Welcome to the Art Trail by Rail

Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 September

We have 40 fantastic artists participating across 13 venues within walking distance of train stations between Chinley and Grindleford. Artists will be showcasing their work, providing demonstrations, and delivering workshops and activities.

Everyone is encouraged to leave the car at home and hop on and off at any of the participating Hope Valley stations, or explore the valley using the local bus services. It’s a brilliant way to enjoy the beauty of the valley at a gentler pace, cutting carbon while supporting local artists and small businesses along the route. 

Book your free tickets here.

If you have any questions about the event, please get in touch by emailing us at info@hopevalleyclimateactionorg.uk

Our Venues

Read on to discover details of the participating venues, and meet all the artists taking part in the Art Trail, or click on a carriage to jump straight to your destination of choice.

How to explore the trail

The Art Trail is as much a celebration of sustainable travel as it is of art and creativity. We’re making the most of the beautiful Hope Valley rail line, running conveniently between Manchester and Sheffield, offering a scenic and sustainable way to reach the trail. We’re currently putting the finishing touches on full travel information, covering train, bus and on-foot routes. Check back very soon for the complete guide so you can plan your journey. 

Train

Full travel details coming soon.

Full travel details coming soon.

Full travel details coming soon.

Welcome to Chinley

Venue: Chinley WI Hall, 14C Lower Ln, Chinley, SK23 6BD

5 minutes walk from Chinley station. Toilets and refreshments available at the venue.

An additional stop on our art trail by rail this year is the creatives of Chinley. 12 artists will be filling this wonderful venue with their creations, from felt making, pet portraits to gouache and pottery. There will also be free art activities including having a go at stained glass and make your own felted sheep! Refreshments will be available.

Delphine Cubitt
Art

I am a painter who is inspired by everyday stories, our delightful characters and the beauty of our wonderful, colourful world. Patterns also appear within my work, a nod to my background in Textile Design. I love to work in Gouache, Acrylic and Oils.

Em Hoten
Art

Em paints landscapes, seascapes, wildlife, and people going about their lives using oils and sometimes with cold wax. Her work can be fast and expressive or a slow build up of layers, depending on the emotion connected to the work.

The subjects share something in them worth looking at twice. Dappled light through trees, sun through stained glass. A hidden figure. She looks for the moment where life is stubbornly, magnificently still happening.

Em grew up in Derbyshire and first experienced colour in the landscapes of Malawi. Both are in her work. You’ll feel the weight of one and the brightness of the other.

Joy is the word for what she wants viewers to feel. The specific feeling of being alive at the same time as something worth seeing.

Linda's Art
Glass

Linda Sheldon is a full time glass artist creating unique stained glass ornaments, art panels and windows using and combining traditional lead came and copper foil in a myriad of colours and textures. Linda loves to share her passion for beautiful stained glass by running ‘on demand’ small group workshops from her Derbyshire home studio.

She has also undertaken many commissions for clients’ homes and unique gifts, which make up the bulk of her work, and is always happy to discuss ideas. Generally, if you can dream it, Linda can bring it to life in beautiful stained glass!

The Peak
Potter

In a time of increasing chaos, I find grounding and joy in the slow, meditative process of creating handmade ceramics. My work is hand built and aims to lift the spirits, offering small moments of comfort, connection, and delight. Each piece is mindfully made, slowly, and inspired by the rhythms of the natural world. All items are unique and crafted with love in my small stone-built studio in Chinley in the Peak District.

Jan Hoyle
Textiles

I am a textile artist working primarily in felt, creating vibrant, tactile works inspired by the landscapes and surroundings that capture my attention. Using merino wool, fabrics, silk fibres and stitch, I explore textures, colours and forms, translating my experiences into richly layered pieces.

I seek to convey both the atmosphere of a place and the emotional response it evokes and aim to elicit a similar sense of delight in the viewer.

Ingrid Katarina Karlsson

Ingrid Katarina Karlsson is a mixed media artist widely known for her narrative style, inspired by the landscapes of the Peak District as well as her Swedish roots. Her work approach creates colourful textures developed through mono-printing, collage, machine stitch, and the inclusion of words.

