The Peak District is a lovely combination of north and south. Not gentle, green and flat (and occasionally boring) — or wild, bleak and mountainous (and occasionally frightening) — but something in between. Its hills manage to be dramatic yet undaunting. Steep, narrow lanes head past fields where Belted Galloway cows hang their heads over sturdy stone walls.
And so we arrived at the famous Dovedale stepping stones on a warm afternoon. While the two-year-old with us was far more impressed by the stones than we were, we did appreciate the beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. It was an easy one-hour walk along the valley to the stones and back, descending from Ilam Park on grassy paths into the limestone gorge and on to the River Dove.
We were staying only ten minutes away, in a pretty cottage that used to be a working dairy farm and is still home to a flock of sheep, several goats, two donkeys and lots of free-range rescue chickens. The cottage was 15 minutes from Ashbourne, which holds an outdoor market in the square every Saturday. Our hosts warned us that it might be under- whelming, but we wanted to try it anyway.
It certainly isn’t the most thrilling market — six out of the seven stalls primarily sold wooden hearts covered in terribly optimistic mottos, such as, “It takes bricks to build a house, but love to build a home”.
The final stall was simply selling 12 pairs of identical size 9 Dorothy Perkins, orthopaedic-chic loafers — and at just £7.99 a pop. A handwritten sign on A4 paper informed shoppers that (should you be on the fence) HRM the Queen in fact owns a pair.
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Spirits undampened, we wandered Ashbourne’s cobbled streets. St Oswald’s Church is a beautiful building — worth sticking your head into — with stained glass windows and a 212ft spire that George Eliot apparently called “the finest single spire in England”.
As a fan of tiny local museums, I stopped in at the Ashbourne Heritage Centre to learn all about shrovetide football and the history of Ashbourne’s police service, including the top fact that policewomen were once given special handbags in which to carry their truncheons.
“I worried he might dislodge the baked bean inexplicably perched on his shoulder
With a stroke of good fortune we arrived at 12.50pm — ten minutes before Trilby, aged 79, the resident Ashbourne expert, was due to appear, as she does every Saturday, to answer visitors’ questions. The one other man standing with us in the room (Brian) had virtually reached peak excitement at the prospect of Trilby’s arrival. He was so jittery I worried he might dislodge the single baked bean that was inexplicably perched on his shoulder. At 1.02pm, just as I worried Brian might be about to be terribly disappointed, Trilby appeared — a glorious vision in a fleece gilet with a snow-white helmet of hair as tall as it was dense. She really did know her Ashbourne trivia.
Some of what’s on offer in Ashbourne is arguably a little chintzy and geared heavily towards tourists, but that’s an inevitable result of being in such a pretty part of the world. And it’s a part of the world you need to get out and explore.
So we set off to Chatsworth House, its gardens designed by Capability Brown. They have an excellent selection of animals to entertain children (and me) and an adventure fortress for them (and me) to let off steam.
“We hadn’t tasted even one local delicacy — and we were in Bakewell tart country
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The grounds are beautiful, with statues, lakes, tree-lined avenues and sweeping views across the house’s terraces, its manicured lawns and over towards tree-covered hills, where flocks of sheep graze. Enormous trees loom over a hedge maze and hidden doors are set into the walls of beautifully kept kitchen gardens. It was the closest I had felt to being in Mr McGregor’s vegetable patch or The Secret Garden. The tickets can feel a little pricey (£15 for gardens, £19 for house and gardens), but there is a lot to see; we were there for two and a half hours and didn’t feel as though we had given it enough time.
On the way back we realised with horror that we hadn’t tasted even one local delicacy — and we were in Bakewell tart country. So we stopped in Bakewell and bought two: each four times the size of a Mr Kipling, but otherwise apparently identical. They were delicious and the sugar crash was worth it. The Bakewell pudding, on the other hand, is a very different beast: buttery pastry, a lighter almond filling, but not nearly as good. However, either would make good walking fodder to explore the surrounding, often breathtakingly beautiful countryside.
You can’t just stay in Ashbourne — buy a picnic and get out into the countryside.
Emily Sargent
Need to know
Where to stay
Emily Sargent was a guest of Damgate Farm (01335 310271, damgatefarm.com). The three cottages are done out beautifully, pairing original features such as wooden beams with modern kitchens and bathrooms. A three-night weekend costs from £345 in Winnow Nook cottage (sleeps two), £400 in Winnow Stables cottage (sleeps four) and £795 in Winnow Barn (sleeps eight).
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Where to eat
A good, inexpensive spot for lunch is Jack Rabbits in central Ashbourne, where we had home-made soup, salads and very good scones (01335 342285, jackrabbitskitchen.com). Also in the centre of Ashbourne, White’s (01335 345000, whitesofashbourne.co.uk) is a modern restaurant and winner of the 2016 Food Awards East Midlands’ restaurant of the year. The menu includes dishes such as rolled pig cheek with black pudding purée, crackling and caramelised apple, and fish pie with a herb crumb.
If you want to stock up before a walk, the Cheddar Gorge is a good deli, with local cheese, pies, biscuits and bread (01335 344528, thecheddargorge.co.uk)