself anywhere else. The only thing I would like for younger people is maybe a club or a bar maybe.”
While there may not be a club and only a handful of bars, there are a number of cafes in New Mills. Its most recent addition, On The Bridge, has been launched by a couple also eager to get their slice of countryside.
Husband-and-wife duo Lauren and Kris Holyhead opened the café at the start of January and it has quickly become a popular spot, serving up a range of healthy but hearty dishes spanning soups, salads, focaccias and brunch plates - plus plenty of sweet treats.
“We’ve been in Manchester for 25 years, but I’m originally from Yorkshire and Kris originally from Blackpool,” reflects Lauren. “We were in Whalley Range and then Heaton Norris and moved to New Mills last summer.
“Kris has always been a chef and worked in different restaurants around Manchester and I used to run a juice bar in Chorlton, worked in health shops around Manchester, and was also a nutrition advisor for about six years. But because of our backgrounds we’ve always wanted our own thing, and we always said we would move to the countryside to open a café, and last year the stars aligned for us.
“It’s beautiful here, it’s got all the walks, the people are very down to earth, and is just welcoming and lovely. It’s diverse and arty, plus there’s loads going on because it’s a very creative place.
“I think the two train services and how quick it is makes it very attractive to young professionals because they can still have that more rural life they wanted while still being connected to the city - that’s what attracted us.
“Our menu is very varied, there’s brunch like avocado on toast but also the deli counter full of salads and homemade focaccias and healthy things. There’s lots of country pubs in the High Peak but not so many cafes that have a food offer like this - and we wanted to bring something a little different.”
“There’s always space for more independents here, and that’s always important for a small town.," Lauren adds. "It’s definitely cheaper but that’s changing very quickly, we’ve only been here a year and in that time, we’ve seen things change.
More people are moving out here. I think lockdown helped because people came out here to walk or discover new places in the Peaks. A lot of people I chat to here moved in lockdown or just after. The house prices are going up because more people are moving.
“I love it here and was more than ready for it because we had always lived in the suburbs. There’s lots of special things about New Mills, I think it’s a magical place.”