A favourite medium is crystalline watercolour which enhances her work with a luminous quality, whilst allowing storytelling though the insertion of words. An example is her recent collection, ‘Rhythms’, inspired by song lyrics, music and places. As an artist Ingrid is passionate about telling a story in her work, finding a never-ending source of inspiration in the landscapes and local scenery surrounding her studio.

Julia Brownsword Mixed Media

I am a Mixed Media Artist. I embrace the essence of landscape and draw en plein air to capture my emotions as I journey through nature. I compose collages of my journeys using various media and stitchery. I translate these images digitally onto designer fabric to make 3D products.

Feltin2it Neddlefelting

After retiring to an idyllic cottage in Chinley I fell into offering Needlefelting classes to raise money to help local charities and loved it so much I carried on and so far have raised over £11,000. I enjoy Needlefelting wildlife but as the local scenery is so stunning – it’s difficult not to sit enjoy and paint. Please check out my work knowing you are also helping a local good cause.

Libby Element
Art

Libby is an artist inspired by literature and nature. Working with acrylic paint, Libby specialises in creating intricate, highly detailed pieces.

Heavily inspired by the seasons, she favours natural subjects and is fascinated by light and colour. Libby illustrates motifs from novels, carefully painting them onto the pages of the books themselves, intertwining art and literature.

Libby is a self-taught painter and holds a First-Class BA (Hons) degree in English and American Literature from The University of Manchester. She is a self-declared fungi enthusiast and when she isn’t painting, loves nothing more than exploring the natural world with her camera in hand. Libby sells original paintings, art prints, cards and pins via her Etsy shop.

Alison Rowland
Painting

I am a visual artist based in Whaley Bridge, in the Peak District. Working in gouache, watercolour, and acrylic, I create paintings inspired by the landscapes, textures, and changing moods of the natural world.

I am drawn to dramatic skies, weathered stone, bark, foliage, and the unique character of a place, combining careful observation with a strong sense of atmosphere. While landscapes are my primary focus, I also undertake commissions of buildings, flowers, people, and pets.

As a keen photographer and sketcher, I often work outdoors with pen and watercolour. My background in photography and sketching informs my eye for composition, helping me capture the memory, mood, and essence of a scene.

Angela Heiron
Art

As a dedicated portrait artist, I aim to create a personal and meaningful experience for every client, working closely from the first consultation to the final pencil stroke to bring each vision to life.

My portrait journey began with a deep love for animals, which continues to inspire my work and my focus on capturing both likeness and character. I take pride in careful attention to detail, striving to make each portrait as true to the original photograph as possible.

The greatest reward is seeing a client recognize not just an image, but a faithful, lasting tribute to someone or something they love.

Jude Whitehead Art

My painting inspiration comes from the beauty I see around me, capturing the essence of a place, giving a deep emotional connection. I love that feeling and love to see it in others too.

Living on the edge of the Peak District, there is so very much inspiration here amongst the most beautiful views on Earth. I love to walk amongst it and of course to paint it.

Landscapes and the coast are a particular joy to paint, I know there are others who appreciate the beauty and peaceful sanctuary they offer. An audience, who loves this green and pleasant landscape, in its raw beauty, rough-hewn by nature will feel at home in my art.

My art speaks to those folk in a whisper of belonging, stirring that familiar calming connection to the landscape. With a simple invitation that one of these views could be their own connection and companion.

Welcome to Edale

Venue: Penny Pot cafe, Station Approach, Edale, Hope Valley S33 7ZA

5 minutes walk from Edale station. Toilets and refreshments available at the venue.

Join Penny Pot’s resident artists Lisa, Kathy and Agnes for some local landscapes and readings of the dramatic local scenery. As well as enjoy a nice piece of cake from the cafe! Lovely walks in the area, including up to the local village shop.

Lisa & Kathy Photography

Lisa Daniels – with over two decades of professional experience and a background in fine art, is fascinated by the way a subtle shift of light can transform an ordinary space or object into something quietly evocative.

Katharine Towers – I have published four poetry collections with Picador. My work reflects my interest in the natural world and pays close attention to the lives of plants and creatures, often exploring how they can shed light on our human experiences.

