Dovedale
1065847
225371193
2008-07-13T09:45:42Z
Zeimusu
56293
{{coord|53.0597|-1.7767|display=title|type:river}}
[[Image:DovedaleSHGrimm.jpg|thumb|Dovedale was well regarded in the eighteenth century. This sketch is by [[Samuel Hieronymus Grimm]].]]
'''Dovedale''' is a popular [[valley|dale]] in the [[Peak District]], [[England]].
<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.cressbrook.co.uk/outdoors/walk40.php
|title=Peak District walk down Dovedale from Alstonefield
|publisher=www.cressbrook.co.uk
|accessdate=2008-04-04
}}
</ref> It is owned by the [[National Trust]], and annually attracts a million visitors.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.derbyshireuk.net/dovedale.html
|title=Dovedale - Dovedale in Derbyshire and the Peak District
|publisher=www.derbyshireuk.net
|accessdate=2008-04-04
}}
</ref> The valley is cut by the [[#River Dove|River Dove]] and runs for just over {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} between [[#Milldale|Milldale]] in the north and a wooded ravine near [[#Thorpe Cloud|Thorpe Cloud]] and Bunster Hill in the south.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.ashbourne-town.com/villages/dovedale/index.html
|title=Dovedale Derbyshire
|publisher=www.ashbourne-town.com
|accessdate=2008-04-04
}}
</ref> The wooded ravine contains an attractive set of stepping stones which are often featured on calendars,
<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.derbyshire-peakdistrict.co.uk/ilamwalk.htm
|title=Discover Derbyshire and the Peak District
|publisher=www.derbyshire-peakdistrict.co.uk
|accessdate=2008-04-04
}}
</ref> and two caves known as the Dove Holes.
Dovedale's other attractions include rock pillars such as Ilam Rock,<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.walkingenglishman.com/peakdistrict06.htm
|title=Walks in The Peak District - Dove Dale and Wolfscote Dale walk
|publisher=www.walkingenglishman.com
|accessdate=2008-04-04
}}
</ref> [[#Viator's Bridge|Viator's Bridge]], and the limestone carvings Lovers' Leap and Reynard's Cave.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-ilampark/w-east_midlands-places-southpeakestate/w-east_midlands-places-dovedale.htm#lovers_leap
|title=National Trust | Ilam Park | Dovedale
|publisher=www.nationaltrust.org.uk
|accessdate=2008-04-04
}}
</ref>
==History==
The [[limestone]] rock that forms the basis 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.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.peakdistrict-education.gov.uk/Fact%20Sheets/fz8dov.htm
|title=The Peak District National Park - Fact Zone 8. Dovedale and the Dove Valley
|publisher=www.peakdistrict-education.gov.uk
|accessdate=2008-04-04
}}
</ref>
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.
<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.thepeakdistrict.info/fast/html/archaeology_caves.html
|title=Archaeology_caves
|publisher=www.thepeakdistrict.info
|accessdate=2008-04-04
|last=
|first=
}}
</ref> During the [[Roman Britain|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, Derbyshire|Thorpe]] are of Scandinavian origin.<ref>''Anglo-Saxon and Viking Derbyshire'', Richard Bunting, Wye Valley Press (April 1993), ISBN 0946404038</ref> These settlements became permanent, and Thorpe is mentioned in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086.
<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/derbyshire3.html#thorpe
|title=The Domesday Book Online - Derbyshire S-Z
|publisher=www.domesdaybook.co.uk
|accessdate=2008-04-05
|last=
|first=
}}
</ref>
The packhorse bridge in Millsdale, [[#Viator’s Bridge|Viator’s Bridge]], has been in use since the [[Medieval]] period bringing silks and flax from nearby [[Wetton]] and [[Alstonefield]].<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.derbyshireuk.net/milldale.html
|title=Milldale near Alstonefield in the Peak District National Park
|publisher=www.derbyshireuk.net
|accessdate=2008-04-05
|last=
|first=
}}
</ref>
[[#Tourism|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==
{{main|River Dove, Derbyshire}}
[[Image:DovedaleClassicRiver.jpg|thumb|left|The Dove with a few walkers]]
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]]'',<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/philosopherdove.shtml
|title=BBC - Radio 4 - The Philosopher, Fish and the Dove
|publisher=www.bbc.co.uk
|accessdate=2008-04-04
}}
</ref> stands in the woods by the river near [[Hartington]].
