Dovedale
Encyclopedia
Dovedale is a popular dale
in the Peak District
, England
.
It is owned by the National Trust
, and annually attracts a million visitors. The valley is cut by the River Dove and runs for just over 3 miles (5 km) between Milldale in the north and a wooded ravine near Thorpe Cloud and Bunster Hill in the south. The wooded ravine contains an attractive set of stepping stones which are often featured on calendars,
and two caves known as the Dove Holes.
Dovedale's other attractions include rock pillars such as Ilam Rock, Viator's Bridge, and the limestone carvings Lovers' Leap and Reynard's Cave.
rock that forms parts of Dovedale is the fossilised remains of sea creatures that lived in a shallow sea over the area during the Carboniferous
period, approx 350 million years ago. During the two ice age
s, the limestone was cut into craggy shapes known as reef limestone by the melting ice, and dry caves such as Dove Holes
and Reynard's Cave were formed.
These caves were first used by hunters as shelters around 13,000 BCE
, and Dovedale has seen continuous human activity since that date. Around 4,500 years ago Neolithic
farmers used the caves as tombs for the dead. There is evidence from Reynard’s Cave of Bronze Age
activity, with artifacts on display at Buxton
Museum.
During the Roman occupation
it is likely the caves were again used as shelters, this time for shepherds.
Viking
s settled in the Dovedale area around 800 CE
. Local place names such as Thorpe
are of Scandinavia
n origin. These settlements became permanent, and Thorpe is mentioned in the Domesday Book
of 1086.
The packhorse
bridge in Milldale, Viator’s Bridge, has been in use since the Medieval period bringing silks and flax from nearby Wetton
and Alstonefield
.
Tourism in the area started in the 18th century, and Dovedale is now one of the most visited natural tourist sites in Britain.
The River Dove which runs through Dovedale is a famous trout stream. Charles Cotton
's Fishing House, which was the inspiration for Izaak Walton
's The Compleat Angler, stands in the woods by the river. From Hartington
to its confluence
with the River Manifold
at Ilam
the river Dove flows through the scenic limestone valley known as Dove Valley, (or often also as Dovedale). From Hartington south to Ilam, a distance of eight miles (13 km), the Dove flows through Beresford Dale, Wolfscote Dale, Milldale, and then Dovedale itself.
Riverside paths make the whole route accessible to walkers. On one August Sunday in 1990, a footpath count recorded 4,421 walkers on the Staffordshire
side of the river and 3,597 walkers on the Derbyshire
bank.
, being part of their South Peak Estate
. Dovedale itself was acquired in 1934, with successive properties being added until 1938, and Wolfscote Dale in 1948.
Dovedale became a National Nature Reserve
in 2006 in recognition that it is "one of England's finest wildlife sites" with diverse plant life and interesting rock formations.
The National Trust became embroiled in controversy in 2010,when in conjunction with Derbyshire County Council they oversaw "renovation" work on Dovedale's iconic stepping stones. This involved topping all but one of the stones with layers of mortar and limestone slabs.
At the southern end of Dovedale lying between the villages of Thorpe
and Ilam
stands Thorpe Cloud (942 ft (287.1 m) at ), an isolated limestone
hill of the kind known as a reef knoll
. It is a popular hill amongst the many day-tripper
s who visit the area, and a provides a viewpoint north up the dale and south across the Midlands
plain. The rather poetic name has a disappointingly prosaic origin, as "cloud" is a derivation of the Old English word "clud" which means "hill".
On the opposite bank is the higher, but less isolated Bunster Hill (1079 ft (328.9 m) at ), which is also apparently a reef knoll
.
These Dovedale properties were acquired by the National Trust in 1934 for the South Peak Estate
.
A corn mill existed until the mid 19th century, and the stables for the mill are now used as an information hut by the National Trust.
An ancient and narrow packhorse
bridge at Milldale originally had no side walls in order to allow horses with panniers to clear the bridge. Izaak Walton
, who refers to himself as Viator - which is Latin
for "traveller", wrote about it in The Compleat Angler.
From this the bridge acquired the name Viator's Bridge.
The bridge has been in use since the Medieval period bringing silks and flax from nearby Wetton
and Alstonefield
. It is listed as an ancient monument
.
. The original steps were built by Italian
prisoners of war captured in the Second World War, though they are now maintained by both the National Trust and the National Park.