Agnes Snow
Oil Pastel

I am currently studying philosophy at Warwick University. I created most of my paintings last year on my gap year, just about all of which painting appears to be of Edale. I didn’t even stray so far as painting hope – which is just over the hill.

Moving forward I would like to try to paint something quite different – such as my friend sitting in his room. This is not, however, because the subject of Edale has in any way been exhausted. I have many more painting ideas relating to Edale that I still haven’t got around to doing yet. Some artists who have inspired me include John Nash, Dora Carrington, Eric Revillious, Harry Alan and Quentin Blake.

Welcome to Hope

Venue 1: Hope Loxley Hall, Market Place, Hope, Hope Valley S33 6RH 
Venue 2: Sarah’s studio – 2 Castleton Road Hope S33 6RD

15 minutes walk from Hope station. Toilets and refreshments available at the venue.

Another new venue for the art trail by rail this year and packed full of talented creativity. From botanical casts, wild landscapes, lino print, felt and more it’s worth the visit. Across the road you can visit Sarah’s studio to see her atmospheric and wild paintings of sky and sea.

Sonia Dolphin
Art

I have loved drawing from the moment I was able to hold a pencil & recall vivid memories of art class in Bradwell Junior School. Art has always been in my blood. As a self taught artist inspired by nature and my surroundings, I like to work with watercolour as I like to work quickly and working with ink allows me capture details, make buildings and other focal points pop. I have used art as a therapy over the years to help me with personal challenges & feel my most authentic self when I create.

Story Teller
Fine Art

A professional photographer since 2003 Julia now works as a Fine Art Felt artist specialising in 2d and 3d pieces. Her pictures details life around her home in the Peak District and on the English Canal system. She also runs courses and workshops for individuals and small groups. If you’ve never tried felting, come along and have a go!

Em grew up in Derbyshire and first experienced colour in the landscapes of Malawi. Both are in her work. You’ll feel the weight of one and the brightness of the other.

Joy is the word for what she wants viewers to feel. The specific feeling of being alive at the same time as something worth seeing.

Avilion Designs Jewellery

A hobby and something I enjoy…. something for me! Making Pendants, Earrings, Bookmarks and Keyrings. More to come!

Epoxy Resin…the brighter the better. Colour makes me happy. Avilion- A striking name from the English lineage that means ‘a golden rainbow’, ‘beautiful’ and unique.’

The Castaway Plaster Cast

Casting shows the natural beauty of plants enabling the form and structure of all the different parts to really be seen – details that might not otherwise be noticed. It’s easy to miss the intricate underside of a leaf or the delicate patterning found on a petal.

These are picked up by the clay into which the flowers or foliage are pressed, which is then used to create a mould for the plaster of paris from which the cast is created. Most of the casts are made using single specimens, focusing on their individuality but also with different plants together – pretty spring flowers for example or meadow grasses and wildflowers moving in the wind.

Emma Barnsley Art

Nature has always been at the heart of my work. I’m endlessly inspired by wildlife, woodlands and landscapes, and by those fleeting moments that make you stop and look a little closer. After studying art at university, I spent several years working in education before becoming a full-time artist in 2021.

Working mainly in acrylics and oils, I create colourful, expressive paintings that celebrate the character of wildlife and beauty of the natural world.

Alongside my studio work, I’ve painted large-scale wildlife murals and designed sculptures for public art trails, sharing my love of nature on a larger scale. Whether I’m painting a curious fox, a sweeping landscape or a public artwork, my hope is always the same: to spark a sense of wonder, encourage people to reconnect with nature, and leave them smiling.

Vicki Jordan
Print Making

I am a printmaker, working mostly in linocut but also with cyanotype, gel plate monotype and intaglio prints.

I am drawn to nature & the changing seasons in my work, and in particular to folkloric, Celtic and pagan themes. I also have a fondness for the special places of the UK, and these often find their way into my prints!

All my prints are my own original designs, and I hand-print in small editions in my little home studio.

Sarah J Cooper
Art

Working at the intersection of atmosphere and abstraction, Sarah creates immersive seascapes that blur the lines between memory and place. Through bold palette knife work, layered textures and sweeping gestures of colour, her paintings capture the emotional weight of sky, water and light rather than the literal details of landscape.