From [[Hartington]] to its confluence with the [[River Manifold]] at [[Ilam, Staffordshire|Ilam]] the river Dove flows through the scenic limestone valley known as Dove Valley. From Hartington south to Ilam, a distance of eight miles, the Dove flows through Beresford Dale, Wolfscote Dale, [[Dovedale#Milldale|Milldale]], and then Dovedale itself.
Good riverside paths make the whole route accessible to and popular with 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.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.derbyshire-peakdistrict.co.uk/dovedale.htm
|title=Discover Derbyshire and the Peak District
|publisher=www.derbyshire-peakdistrict.co.uk
|accessdate=2008-04-05
|last=
|first=
}}
</ref>
==National Trust==
Much of the dale is in the ownership of the [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]], 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.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/press/news2006/131006.html
|title=Natural England celebrates new National Nature Reserve
|publisher=www.naturalengland.org.uk
|accessdate=2008-04-04
|last=
|first=
}}
</ref>
==Thorpe Cloud==
[[Image:ThorpeCloud.jpg|right|thumb|Thorpe Cloud from Dovedale]]
{{main|Thorpe Cloud}}
At the southern end of Dovedale lying between the villages of [[Thorpe, Derbyshire|Thorpe]] and [[Ilam, Staffordshire|Ilam]] stands Thorpe Cloud (942 ft/287 m at {{gbmapping|SK151510}}), an isolated [[limestone]] hill of the kind known as a [[reef knoll]]. It is a popular hill amongst the many day-trippers who visit the area, and a provides a fine viewpoint north up the dale and south across the Midland plain.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.cressbrook.co.uk/visits/dovedale.php
|title=Dovedale, spectacular limestone gorge between Derbyshire and Staffordshire
|publisher=www.cressbrook.co.uk
|accessdate=2008-04-04
}}
</ref>
On the opposite bank is the higher, but less isolated '''Bunster Hill''' (1,079 ft/329 m at {{gbmapping|SK141516}}), this is also apparently a reef knoll.
These Dovedale properties were acquired by the Trust in 1934 for the [[South Peak Estate]].
==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.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.cressbrook.co.uk/towns/milldale.php
|title=Milldale | Peak District Towns and Villages | Staffordshire | Derbyshire | England | UK
|publisher=www.cressbrook.co.uk
|accessdate=2008-04-06
|last=
|first=
}}
</ref>
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.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.derbyshireuk.net/milldale.html
|title=Milldale near Alstonefield in the Peak District National Park
|publisher=www.derbyshireuk.net
|accessdate=2008-04-04
|last=
|first=
}}
</ref>
===Viator's Bridge===
[[Image:Viators Bridge, Milldale 206415 deb07465.jpg|left|thumb|175px|Viator's Bridge with Milldale village in the background.]]
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]].
<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.derbyshire-peakdistrict.co.uk/dovedale.htm
|title=Discover Derbyshire and the Peak District
|publisher=www.derbyshire-peakdistrict.co.uk
|accessdate=2008-04-04
}}
</ref>
<blockquote>
''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!''</blockquote>
From this the bridge acquired the name Viator's Bridge. <ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.peakdistrictonline.co.uk/content.php?categoryId=3009
|title=Viators Bridge - Milldale
|publisher=www.peakdistrictonline.co.uk
|accessdate=2008-04-04
}}
</ref>
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]].