The story of Lover's Leap is that a young woman believed her lover had been killed in the Napoleonic war, so she threw herself off the top of the promontory. However, her flapping skirt caught in the branches of a tree as she fell and saved her life. When she got home she heard that her boy friend was alive and well.
There are other legends of a similar nature about Lover's Leap, including one that places the same story in World War II
.
Opposite Lover's Leap on the other side of the Dove is a large group of limestone formations called the "Twelve Apostles". These have been created from the harder reef limestone; the shapes have remained sticking up from the side of the valley as the river eroded the rock and soil around them. The National Trust
keeps plant life clear to ensure the rock formations are visible.
ash
woods, which are considered among the best in England. There are a number of unusual plants such as slender Solomon's seal
, delicate lily of the valley
, Paris quadrifolia
and small and large-leaved lime
trees.
would enjoy visiting the beauty spots of Dovedale and Ilam in the summer.
With the improvement in road transport and the arrival of the railways making travel easier, Dovedale's popularity with visitors expanded and began to embrace all social classes.
In the early 20th century there was a growing appreciation of the great outdoors and by 1931 Ramsay MacDonald
's Labour
government held an inquiry which recommended the creation of a ‘National Park Authority’ to select areas for designation as National Parks, and Dovedale was one of the areas proposed. It was eventually included within the Peak District National Park when it became Britain's first National Park
in 1951.
From 1899 the Ashbourne-Buxton railway line
ran to Thorpe Cloud station
, above the village of Thorpe, making Dovedale accessible to walkers. This line closed in the mid 1960s and was converted into a walkers' and cyclists' path known as the Tissington Trail
. Earlier in July 1937, Staffordshire County Council had converted the nearby Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway
into a tarmac path now known as the Manifold Way. Walking is a popular reason for visiting Dovedale. 21% of visitors in a Peak National Park visitor survey conducted in 1986/87 gave walking as their main reason for visiting the area. Both the casual and the serious walker find suitable walks - the most well trodden walk being that along the river bank between the car parks at Thorpe Cloud and Milldale. A footpath count on this track on an August Sunday in 1990 recorded 4,421 walkers on the Staffordshire side of the river and 3,597 on the Derbyshire bank. Unfortunately this intense popularity has caused serious problems of congestion and erosion because of the damage caused by the many thousands of pairs of feet.
Fishing is also a popular activity due to the associations with Walton's The Compleat Angler, and some of the fishing rights are owned by the Izaak Walton Hotel (which is part of the Duke of Rutland
's estate, and stands at the southern end of Dovedale on the Staffordshire bank, SK143508).
, Lord Tennyson, John Ruskin
and George Byron all praised Dovedale's scenery. The latter wrote of Dovedale to the poet Thomas Moore
, "I can assure you there are things in Derbyshire as noble as Greece or Switzerland."
Dovedale was featured on the 2005 BBC TV programme Seven Natural Wonders
as one of the wonders of the Midlands. The area along the river was used in Franco Zeffirelli
's 1996 version and the BBC's 2006 version of Jane Eyre
, and Dovedale also featured in the 2008 film The Other Boleyn Girl. The Russell Crowe
film Robin Hood
also used Dovedale as a location, and it can be clearly seen in several scenes towards the end of the movie.
Surnames that originate from this area include Heathcote
.
, along Dovedale, and between the villages of Ilam
and Thorpe.
First organised in 1953, the Dash takes place on the first Sunday of November, although previously it was held on the closest Sunday to Guy Fawkes Night
. The Dash has been held every year, except four, most recently 1998, 2000 and 2004, when bad weather and a waterlogged parking area forced the event to be cancelled.
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
in the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
It is owned by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, and annually attracts a million visitors. The valley is cut by the River Dove and runs for just over 3 miles (5 km) between Milldale in the north and a wooded ravine near Thorpe Cloud and Bunster Hill in the south. The wooded ravine contains an attractive set of stepping stones which are often featured on calendars,
and two caves known as the Dove Holes.
Dovedale's other attractions include rock pillars such as Ilam Rock, Viator's Bridge, and the limestone carvings Lovers' Leap and Reynard's Cave.
