Curbar inhabits the soft, wooded slopes below the hard gritstone edges of the Eastern Moors. It's a quiet, secluded place. A cluster of stone-built houses which seem to melt into against the hillside to hide themselves but it's surprisingly extensive, reaching all the way to the Derwent below. There are no amenities and the chief point of interest is Curbar Edge above the village, which provides a fine view of the Derwent valley, some excellent walking and some of the hardest gritstone rock climbing in Derbyshire.
The road up through the village, which crosses the River Derwent at Calver Bridge and continues up, passing through Curbar Gap at the top of the edge, is an ancient packhorse route which was one of the 'salt routes' from Cheshire to Chesterfield.