Treasures of dramatic Dovedale
Dovedale is full of beauty to discover in springtime, with its dramatic peaks, sparkling waters and picturesque villages
Spring comes slowly to Dovedale. The cold is often reluctant to relinquish its grip on the steep-sided canyon which the swift-flowing river has carved through soft, friable limestone. Dovedale forms the southern gateway to the White Peak area of the Peak District National Park, which takes its name from the pale grey colour of the rock. It is a natural corridor into the plateaus and valleys that characterise this landscape. Through the gorge flows the River Dove, following the county border between Derbyshire from Staffordshire. In early April, when the low-lying countryside to the south is awakening from its winter hibernation, in Dovedale, the blossom proves stubbornly slow to show itself. At 427ft (130m) above sea level, the valley floor can harbour frost well into May, while high up on the ridges and hilltops, snow has been known to linger into the first days of June. Owing to its north-south alignment, the gently strengthening rays of morning sunshine are slow to penetrate the deeper reaches of Dovedale, yet closer observation of this enchanting valley’s wildlife reveals more subtle signs of spring. From the car park just above the confluence of the Dove with the River Manifold, a well-trodden path leads into the craggy gorge of Dovedale. Dense stands of calcareous ash cling tenaciously to the loose scree slopes on the western side of the valley where, despite scant evidence of fresh spring growth, the first chiffchaffs enthusiastically signal their recent arrival from warmer climes. Higher up towards the lip of the gorge, Dovedale’s resident population of ravens are already nesting, and a pair of buzzards soar on the first thermals, mewing plaintively to one another as the climbing sun strikes the upper terraces of the nearvertical western scarp. Adult ravens appear beneath the circling raptors, cawing quietly as they shepherd the buzzards away from their vulnerable chicks huddling together in scruffy nests high among the treetops. Dippers are busy fishing for grubs in the backwaters and eddies of the Dove. This rather dapper, white-bibbed bird is Britain’s only aquatic songbird, its melodious voice often drowned out by the sound of the fast-flowing river habitat it favours. They can often be seen fishing midstream and are extremely agile underwater. When startled, they will often dive straight into the water from a rapid airborne retreat. Heading upriver, the character of the Dove alternates between an upland stream coursing over shallow waterfalls and a more mature, meandering lowland river. Working with local anglers, the National Trust has carried out extensive rewilding work to remove a succession of
artificial weirs that had impeded the flow. As a result, the Dove now flows more naturally, and the benefits in reducing siltation and creating greater diversity of habitats are already becoming apparent.
Walkers’ crossing
As the 18 stepping stones across the Dove come into view, to the right, the grassy flanks of Thorpe Cloud loom seductively above the valley. The river is approximately 50ft (15m) wide here and arcs sharply round to the west; the footpath following the right bank for the next 1¼ miles. The only other crossing points are a footbridge just upstream of the car park and another half a mile further at Ilam Rock. The large, blocky stones were set into the river as tourism began to flourish in the late 19th century. The rock from which they are made however, was laid down approximately 350 million years earlier and the stones are inlaid with fossilised crinoids that flourished in the shallow tropical seas. These were once easily seen in the surface of the stones but in 2010, they were given new cappings, after being eroded by the action of the river and the millions of passing feet. After crossing the stones, the path to the summit of the almost perfect pyramid of Thorpe Cloud is a steep 25-minute haul up from the valley floor. Rising to almost 1,000ft (300m), this distinctive hill is a prime example of a local geological phenomenon known as a reef knoll. These features would have appeared as atolls in the same warm seas upon whose beds the limestone was laid down. The enigmatic name derives from the ancient English word ‘clud’, meaning hill. Similarly, Dovedale derives its name from the Celtic ‘dubh’, meaning dark or black, reflecting the shadowy depths of the gorge. The summit is not as stark and vertiginous as the sight from the valley floor might suggest, and the views from the top reward the effort in getting up there. The vistas extend west across the gorge to Bunster Hill three quarters of a mile away which, before the river forced a cleft between them, would have been connected to Thorpe Hill in a continuous ridge. The deep scar of Dovedale runs north towards Milldale, while to the south, the low-lying hills of Cannock Chase are visible on the horizon. Sheep wander among the unfenced limestone pasturelands, their tracks creating a terraced effect on steeper slopes as they scour the hillsides. Back down in the valley, the frothy white blossom of the blackthorn is the first to appear; stark against the bare sombre limbs of the stunted bushes. As the season progresses, the pink blossom of the hawthorn creates a rosy glow on the slopes above the stepping stones as the ash slowly comes into leaf.