Sarah’s paintings invite viewers not just to observe a scene, but to feel it-standing at the edge of the horizon, caught between sky and sea.

Welcome to Bamford

Venue: Hope Valley Garden Centre, Hope Rd, Bamford, S33 0AL. 

15 minutes walk from Bamford station. Toilets and refreshments available at the venue.

Visit one of our more unique venues where we will be holding a pop-up art village at the Hope Valley Garden centre. Suitably for the area we have botanical photography, wildlife illustrations, pottery and silversmith all inspired by the local landscapes of the valley. You can try your hand at pottery and also make your own copper jewellery. No booking required.

Di Shimell Jewellery

I studied Fine Art at Hull College of Art in the 1980s, but years later realised I needed creativity back in my life. Looking for something I could do at home, I discovered silversmithing and have been making jewellery for the past 12 years.

After moving from Sheffield to the Hope Valley in 2024, I’m establishing my new studio, inspired by the surrounding landscape. I enjoy introducing colour by combining different metals and using techniques such as fusing, folding and texturing. Alongside creating my own work, I love sharing the joy of silversmithing and helping others discover the satisfaction of making with silver.

Emily Heaven Illustration

Nature is one of Emily’s biggest influences, her love of story-telling and limitless imagination is what powers her illustrations.
Her work includes children’s picture books, commercial designs for greetings cards, toys, games and giftware, and spans digital and traditional mediums.

Michelle Shore Illustration

Michelle is an artist and art tutor based in the Peak District. Passionate about her love of drawing, Michelle specialises in working in pen and ink, sometimes adding touches of watercolour.

Her inspiration comes from the natural world, wildlife and the mythology and local folklore of the landscape. In her work, Michelle captures the beauty of the inner magic of the natural world. Every picture tells a story and Michelle captures the story within.

Kate Eden Photography

I am a photographer living in the Hope Valley. I create original photographic still-lifes of home grown flowers and found objects. My photographs are inspired by the local environment, the seasons and my inner world, which I express through choice of materials and the arrangement of each component within the piece.

My photographs reference the Dutch Masters and often feature symbolic motifs taken from art, superstition and folklore. They celebrate the flowers that grow here in Derbyshire as well as the treasures of nature that can be found on our doorsteps. I love the natural world, capturing it, and sharing it with others. All of my floral arrangements are locally and sustainably grown and responsibly sourced, and I do not use imported flowers or non-reusable mechanics.

Mike Spoor Drawing

My landscape based ceramics are a lifelong expression and recently my response to the Peak District landforms and geology. My workshop is open on site too but this small collection shows a few completed drawings on the same theme in pen, ink, pencil, some paint and pastels. I also enjoy photography and was an illustrator of children’s books for many years.

Anne Stewart Ceramics

I make hand thrown stoneware and functional pottery made with love to be used and enjoyed. I took up ceramics on retirement and fell in love with clay. All my pots are wheel thrown and fired in the electric kiln.

Alice Harris
Art

My paintings are a deeply personal exploration of time, memory, and the
dramatic, shifting landscapes of the Peak District.

Working in acrylics on canvas and board, I build tactile surfaces using palette knives, brushes, and my own hands to echo the raw texture, rugged terrain, and layered history of the moorlands. Capturing the ephemeral light, fast moving shadows, and atmospheric weather of the peaks brings me a profound sense of calm and frees my soul.

Living with Long Covid, painting is NOT just my passion, but a vital sanctuary where physical limitations fade and the enduring resilience of
the natural world takes hold.

Lee Waterman Ceramics

I produce both functional and contemporary designed work inspired by the processes of nature’s pathways and how nature inhabits our thoughts. The studio acts as a hub to encourage others to make beautiful and interesting pottery, and develop the arts and crafts movement of our age. The studio has on display many pieces of pottery for sale, showcasing some of the wide variety of techniques, materials and processes to the potter.

Totally Different Sculpture

Step into a world of twisty wire wonders and whirling wooden treasures! Local artisans Craig Clarke and Paul Turnock run a permanent studio gallery together at Hope Valley Centre, where they sell their own distinctive works.