History
The limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
rock that forms parts of Dovedale is the fossilised remains of sea creatures that lived in a shallow sea over the area during the Carboniferous
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
period, approx 350 million years ago. During the two ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
s, the limestone was cut into craggy shapes known as reef limestone by the melting ice, and dry caves such as Dove Holes
Dove Holes
Dove Holes is a village in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England. It has a population of about 1,200. It straddles the A6 road and it lies three miles from Buxton and three miles from Chapel-en-le-Frith. Trains run from Dove Holes railway station into Manchester.Residents of the village...
and Reynard's Cave were formed.
These caves were first used by hunters as shelters around 13,000 BCE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
, and Dovedale has seen continuous human activity since that date. Around 4,500 years ago Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
farmers used the caves as tombs for the dead. There is evidence from Reynard’s Cave of Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
activity, with artifacts on display at Buxton
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"...
Museum.
During the Roman occupation
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
it is likely the caves were again used as shelters, this time for shepherds.
Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
s settled in the Dovedale area around 800 CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
. Local place names such as Thorpe
Thorpe, Derbyshire
Thorpe is a village and civil parish in the English county of Derbyshire; it is on the Derbyshire/Staffordshire border, on the east bank of the River Dove, about four miles north of Ashbourne....
are of Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n origin. These settlements became permanent, and Thorpe is mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086.
The packhorse
Packhorse
.A packhorse or pack horse refers generally to an equid such as a horse, mule, donkey or pony used for carrying goods on their backs, usually carried in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of wheeled vehicles. ...
bridge in Milldale, Viator’s Bridge, has been in use since the Medieval period bringing silks and flax from nearby Wetton
Wetton, Staffordshire
Wetton is a village in the Peak District National Park, North Staffordshire, at the top of the east side of the Manifold Valley. The population recorded in the 2001 Census was 157. This article describes the location, some of the main features of the village, and a number of places of historical or...
and Alstonefield
Alstonefield
Alstonefield is a village and civil parish in the Peak District National Park and the Staffordshire Moorlands district of Staffordshire, England. It is about to the North of Ashbourne, drive East from Leek and south from Buxton...
.
Tourism in the area started in the 18th century, and Dovedale is now one of the most visited natural tourist sites in Britain.
River Dove
Charles Cotton
Charles Cotton was an English poet and writer, best known for translating the work of Michel de Montaigne from the French, for his contributions to The Compleat Angler, and for the highly influential The Compleat Gamester which has been attributed to him.-Early life:He was born at Beresford Hall...
's Fishing House, which was the inspiration for Izaak Walton
Izaak Walton
Izaak Walton was an English writer. Best known as the author of The Compleat Angler, he also wrote a number of short biographies which have been collected under the title of Walton's Lives.-Biography:...
's The Compleat Angler, stands in the woods by the river. From Hartington
Hartington
Hartington is a village in the Derbyshire Peak District, England, lying on the River Dove close to the Staffordshire border. According to the 2001 census, the parish of Hartington Town Quarter, which also includes Pilsbury, had a population of 345...
to its confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
with the River Manifold
River Manifold
The River Manifold is a river in Staffordshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Dove ....
at Ilam
Ilam, Staffordshire
Ilam is a village in the Staffordshire Peak District, lying on the River Manifold. This article describes some of the main features of the village and surroundings.- Ilam village :...
the river Dove flows through the scenic limestone valley known as Dove Valley, (or often also as Dovedale). From Hartington south to Ilam, a distance of eight miles (13 km), the Dove flows through Beresford Dale, Wolfscote Dale, Milldale, and then Dovedale itself.
Riverside paths make the whole route accessible to walkers. On one August Sunday in 1990, a footpath count recorded 4,421 walkers on the Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
side of the river and 3,597 walkers on the Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
bank.
National Trust
Much of the dale is in the ownership of the National TrustNational Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, being part of their South Peak Estate
South Peak Estate
The South Peak Estate of the National Trust comprises several land holdings in the Southern Peak District. Some of these, like Shining Cliff Wood and Alport Height, are just outside the National Park boundary...
. Dovedale itself was acquired in 1934, with successive properties being added until 1938, and Wolfscote Dale in 1948.
Dovedale became a National Nature Reserve
National Nature Reserve
For details of National nature reserves in the United Kingdom see:*National Nature Reserves in England*National Nature Reserves in Northern Ireland*National Nature Reserves in Scotland*National Nature Reserves in Wales...
in 2006 in recognition that it is "one of England's finest wildlife sites" with diverse plant life and interesting rock formations.