Early in the month, catkins in the willow and hazel may be the only visible cue for the arrival of spring, but as April wears on, the hawthorn blossom gives way to an explosion of delicate green leaf burst throughout the valley. The ash is notoriously late to come into leaf, but the blackthorn, hawthorn and occasional small-leafed lime tree begin to emerge from their hibernation by the middle of the month. Lily of the valley and the extremely rare herb, Paris flower, appear towards the end of the month during an especially mild spring. On an warm, late April morning, a period of quiet riverside contemplation may reveal trout rising freely to snap up clumsy black hawthorn flies. Continuing north along Dovedale, the footpath ascends a series of steps said to have been carved by Italian prisoners of war during the Second World War. At their top, the gnarly outcrop of Lover’s Leap offers further sumptuous views of the gorge as it meanders northwards. Across the valley stand the spires of the 12 Apostles: pinnacles of harder limestone which have remained standing long after
Izaak Walton, The Compleat Angler
the softer stone around them wore away. Similarly eroded monuments line the flanks of lower Dovedale, such as Ilam Rock, Tissington Spires and Pickering Tor. The formations include the natural arch of Reynards Cave and extensive caverns such as the Dove Holes. These offered shelter and protection for prehistoric nomads who crossed the land bridge from Europe to hunt more exotic beasts than those currently resident in the valley. The Dove Holes are readily accessible from the path, and the larger of the two caverns extends 30ft (9m) into the rock,
“Rivers and the inhabitants of the watery elements are made for wise men to contemplate and for fools to pass by without consideration”
with a 30ft (9m) high vaulted ceiling. The entrance and walls have been worn smooth by glacial action and water erosion over millennia. As climatic conditions fluctuated during the last 20,000 years, much of northern Britain was rendered uninhabitable by a thick sheet of ice. As the thaw set in and the ice receded circa 15,000BC, Dovedale and its caves were revealed to nomadic hunters. Before Britain was severed from continental Europe, modern hominids followed the reindeer herds across the land as far north as Derbyshire. Natural funnels such as Dovedale would be exploited to trap and slaughter their prey, the hunters perhaps feasting on the meat in the caves.
Historic capital
Three miles downstream from Dovedale, straddling the Henmore Brook, lies the market town of Ashbourne, capital of the White Peak. Here, traditional timber-framed Tudor buildings rub shoulders with more opulent Georgian architecture in the wide streets of what has been a prosperous market town since the middle ages. Referred to in the Domesday Book as Esseburne, where it was described as a ‘very small’ settlement of five houses, the town assumed prominence in the middle ages when its wealth grew around the wool trade, and the merchants and landed gentry grew sufficiently wealthy to erect some fine old buildings and monuments. Two hundred of these remain listed, most of them in the central Conservation Area. Foremost among these is the Grade I listed Grammar School, which was granted a charter in 1585 by Queen Elizabeth I. The elegant gables and ashlar facades of the building took 18 years to complete, and the art historian Nikolaus Pevsner compared the edifice favourably with Harrow as an example of 16th century scholastic architecture. Opposite the old school is the Mansion House, an imposing red brick edifice that was remodelled by the Scottish architect Robert Adam at a time when Dr Samuel Johnson was a regular guest in the late 18th century. The parish church of St Oswald, with its fine 212ft (65m) spire, is just a short walk from these landmarks. Overlooking the triangular market place at the heart of Ashbourne, the double-fronted façade of Bramhalls is something of an institution. It combines a counter offering a range of local and specialist delicacies with a bustling café serving home-cooked food.
After careers in retail, Nicola and David Riley bought this established delicatessen and café in 2018. “Back in the 1950s, the premises were used as a traditional grocer’s shop selling a variety of specialist goods and local produce. The previous owners re-established the shop as a purveyor of quality foods when they took it over in 2010,” says David. “We were regular customers for a number of years and always loved coming here, so when the opportunity to buy the business came along, it seemed a natural decision for us to make. “We wanted to continue the tradition and maintain the Bramhalls name, and we are keen to continue to source the best local produce for both the shop and the café. Everything on the menu is prepared from scratch on the premises.” The shop offers a selection of more than 50 cheeses. “Visitors are keen to try the local specialities, such as Peakland White or Dovedale Blue,” says David. “But our bestselling cheese is almost certainly the classic Hartington Stilton. This is a pungent cheese which is made up the road at the other end of the Tissington Trail.”
