Dovedale
in the Peak District National Park
  
The River Dove (from the old
British word dubo meaning dark) rises on the high moorlands of Axe Edge
and its clear tumbling waters run southwards for 45 miles to join the
River Trent.
Dovedale
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For much of its course, the River Dove runs with one bank in Derbyshire
and one in Staffordshire. It follows a meandering course, past Longnor
and Hartington and through a series of spectacular limestone gorges, Beresford
Dale, Wolfscote Dale and Milldale before it reaches Dovedale.
The Dove is most of all a walker's river, with its tantalising curves unfolding
to show steep wooded sites and white rocks carved into fantastic towers, caves
and spires.
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Geology
Around 350 million years ago,
the whole of what is now the Peak District was covered with a shallow
tropical sea, with deep lagoons fringed by coral reefs. The fossilised
remains of sea creatures and corals make up what we call limestone.
This rock forms much of what is now the Dove Valley.
Ilam Rock |
Over the next 50 million years,
the Peak District became part of a vast river delta. The sands and
mud washed down by the river formed the gritstone and shale rocks that
lie under the northern part of the Dove Valley.
Movements in the earth's crust pushed the rocks upwards and the River
Dove was formed, flowing off the moorland. Natural erosion gradually
removed the layers of shale and gritstone leaving the limestone dome exposed.
At the end of each of the Ice Ages (during the last 2 million years),
vast quantities of melting water, carrying rock debris, cut through the
layers of limestone to produce the steep and craggy gorges of the Dales.
Water erosion formed caves (such as Dove Holes and Reynard's Cave) that
were left dry as the river cut an even deeper course.
Some of the limestone formed very hard reefs, like those round tropical
islands. These were left standing as hills and peaks while the less
resistant rocks around were worn down by erosion of wind and water. Reef
limestone can be seen in the steep, spear-like Chrome and Parkhouse hills
at the northern end of the Dove Valley, Raven Tor, Pickering Tor and the
Tissington Spires in the middle and further south, the shapely reef knolls
of Bunster Hill and Thorpe Cloud.
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History
Caves in the Dove Valley were
used as shelters by hunters during the last Ice Age, about 14,000 years
ago. The valley has been used continuously since then. Early farmers,
about 4,500 - 5,000 years ago, used caves like Reynard's Cave to bury
their dead. By Roman times, the caves were in use again, probably as shelters
for shepherds. Place names like Thorpe reflect a Scandinavian influence
in the area before the Norman Conquest - Thorpe is mentioned in Domesday
Book in 1086.
Pilsbury Castle was probably built by William the Conqueror and its remains
stand above the valley to the north of Hartington today. During Medieval
times, pack-horses bringing goods across the country followed a route
which crossed Viator's Bridge at Milldale. It is just wide enough
for horses to cross and with low parapets to avoid the panniers.
Enclosure of the land around
the beginning of the 19th century led to more intensive farming, particularly
sheep farming. From about a century ago, there was a reduction in
the intensity of sheep grazing, as dairy cattle became more important
with the coming of cheese factories and railway links to the cities.
Dovedale was made famous by Izaak Walton and Charles Cotton who wrote
The Compleat Angler in the 17th century. The fishing lodge they
used is still standing (but not open to the public).
Many of the weirs across the river were built to increase the feeding
area for trout and so improve the fishing. The river also powered several
mills.
The conservation value of the Dove Valley was recognised by the National
Trust through its acquisition of the South Peak Estate, much of which
lies in Dovedale and Wolfscote Dale.
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Wildlife and
Conservation
North of Hartington, the river
Dove follows the boundary between the limestone (on the Derbyshire bank)
and the shales (on the Staffordshire bank). This affects the vegetation
and wildlife, so that different species can be found on each side of the
river. South of Hartington, in the limestone dales, the most varied
and interesting wildlife is found.
Orchids in Wolfescote Dale |
The whole dale system of the
Dove Valley is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its
geology flora and fauna. Three habitats are of particular interest:
Dovedale Wood is one of the best ashwoods in the country
(but not open to the public). Ancient woodlands like these have
much more wildlife value than plantations or other new woodland.
Rocks and scree slopes (formed by the effect of frost on the cliffs above)
have developed specialised flora with mosses, lichens and flowers such
as herb robert. If movement stops, eventually screes become flower
rich grasslands, or woodland, with a great variety of attractive flowers.
The flowers encourage a range of insects including butterflies and moths.
