DAY TWO EXERCISE & EDUCATION

Running parallel to the River Wye along the former Midland Railway line, the Monsal Trail stretches for 8.5 miles through Monsal Dale. Being largely flat, it’s no challenge for walkers, but for cyclists it’s nigh-on perfect. Bikes can be hired for £12 for two hours from Hassop Station, just outside Bakewell.

Highlights along the route include four well-lit former railway tunnels, the Headstone Viaduct and Cressbrook and Litton Mills, hulking monsters that played a pivotal role in the Industrial Revolution.

Hassop Station Cafe is the top spot for breakfast at the start of the trail or lunch at the end. There’s a wealth of outdoor seating, and tandoori chicken kebabs and vegan falafel burritos are menu highlights.

AFTERNOON

Seven miles north of Bakewell, the village of Eyam would be regarded as idyllic were it not for its grimly heroic past. As many a child in the Midlands who went on a school trip will know, this was the village that sealed itself off in selfsacrifice in 1665 during the Great Plague. Eyam Museum tells the full story. Concisely brutal detail can also be found on plaques outside the Plague Cottages on Church Avenue, where death first struck.

Eyam Parish Church has more information on the victims’ bravery, plus stained-glass windows depicting the morbid tale. Mompesson’s Well, a thighburning, 25-minute uphill slog from the church, meanwhile, was where neighbouring villagers left provisions for Eyam’s stricken self-isolation pioneers.

EVENING

There’s a possibility you might want to cleanse yourself after Eyam, and that’s where Hathersage Swimming Pool comes in. Five miles north of Eyam, the outdoor facility comes with views of dramatic Stanage Edge and the surrounding hills. The pool is 30 metres long and heated yearround to 28C, but pre-booking is strongly advised as it gets very busy at the first glimpse of a little sun.

Post-dip, amble through Hathersage, stopping for drinks and dinner at any of several rather loveable pubs. The Scotsman’s Pack Country Inn serves up hearty, gastropub-style food alongside hand-pulled ales.

If the weather’s up to it, eat outside on the patio next to the trout-filled stream.

FROM LEFT: View from Monsal Head, taking in the Headstone Viaduct and Monsal Dale; Hassop Station Cafe