Gingerbread house
One of the town’s oldest buildings houses the Ashbourne Gingerbread Shop, in St John’s Street, dating back to 1492. This timbered Tudor building is still making gingerbread to an old French recipe from the Napoleonic wars, when it was shared by one of the approximately 170 French prisoners of war who were held at a military prison in the town. In the café, a window through the plaster allows a glimpse of the building’s original 15th century wattle and daub walls. A rough clay mix was applied to a latticework of coppiced branches to create a surprisingly tough structure that has clearly stood the test of time. Small batches of gingerbread are still made to celebrate Shrovetide, when the town’s most famous seasonal event takes place. Ashbourne’s Royal Shrovetide Football, to give this annual spectacle its full title, has its origins in the middle ages and assumed royal associations after King Edward VIII launched the spectacle by ‘turning up’ the ball in 1928.
The ball in question is larger than a standard football, hand-painted by local artists and stuffed with cork to ensure it floats when it almost inevitably ends up in the river. The game, which kicks off on Shrove Tuesday, can last up to two days. The opposing sides are known as the Up’ards and Down’ards, according to which side of the Henmore Brook they were born on. Each side aims to smuggle the ball from one end of town to the other, ‘goalling’ the ball by striking it three times against the walls of prominent mill buildings at opposing ends of town.
Distinctive cottages
From Ashbourne, it is just a short five mile drive to the pretty village of Ilam, on the edge of which stands the imposing Gothic edifice of Ilam Hall, a spectacular base from which to explore Lower Dovedale. The original residence dates back to Tudor times, but this relatively modest manor house was supplanted by an ambitious design by local architect and builder James Trubshaw. It was completed in 1826. Many of the more exotic architectural flourishes were lost during a partial demolition in the 20th century, but the hall remains an elegant building, flanked by delightful formal gardens. A picnic beside the River Manifold or tea and cake in the Italian Garden at Ilam can be enjoyed following a riverside walk. Many of the houses in the adjacent village are built in an Alpine chalet style, inspired by the wealthy industrialist, Jesse Watts Russell, who bought the estate in 1820. Their distinctive design is due to the fact that the hills and valleys reminded him of the Swiss Alps. Also in the grounds, is the Church of the Holy Cross, where the remains of a pair of Anglo-Saxon crosses can be found. While there is little left of the crosses, the intricately inscribed columns still stand. ›
Embracing change
Five miles north of Ashbourne lies the idyllic village of Tissington and another magnificent mansion. The impressive southern approach passes beneath a grand gateway and along an avenue of lime trees. Tissington Hall is a fine example of a 17th century Jacobean manor house, standing at the heart of the village which takes its name. It has remained the ancestral seat of the FitzHerbert family since 1465. The current building was erected in 1609, to replace a much older moated fortification which guarded the Norman church of St Mary’s. The baronetcy was conferred on Sir William FitzHerbert in 1784 by George III for his role as ‘Gentleman Usher to the King’ and Tissington is one of only 300 country houses in England which is occupied by direct descendants of the original builders. The hall and gardens are open on several days of the year, and Sir Richard FitzHerbert has been a driving force in transforming Tissington from a farming business into a modern tourism enterprise. “When I inherited this estate at the age of 24 in 1989, 70 per cent of the income came from farming and 30 per cent from cottages,” says Sir Richard. “Today, the ratio is more like 30 per cent farming, 20 per cent cottage rentals and 50 per cent tourism. I strove to bring new industries and workshops into the village to create jobs that had been lost on the farms, by attracting visitors with the aim of giving them more reasons to spend time here.” Redundant kitchen gardens were turned into a small-scale nursery in the early 1990s, and other small businesses
started to grow, with the butchery in the old slaughterhouse, candle makers in the old smithy and the craft shop in a former old joiner’s shop. “What all these businesses had in common was that they were all very suitable for the surroundings, and not only are they flourishing in their own right, but they attract visitors to our community,” says Sir Richard. But it was perhaps the burgeoning market for bespoke country house weddings that introduced Tissington to a new generation of visitors. “We hosted just six weddings in our first year, and now the hall is a much sought-after venue. We find that a lot of couples who married here are regular return visitors who love to rekindle those happy memories.” His knowledge of the estate’s history is encyclopaedic, and he has a disarmingly