Craig primarily creates striking life-sized sculptures from intricate wire, twisting and shaping electrical telephone cable into bold, expressive forms full of movement and personality. These large-scale pieces invite visitors to walk around them and discover new details from every angle. He also produces some uniquely handcrafted wood-turned pieces.

Paul is the main wood-turner, working with carefully selected timber to create beautiful, one-of-a-kind items finished by hand. He celebrates the natural grain, texture and warmth of the wood in every piece. Both artists work independently, each bringing their own skill and passion to their craft. Together their studio offers a playful, heartfelt experience of wire sculptures and wood-turned treasures rooted in the Peak District landscape.

Mike Spoor Ceramics

My career in art, ceramics, photography and illustration, all inspired by interests in landscape, geology and history, culminating in my workshop in the Hope Valley Centre. I taught ceramics in Kent schools and lectured at the University for the Creative Arts, then in Australia with the Australian Flying Arts School throughout Queensland also becoming a children’s book illustrator there and on returning to the UK.

I continued making and teaching ceramics and illustrating until moving to the Peak District five years ago. My seeks to embody my sense of awe in response to the ancient and dramatic Earth and also the evolution of human impact on its surface. Clay, its textures and accidents in processesI utilise and preserve in clay forms.

Welcome to Hathersage

Venues: Lawrence Hall, Oddfellows Rd, Hathersage, Hope Valley S32 1DU and Becky’s studio.

Less than 10mins walk from Hathersage station. Toilets and refreshments available.

Expanding from last year, we have taken over the Lawrence Hall in Hathersage and filled it with art. Along with paintings, textiles, stained glass and illustrations, we will also have a zine-making workshop. No booking required and free to take part. 

Nell Swift
Textiles

Nell Swift is a weaver, capturing the movement and changing colour of the sea. She transforms memories, seascapes of the North Yorkshire and landscapes of the Peak District into scarves, blankets, cushions, wall hangings and rugs full of colour and texture Nell works in yarns left over from commercial textile production, on a custom-made floor loom, using traditional techniques in a contemporary context.

She specialises in hand-wound gradients. Her colour studies capture the character of unique places. They are meditative forms, designs condense over years, a fragment of place, the essence of colour, movement and material.

Lyn Littlewood
Art

I live very close to Stanage Edge and paint colourful pictures of the area. I use collage, watercolour and pastel. I enjoy experimenting with new colours and paints making individual paintings of the Hathersage area.

Little Missy
Glass

Little Missy Glass by Lisa is where I design and create colourful pieces of stained glass art which are inspired by my local area of the Peak District, places travelled and nature.

I like to identify landmarks or features in my surroundings and translate them into glass. Time can disappear identifying, choosing, working out which glass colours or patterns combine to design and create my pieces of glass art.

I am called Little Missy Glass after all the “ little missy’s “ in my life including my 3 lovely daughters and the Spaniel called Missy.

Karen Perkins
Art

I paint from my studio in Bradwell & digitally online, My love of photography, art & hiking was re-kindled by the Peak District. l love drawing & painting local landscapes & yummy food, l create artwork for local businesses too. Just ask!

Emily Gait Illustrations

Emily is an illustrator specialising in hand-drawn artwork using pen and ink, and a spot of gouache. Her illustrations are inspired by the changing seasons and stunning landscapes across the UK as well as her love for food growing, cycling, and swimming. She transforms original illustrations into high quality Giclée prints, greeting cards, postcards, notebooks and coasters.

Daria K
Art

I am a Sheffield-based artist, illustrator and geographer. I turn impressions into images. It is my way of processing what I experience and holding on to moments that matter. I love telling stories, and drawing is the most natural way I know to tell them.

I believe our strongest emotions, from great joy to deep grief, become a little easier to carry when we give them a visual form, whether through artists’ books, carving on a piece of bark or simply making a quick sketch. I seem to collect artistic techniques, working with gouache, watercolour, markers, paint sticks, printmaking, collage and almost anything else I can get my hands on. My work is inspired by everyday life, nature and the small things that often go unnoticed.

Theo Rogers
Art

I am a university student (studying History and Politics at Warwick) from Hathersage, and am always drawn back to painting the Peak District. I am fascinated by colour, and how it changes throughout the year; I am constantly trying to uncover more than meets the eye as I wander around the hills.