<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.peakdistrict.org/appendix8.htm
|title=Local Plan - Peak District National Park Authority
|publisher=www.peakdistrict.org
|accessdate=2008-04-04
}}
</ref>
==Limestone formations==
Dovedale is notable for its limestone formations. Near the stepping stones at Thorpe Cloud a set of steps climb to the limestone promontory called [[Lover's Leap]]. 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.
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 keep plant-life clear to ensure the rock formations are visible.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-ilampark/w-east_midlands-places-southpeakestate/w-east_midlands-places-dovedale.htm#lovers_leap
|title=National Trust | Ilam Park | Dovedale
|publisher=www.nationaltrust.org.uk
|accessdate=2008-04-06
|last=
|first=
}}
</ref>
*Ilam Rock
*Reynard's Cave
*Dove Holes
*Lionshead rock
*Tissington spires
*Dovedale castle
*Pickering Tor
*Ravens tor
==Plant-life==
Dovedale holds special [[ecological]] interest for its plant-life, particularly the [[calcareous]] [[Ash tree|ash]] woods, which are considered among the best in England.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-ilampark/w-east_midlands-places-southpeakestate/w-east_midlands-places-dovedale.htm
|title=National Trust | Ilam Park | Dovedale
|publisher=www.nationaltrust.org.uk
|accessdate=2008-04-06
|last=
|first=
}}
</ref> There are a number of unusual plants such as slender [[Polygonatum|Solomon's seal]], delicate [[lily of the valley]], [[Paris quadrifolia]] and small and large-leaved [[Tilia|lime]] trees.
*[[Stitchwort]]
*[[Dog's Mercury]]
*[[Forgetmenot]]
*[[Lilies]]
==Wildlife==
*[[Wren]]
*[[Kingfisher]]
*[[Heron]]
==Tourism==
{{main|Tissington Trail|Manifold Way}}
Starting in the 18th century, visiting [[gentry]] 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 Party (UK)|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 parks of England and Wales|National Park]] in 1951.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.peakdistrict-nationalpark.info/studyArea/factsheets/08.html#5
|title=Peak District National Park: Study Area
|publisher=www.peakdistrict-nationalpark.info
|accessdate=2008-04-06
|last=
|first=
}}
</ref>
From 1899 the [[Ashbourne Line|Ashbourne-Buxton railway line]] ran to Thorpe Cloud, 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 4421 walkers on the Staffordshire side of the river and 3597 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 [[Izaak_Walton#The_Compleat_Angler|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).
==Cultural associations==
Dovedale was featured on the 2005 BBC TV programme ''[[Seven Natural Wonders]]'' as one of the wonders of the Midlands.
This area along the river was used in Franco Zeffirelli's 1996 version and the BBC's 2006 version of [[Jane Eyre]].
==Dovedale Dash==
{{main|Dovedale Dash}}
The Dovedale Dash is a 4¾ mile [[cross-country running]] race held annually along the banks of the [[River Dove, Derbyshire|River Dove]], along Dovedale, and between the villages of [[Ilam, Staffordshire|Ilam]] and Thorpe.
<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.dovedaledash.co.uk/
|title=Dovedale Dash 2006
|publisher=www.dovedaledash.co.uk
|accessdate=2008-04-04
}}
</ref>
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.
==References==
{{Commonscat|Dovedale}}
===Notes===
{{Reflist}}
===Bibliography===
*''Anglo-Saxon and Viking Derbyshire'', Richard Bunting, Wye Valley Press (April 1993), ISBN 0946404038
*''Dovedale Guide'', Keith H. Mantell, Derbyshire Countryside Ltd; (Feb 1991), ISBN 0851000959
*''Dovedale and the Manifold Valley'', Brian Spencer and Lindsey Porter, Moorland Publishing (May 1975), ISBN 0903485141
===External links===
*[http://www.riversidevilla.co.uk/dovedale.htm A Walk from Dovedale to Hartington]
{{Peaks of the Peak District}}
[[Category:Valleys of the Peak District]]
[[Category:Visitor attractions of the Peak District]]