Your intrepid travel blog couple so enjoyed putting together our Sunday Drive in the Cotswolds driving tour that we put together another tour of the Derbyshire Villages of England’s Peak District National Park. In many ways, we preferred our tour of the Peak District over the Cotswolds, despite the latter’s more esteemed status as a tourist destination. Where the Cotswolds rely on button-pretty English villages set in bucolic farm land with a history in the wool trade, the Derbyshire villages we visited in a corner of the Peak District National Park have all the same with more varied and beautiful vistas.
Our day included stops in two of the five villages we pinned on the map, drive-throughs of the other three villages, and numerous stops along the way to read park signs and take pictures. Navigation was by Google Maps turn-by-turn directions on my iPhone, and we only dropped service once, understandably as we descended into the valley below the village of Little Longstone. Naturally you’ll want to stop wherever you are inclined, so our tour route is offered mostly as an overall suggestion.
When we return (and we will), we’ll likely consider a stay in the village of Baslow. Centrally located to start our village tour in almost any direction, Baslow is also conveniently close to Chatsworth House, which we visited and blogged about previously. Hence a great 3 or 4 day sojourn in this area could be coupled with a visit to Chatsworth. Also when we return, we’ll bring hiking shoes: all of these villages are connected by miles and miles of hiking trails amongst stunning countryside.
So if you’re up for a beautiful drive, set your nav to Little Longstone, Derbyshire, UK, and don’t hesitate to stop and admire the beautiful little churches and views of rolling fields of sheep you’ll see along the way.
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| The Valley of Little Longstone |
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| Aqueduct Turned Railroad, Now Walkway |
Little Longstone
A tiny little village along a stream in the bottom of a valley, Little Longstone and its valley is likely the most picturesque of the Derbyshire Villages in the Peak District. If you approach from Chesterfield and Baslow, you’ll want to stop at the Monsal Head overlook (easily found next to the Monsal Head Hotel and all the locals picnicking on the overlook); if you approach from the bottom of the valley, continue on through and up to find the Monsal Head overlook. On the way through, get out and stroll along the river and take pictures of the houses along its banks. Don’t miss the impressive aqueduct, now used as a walkway.
Next, set your navigation to Cressbrook, or if you don’t have GPS, continue straight through the valley looking for the signs directing you to Cressbrook.
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| Cressbrook |
Cressbrook
This village is barely more than a long row of beautiful, old, well-maintained stone houses built along a high ridge overlooking the valley you just came up out of (if you’re following our tour). We didn’t stop, just admired the village as we putted through, but we did contemplate stopping at the tea house found about in the middle of the row.
From Cressbrook, for extra credit, set your Nav to Litton. This little village is a wee bit larger than Cressbrook, but basically a T in the road on your way to Eyam. It looked to be a great confluence of a number of hiking trails, and when we return, we might consider staying at the Beacon House B&B, perched as it is with (surely) amazing panoramic views. If you’re short on time, skip Litton and continue to Eyam, the marquee Derbyshire Village on our tour.
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| Eyam Hall |
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| Eyam Parish Church |
Eyam
Eyam (pronounced as a single syllable “EEM”, rhyming with “stream”) is the don’t-miss cornerstone of our Derbyshire Villages driving tour. It’s an easily walkable village with a main, curved road flanked by the same style old stone buildings you’ve seen throughout the other villages of the Peak District. Eyam is slightly more developed, with Eyam Hall and its attached cultural center (with a couple of craft stores and a pair of great tea houses, one of which we enjoyed for afternoon tea) and a pretty little parish church and cemetery (look for both the Saxon baptismal font from the 800’s and the Norman font from the 1100’s). Eyam also has an unfortunate history: it lost nearly half of it’s residents to the plague in 1665-1666, and along your walk of the main street you’ll find the “Plague Houses”, the epicenter of the outbreak. Also in the church you’ll find a great history of the outbreak and an interesting description of how the village–and their rector–handled it by quarantining themselves.
From Eyam, set out to Grindleford and if you’re peckish (that’s British for “hungry”) stop at one of the pubs and grab a bite to eat. Grindleford, by the way, is also a great candidate for homebasing if you can’t find a room in Baslow.
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| Saxon-Era Cross in Eyam |
