Cathedral Green is a riverside open space just east of the Cathedral Quarter where the Derwent makes a bend below the old town. The Cathedral Green Footbridge, a pedestrian and cycle swing bridge opened in 2008, connects the green to the opposite bank and completes a riverside walking circuit from the Silk Mill downstream to the Cathedral. It is a pleasant piece of contemporary engineering in a setting that makes the most of the river.
The Derwent here is wider and slower than it is in the gorges further north, and the combination of water, green space, and the cathedral tower above gives the walk a spaciousness that the city centre streets don't have. The riverside path towards the Silk Mill island passes some of the best surviving industrial archaeology in the city, including stretches of the mill race and weir infrastructure that once powered the original mills.