The National Trust became embroiled in controversy in 2010,when in conjunction with Derbyshire County Council they oversaw "renovation" work on Dovedale's iconic stepping stones. This involved topping all but one of the stones with layers of mortar and limestone slabs.
Thorpe Cloud
At the southern end of Dovedale lying between the villages of Thorpe
Thorpe, Derbyshire
Thorpe is a village and civil parish in the English county of Derbyshire; it is on the Derbyshire/Staffordshire border, on the east bank of the River Dove, about four miles north of Ashbourne....
and Ilam
Ilam, Staffordshire
Ilam is a village in the Staffordshire Peak District, lying on the River Manifold. This article describes some of the main features of the village and surroundings.- Ilam village :...
stands Thorpe Cloud (942 ft (287.1 m) at ), an isolated limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
hill of the kind known as a reef knoll
Reef knoll
A reef knoll is an immense pile of calcareous material on land that accumulated on the ancient sea floor. At the time of its accumulation it must have had enough structure from organisms such as sponges to have been free-standing and to withstand the sea currents as material accumulated, and was...
. It is a popular hill amongst the many day-tripper
Day-tripper
A day-tripper is a person who visits a tourist destination or visitor attraction from his/her home and returns home on the same day.- Definition :In other words, this excursion does not involve a night away from home such as experienced on a holiday...
s who visit the area, and a provides a viewpoint north up the dale and south across the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
plain. The rather poetic name has a disappointingly prosaic origin, as "cloud" is a derivation of the Old English word "clud" which means "hill".
On the opposite bank is the higher, but less isolated Bunster Hill (1079 ft (328.9 m) at ), which is also apparently a reef knoll
Reef knoll
A reef knoll is an immense pile of calcareous material on land that accumulated on the ancient sea floor. At the time of its accumulation it must have had enough structure from organisms such as sponges to have been free-standing and to withstand the sea currents as material accumulated, and was...
.
These Dovedale properties were acquired by the National Trust in 1934 for the South Peak Estate
South Peak Estate
The South Peak Estate of the National Trust comprises several land holdings in the Southern Peak District. Some of these, like Shining Cliff Wood and Alport Height, are just outside the National Park boundary...
.
Milldale
Milldale is a village of stone cottages at the northern end of Dovedale, and is considered the main access point to Dovedale from the north.A corn mill existed until the mid 19th century, and the stables for the mill are now used as an information hut by the National Trust.
Viator's Bridge
Packhorse
.A packhorse or pack horse refers generally to an equid such as a horse, mule, donkey or pony used for carrying goods on their backs, usually carried in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of wheeled vehicles. ...
bridge at Milldale originally had no side walls in order to allow horses with panniers to clear the bridge. Izaak Walton
Izaak Walton
Izaak Walton was an English writer. Best known as the author of The Compleat Angler, he also wrote a number of short biographies which have been collected under the title of Walton's Lives.-Biography:...
, who refers to himself as Viator - which is Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for "traveller", wrote about it in The Compleat Angler.
What’s here, the sign of a bridge? Do you travel in wheelbarrows in this country? This bridge was made for nothing else – why a mouse can hardly go over it, tis not two fingers broad!
From this the bridge acquired the name Viator's Bridge.
The bridge has been in use since the Medieval period bringing silks and flax from nearby Wetton
Wetton, Staffordshire
Wetton is a village in the Peak District National Park, North Staffordshire, at the top of the east side of the Manifold Valley. The population recorded in the 2001 Census was 157. This article describes the location, some of the main features of the village, and a number of places of historical or...
and Alstonefield
Alstonefield
Alstonefield is a village and civil parish in the Peak District National Park and the Staffordshire Moorlands district of Staffordshire, England. It is about to the North of Ashbourne, drive East from Leek and south from Buxton...
. It is listed as an ancient monument
Ancient monument
An ancient monument is an early historical structure or monument worthy of preservation and study due to archaeological or heritage interest. In the United Kingdom it is a legal term, differing from the American term National Monument in being far more numerous and always man-made...
.
Limestone formations
Dovedale is notable for its limestone formations. The first named formation, Dovedale Castle, is a short distance along the river from the stepping stones at Thorpe Cloud. Then a set of steps climb to the limestone promontory called Lover's LeapLover's Leap
Lovers' Leap , is a toponym given to a number of locations of varying height, usually isolated, with the risk of a fatal fall and the possibility of a deliberate jump...
