Photo: Aidan Shingler
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​Location: Stoney Wood, Wirksworth, Derbyshire, UK, Planet Earth 
Latitude: 53.0859 N Longitude: 1.5781 W
Grid Reference: SK 28356 54381
Designated Parking for Stoney Wood: DE4 4FR
​Pedestrian and Disabled Access: DE4 4EN

Stoney Wood is Wirksworth’s millennium community woodland, planted on the site of the recovered Stoneycroft Quarry which was  donated by Tarmac Ltd to Wirksworth’s Town Council.
 
Wirksworth  is a small lively market town with a thriving community in the heart of the Derbyshire Dales, situated on the edge of the Peak District National Park.  The town offers a selection of independent shops and pubs and places to eat and stay are in no short supply.
 
Wirksworth Town Council are proud owners of StarDisc and Stoney Wood. The management and development of the woodland is entrusted to The Stoney Wood Group, which is comprised of community volunteers. The Town Council works in partnership with several organisations and groups to keep Wirksworth a vibrant town and to provide and improve facilities.
 
Stoney Wood is Wirksworth’s millennium community woodland, planted on the site of the recovered Stoney Croft Quarry which was donated by Tarmac Ltd to Wirksworth’s Town Council. Local children and volunteers planted hundreds of trees and named the new environment Stoney Wood.
 
Stoney Wood community woodland project was inspired during a visit by local people  in 1994 to a similar woodland - The Foret  Giono near Wirksworth’s French twin town of ‘Die’, which was in turn inspired by the writer Jean Giono’s book - “The Man who Planted Trees”, a story about a solitary shepherd who planted mountainsides with thousands of trees and transformed his local environment.

​The Stoney Wood Group stages events, activities and performances at StarDisc supported by Wirksworth Town Council and The StarDisc Trust.
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  • Play, make, learn, explore and be inspired with the free family activity downloads found here
  • Take a walk around and enjoy views over the rooftops of Wirksworth and the Ecclesbourne Valley.
  • See artwork by local artists, among native trees, and wild flowers.
  • Picnic with family and friends.
  • Visit the Community Orchard.
  • Observe the night sky from StarDisc
  • Enjoy inspiring events, performances and activities  
In close proximity to the StarDisc are six Solar Calendar Stones, positioned by Keith Hunter a local engineer, to show precisely where the sun rises and sets at the solstices and the equinox.
Middle Peak Quarry from StarDisc viewing platform. 
Gateway to the Stars, ​created by Dan Marsh; markng the entrance of StarDisc and Stoney Wood. 
Ascend to StarDisc from the base of Stoney Wood via Middleton Road entrance.
​Wirksworth's Puzzle Gardens