I use mostly acrylics to explore this, but carry around a watercolour sketchpad to capture the moment, interested in exploring whatever’s in front of me. My inspirations come from the great Impressionists, especially Monet and Van Gogh, but also the late great David Hockney, whose Yorkshire landscapes beautifully reveal colour you never knew existed.

Becky Pytches
Art

I grew up in Chile, but when I was 13 we came back to live in England. I was very homesick for Chile. I couldn’t describe how beautiful the Chilean landscape was. The sea that followed along the West, the Andes mountains that encased it to the East. It took me a long time to love this Peak District landscape with the same depth of feeling I had for Chile. But the more I paint it, the more I love it.

I like paths and horizons that take you somewhere further away. I never bore of painting the sky with its light and darkness; movement and stillness. In my tree paintings, I try to capture the weather and how our friends, the trees, stand steadfast and together. You can see more of my work on:
Instagram: beckyrebecca002

Welcome to Grindleford

Check out the venues for each activity and artists below.

All between 5 and 15mins walk from Grindleford station. Toilets and refreshments available.

Hosted in cosy studios and beautiful surroundings, we have expressive landscapes, unique ceramics, silversmith and illustration. In addition to our artist studios, Padley Chapel is open especially for the weekend by local volunteers. Take a short meander to this 14th century chapel, rich in local history, and take part in some art yourself.

Maggie Norman Art

Venue: Maggie’s Studio, 1 Midland Cottages. Upper Padley. Grindleford, S32 2JA

Expressive landscape paintings based mainly in the Peak District exploring shifting light, mood and texture. Cards, framed work and range of canvas sizes – 50% of sales to ASSIST supporting asylum seekers in Sheffieldy

Jo Veevers Ceramics

Venue: Maggie’s Studio, 1 Midland Cottages. Upper Padley. Grindleford, S32 2JA

Works in ceramic and on paper that pay attention to detail and place. Some work is informed by an appreciation of the local area whilst others are about memories. All demonstrate a love of drawing, making and surfaces.

Jack Blaxhall
Art

Venue:  Jack’s Studio,2 Midland Cottages, Upper Padley, Grindleford, S32 2JA

I’m an illustrator and silversmith, raised between Sheffield and Grindleford. Growing up these felt like highly disparate environments to me, though as I’ve gotten older I’ve come to see them for what they are–two sides of the same valley. Through my work I look to reconcile what we often see as a divide between the natural and the man-made. My jewellery is made predominantly from recycled silverware made in Sheffield, reforged with organic shapes and textures inspired by gritstone, bark, concrete, lichen, and rust. My illustrations are inspired by folklore, churches, the ancient oak and post-industrial birch forests around Padley Gorge, as well as the street art, red brick, and steelworks of the city.

Grindleford Padley Chapel

Upper Padley, Hope Valley, S32 2JA
Open especially for the festival is the 14th century chapel in Padley which is rich in local history. Take a quiet moment to enjoy the architecture of the building and take part in some hands on creativity as you soak up the surroundings. 

Ranger Hub at Brunts Barn

Upper Padley, Hope Valley, S32 2JA
Over the road from Padley Chapel is Brunt’s Barn ranger hub of the Peak Park conservation volunteers. Explore their new sensory garden where you can sit and sketch the botanicals around you. Toilets are available, and opening times are the same as Padley Chapel.

With Thanks

This event wouldn’t be possible without the support of our sponsors and partners, whose generosity has helped bring the Art Trail by Rail back for a second year. Thank you for helping us celebrate local art and sustainable travel in the Hope Valley.

All visitors, please note;

  • Children under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times
  • The Art Trail is free of charge, but you will need an appropriate ticket for all of your rail and bus travel
  • The trail passes through outdoor and public spaces — please stay on marked paths and do not touch, climb on, or lean against artworks or installations
  • The trail includes uneven terrain, steps, and varying surfaces – sturdy footwear is recommended
  • Visitors with mobility requirements should check the trail map in advance for accessible routes
  • Please supervise children closely near roads, on transport and within the venues
  • Photography is welcome, but please be respectful of other visitors and avoid using flash near artworks where requested