. The original steps were built by Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
prisoners of war captured in the Second World War, though they are now maintained by both the National Trust and the National Park.
The story of Lover's Leap is that a young woman believed her lover had been killed in the Napoleonic war, so she threw herself off the top of the promontory. However, her flapping skirt caught in the branches of a tree as she fell and saved her life. When she got home she heard that her boy friend was alive and well.
There are other legends of a similar nature about Lover's Leap, including one that places the same story in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Opposite Lover's Leap on the other side of the Dove is a large group of limestone formations called the "Twelve Apostles". These have been created from the harder reef limestone; the shapes have remained sticking up from the side of the valley as the river eroded the rock and soil around them. The National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
keeps plant life clear to ensure the rock formations are visible.
- Ravenstor
- Pickering Tor
- Tissington Spires
- Dovedale Church
- Reynard's Cave
- Lionshead Rock
- Ilam Rock
- Shepherd's Abbey
- Dove Holes
Plant life
Dovedale holds special ecological interest for its plant life, particularly the calcareousCalcareous
Calcareous is an adjective meaning mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate, in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines.-In zoology:...
ash
Ash tree
Fraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name...
woods, which are considered among the best in England. There are a number of unusual plants such as slender Solomon's seal
Polygonatum
Polygonatum , King Solomon's-seal or Solomon's Seal, is a genus of about 50 species of flowering plants. In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae...
, delicate lily of the valley
Lily of the Valley
Convallaria majalis , commonly known as the lily-of-the-valley, is a poisonous woodland flowering plant native throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere in Asia and Europe....
, Paris quadrifolia
Paris quadrifolia
Paris quadrifolia is a species of the genus Paris in the family Melanthiaceae, although authorities formerly regarded it as part of the Liliaceae family. It is related to Trillium, with which it can be confused...
and small and large-leaved lime
Tilia
Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America...
trees.
- StitchwortStitchwortStitchwort is the common name of several plants of the following genera:* Minuartia* Stellaria...
- Dog's mercuryDog's MercuryMercurialis perennis, commonly known as dog's mercury, is a woodland plant found in much of Europe, but almost absent from Ireland, Orkney and Shetland. A member of the spurge family , it is a herbaceous, downy perennial with erect stems bearing simple, serrate leaves. The dioecious inflorescences...
- Forget-me-notForget-me-notMyosotis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae that are commonly called Forget-me-nots. Its common name was calqued from the French, "ne m'oubliez pas" and first used in English in c. 1532. Similar names and variations are found in many languages.-Description:There are...
- WaterliliesNymphaeaceaeNymphaeaceae is a family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called water lilies and live in freshwater areas in temperate and tropical climates around the world. The family contains eight genera. There are about 70 species of water lilies around the world. The genus...
Tourism
Starting in the 18th century, visiting gentryGentry
Gentry denotes "well-born and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past....
would enjoy visiting the beauty spots of Dovedale and Ilam in the summer.
With the improvement in road transport and the arrival of the railways making travel easier, Dovedale's popularity with visitors expanded and began to embrace all social classes.
In the early 20th century there was a growing appreciation of the great outdoors and by 1931 Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
's Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
government held an inquiry which recommended the creation of a ‘National Park Authority’ to select areas for designation as National Parks, and Dovedale was one of the areas proposed. It was eventually included within the Peak District National Park when it became Britain's first National Park
National parks of England and Wales
The national parks of England and Wales are areas of relatively undeveloped and scenic landscape that are designated under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949...
in 1951.
From 1899 the Ashbourne-Buxton railway line
Ashbourne Line
The Ashbourne Line was a railway from Buxton via Ashbourne to Uttoxeter. It was built by the London and North Western Railway using a section of the Cromford and High Peak Railway and it joined the North Staffordshire Railway at Ashbourne, proceeding to Uttoxeter with a junction onto the main...
ran to Thorpe Cloud station
Thorpe Cloud railway station
Thorpe Cloud railway station was opened in 1899 between the villages of Thorpe and Fenny Bentley in Derbyshire, south east of Buxton.-History:...
, above the village of Thorpe, making Dovedale accessible to walkers. This line closed in the mid 1960s and was converted into a walkers' and cyclists' path known as the Tissington Trail
Tissington Trail
right|thumb|200px|The Trail at the site of the former Tissington station, now a picnic site.The Tissington Trail is a bridleway and walk/cycle path in Derbyshire, England...