informal narrative style when conducting his personal tours of the hall, which include afternoon tea in the library. “We call these guided tours ‘Invitation to View’ and they have turned out to be incredibly popular,” says Sir Richard. In 2006, he was awarded the Bledisloe Gold Medal by the Royal Agricultural Society of England in recognition of a landowner who ‘has demonstrated outstanding achievements in the successful land management and development of an agricultural estate in England’. “It has been pretty challenging, but it’s been something of an adventure,” says Sir Richard. “We all realise we’ve got to help each other, and it seems to work. The estate is certainly a more sustainable business than it was 30 years ago, but keeping up with the repairs on a 61-room house with 48 chimneys is quite a capital-intensive undertaking.” Tissington is now a thriving village community. Ducks dabble on the pond beside the green, where children from the local school play in the sunshine. At the old smithy, near the village crossroads by the pond, Annie Maudling runs a candle maker’s in Tissington called On a Wick and a Prayer. “Not so long ago, everyone who lived in the village would have worked on the estate or one of the five farms within it, but times have changed, and Tissington has become quite a special village,” she says. Annie started her candle making business in 1997 to fit around family life, with a working capital of just £250. “Initially, it involved a lot of experimenting, mistakes and mess, but I did a few school fetes and the like, and when I received an order for 500 candles, I thought it was time to take things a bit more seriously. So we moved the workshop from the kitchen table into the old pigsty behind the house. I put a little sign outside to attract people to come and see me in the workshop, and that’s how it all started.” Now Annie and her team work out of the old forge itself. The shop is housed where the travelling blacksmith used to sleep when he spent a week shoeing horses in the village. “The smithy operated into the 1970s, and you can still see the rings on the walls to which the farrier would hitch the horses,” she says.
“Come live with me, and be my love, and we will all the pleasures prove, that valleys, groves, or hills, or fields, or woods and steepy mountains, yield” Christopher Marlowe, ‘The Passionate Shepherd to his Love’
It takes approximately six months to get a new fragrance right. “We experiment with different blends, then do a bit of blind testing among ourselves and with regular customers until we’re happy,” she says. The bestsellers change in line with the seasons, so spring is very much about lighter floral fragrances, such as lavender and geranium. Annie also runs candle making courses at the Tissington workshop. “That’s proving really popular with the growing numbers of creative makers who want to have a go at candle-making, just like I did 20 years ago,” she says.
Celebration of water
In common with many White Peak villages, watercourses are a prominent feature. The limestone geology allows water to permeate and flow freely over and under the landscape, and wells and aquifers, culverts and conduits are integral to the evolution of the settlements. Closely associated with the parish churches, the tradition of well dressing with vibrant spring flowers may predate the arrival of Christianity when the villagers would decorate wells to ward off drought or seek protection against plague. The tradition is observed at villages throughout the White Peak, but Tissington is unique in having six beautifully preserved open wells within a few hundred yards of each other. Hall Well is opposite Tissington Hall while Yew Tree Well stands near the eponymous tree on the edge of the churchyard. In Tissington, approximately 50,000 people visit during the six days when the wells are dressed. Villagers work together to illustrate what is usually a biblical scene or story using thousands of flowers inlaid into a clay-covered wooden board. This is then mounted around the well during Ascension Week. “If you look around the world, many civilisations celebrate the sanctity of clean, flowing water in one way or another. Our way of celebrating its life-giving qualities has matured into the creation of these beautiful mosaics,” explains Sir Richard. “The enduring appeal of the well dressing is the commitment that the entire village makes year after year. Once everything in the village returns to normal, we have a big tea party, where we thank everyone who has contributed.” There is plenty more to celebrate about this beautiful part of the country. “Once the snows recede, suddenly there are lambs everywhere,” says Sir Richard. “Spring can unfold here any time between March and April, and the first signs I look for are subtle changes in the colour of the hedgerows, which take on a muted amber glow before the green buds burst through. I spend a lot of time walking, especially in the springtime when the land begins to wake.” There are few better places to witness the beauty of this changing season than the greening slopes of Dovedale.