. Earlier in July 1937, Staffordshire County Council had converted the nearby Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway
Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway
The Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway was a narrow gauge railway in Staffordshire, Great Britain that operated between 1904 and 1934. When in operation, the line mainly carried milk from dairies in the region, acting as a feeder to the standard gauge system. It also provided passenger...
into a tarmac path now known as the Manifold Way. Walking is a popular reason for visiting Dovedale. 21% of visitors in a Peak National Park visitor survey conducted in 1986/87 gave walking as their main reason for visiting the area. Both the casual and the serious walker find suitable walks - the most well trodden walk being that along the river bank between the car parks at Thorpe Cloud and Milldale. A footpath count on this track on an August Sunday in 1990 recorded 4,421 walkers on the Staffordshire side of the river and 3,597 on the Derbyshire bank. Unfortunately this intense popularity has caused serious problems of congestion and erosion because of the damage caused by the many thousands of pairs of feet.
Fishing is also a popular activity due to the associations with Walton's The Compleat Angler, and some of the fishing rights are owned by the Izaak Walton Hotel (which is part of the Duke of Rutland
Duke of Rutland
Earl of Rutland and Duke of Rutland are titles in the peerage of England, derived from Rutland, a county in the East Midlands of England. The Earl of Rutland was elevated to the status of Duke in 1703 and the titles were merged....
's estate, and stands at the southern end of Dovedale on the Staffordshire bank, SK143508).
Literary and cultural associations
Samuel JohnsonSamuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
, Lord Tennyson, John Ruskin
John Ruskin
John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political...
and George Byron all praised Dovedale's scenery. The latter wrote of Dovedale to the poet Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore was an Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer, now best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and The Last Rose of Summer. He was responsible, with John Murray, for burning Lord Byron's memoirs after his death...
, "I can assure you there are things in Derbyshire as noble as Greece or Switzerland."
Dovedale was featured on the 2005 BBC TV programme Seven Natural Wonders
Seven Natural Wonders
Seven Natural Wonders was a television series that was broadcast on BBC Two from 3 May to 20 June 2005. The programme took an area of England each week and, from votes by the people living in that area, showed the 'seven natural wonders' of that area in a programme.The programmes were:The series...
as one of the wonders of the Midlands. The area along the river was used in Franco Zeffirelli
Franco Zeffirelli
Franco Zeffirelli KBE is an Italian director and producer of films and television. He is also a director and designer of operas and a former senator for the Italian center-right Forza Italia party....
's 1996 version and the BBC's 2006 version of Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre is a novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published in London, England, in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. with the title Jane Eyre. An Autobiography under the pen name "Currer Bell." The first American edition was released the following year by Harper & Brothers of New York...
, and Dovedale also featured in the 2008 film The Other Boleyn Girl. The Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe
Russell Ira Crowe is a New Zealander Australian actor , film producer and musician. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 historical epic film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, a...
film Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
also used Dovedale as a location, and it can be clearly seen in several scenes towards the end of the movie.
Surnames that originate from this area include Heathcote
Heathcote (surname)
Heathcote is a surname rooted in English topography which literally means "Heath Cottage". The location in Derbyshire was first recorded in the famous Domesday Book of 1086 as "Hedcote", and as "Hethcote" in 1244. The location in Warwickshire appears is written "Hethcot" in the 1196 Feet of Fines...
.
Dovedale Dash
The Dovedale Dash is a 4¾ mile cross-country running race held annually along the banks of the River DoveRiver Dove, Derbyshire
The River Dove is the principal river of the southwestern Peak District, in the Midlands of England and is around in length. It rises on Axe Edge Moor near Buxton and flows generally south to its confluence with the River Trent at Newton Solney. From there, its waters reach the North Sea via the...
, along Dovedale, and between the villages of Ilam
Ilam, Staffordshire
Ilam is a village in the Staffordshire Peak District, lying on the River Manifold. This article describes some of the main features of the village and surroundings.- Ilam village :...
and Thorpe.
First organised in 1953, the Dash takes place on the first Sunday of November, although previously it was held on the closest Sunday to Guy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Firework Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in England. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding...
. The Dash has been held every year, except four, most recently 1998, 2000 and 2004, when bad weather and a waterlogged parking area forced the event to be cancelled.