Dale grasslands has been maintained by sheep grazing.
The reduction in sheep grazing in some dales over the last 100
years has allowed scrub (shrubs such as hawthorn) and long grasses, to
grow. The National Trust have cut back shrubs hiding the famous
rock features and have re-introduced sheep grazing.
On the shale, north of Hartington, the cuckoo flower
is common on the grassland. This provides food for the caterpillars
of the orange-tip butterfly. Herons often feed in the quiet, northern
stretches of the river. trout, dippers, grey wagtails, moorhens and water
voles can be seen in, on and by the river.
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Settlements
Some of the Peak District National
Park's best known and most attractive villages, such as Longnor, Hartington,
Alstonefield and Thorpe are all close to the valley and Ilam lies in the
Manifold Valley, close by. Tissington, the earliest known village
to have a tradition of Well Dressing, is just to the east of the valley.
Hartington |
Conservation Areas have been created in the villages of Alstonefield,
Ilam, Butterton and Hartington. This reflects the historic and architectural
importance of the villages and has resulted in programmes to preserve
and improve the best features of each village. Parking facilities
have been provided on the outskirts of Hartington in an attempt to reduce
congestion in the centre of the village.
The population of these villages is gradually falling as more houses become
holiday lets or second homes. The combination of high house prices and
lack of work in the area has also meant that many young people have left
the area.
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Tourism
In the 18th century and later, a popular summer activity with visiting
gentry was to visit the beauty spots of Dovedale and Ilam.
As road transport improved and the arrival of the railways brought easier travel,
Dovedale continued to grow in popularity with visitors.
Dovedale was proposed as a separate National Park in the 1930s.
It was eventually included within the Peak District National Park when
it became Britain's first National Park in 1951.
In the Peak National Park Visitor Survey on 1986/87 it was found that
distinctive landscape was the characteristic most appreciated by 66% of
visitors to the Park - and Dovedale is rightly famous for its distinctive
landscape.
Visitor pressure in Dovedale |
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Of the millions of visits made to the Peak District National Park every
year, over 2 million visits are made each year to the Dove and Manifold
Valleys. Of these visits, 9% of the people come for sightseeing and a
further 21% visit the area to walk (Peak National Park Visitor Survey
1986/87). There are popular walks for both the serious and the casual
walker - the most frequent trodden being that along the river bank between
the car parks at Dovedale and Milldale.
Fishing is another popular activity and some of the fishing rights are
owned by the Izaak Walton Hotel (itself part of the Duke of Rutland's
estate).
A footpath count in Dovedale on a typical August Sunday in 1990 notched
up 4421 walkers on the Staffordshire bank of the river and 3597 on the
Derbyshire bank. It is the enormous popularity of the Dovedale area
and the pressures brought by the many thousands of pairs of feet, that
has caused serious problems of congestion and erosion.
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Management
Plan
In 1976 a Plan was drawn up
to try and identify the main problems and do something about them.
Much has been achieved through co-operation between the various landowners.
- Car parking was becoming unsightly and causing congestion and damage
to the ground:
By 1991 car parking on the prominent slopes of Bunster Hill had been
removed. The main car park at Dovedale (205 spaces) had been landscaped.
An overflow car park (190 spaces) had been provided at the foot of the
hill. A new car park at Milldale (60 spaces) had been provided.
Parking arrangements at Thorpe, Ilam and Blore Pastures had been
improved.
- The footpath along the river from the Stepping Stones to Hartington
had become eroded and muddy. By 1991 the whole of this footpath
from the Stepping Stones through Wolfscote Dale and Beresford Dale had
been repaired to provide a firm and long-lasting surface for walkers.
- Both Bunster Hill and Thorpe Cloud had serious erosion problems.
By 1991 areas of Bunster Hill suffering from erosion had been restored.
The foot of Thorpe Cloud had been fenced to stop visitors scrambling
up the hillside.
- Facilities for staying visitors were good, with Youth Hostels at Ilam
and Hartington as well as camp and caravan sites at Wetton and Alstonefield,
but facilities for day visitors were limited. By 1991 toilets
at Dovedale had been improved and provided facilities for the disabled.
Further toilet facilities had been provided. A footpath
from the coach layby to the car park has been constructed so that people
can avoid the road. The road beyond the car park has been closed
to traffic and is now suitable for wheelchairs and prams.
Walking in Dovedale |
A full-time Ranger Service,
and the National Trust Warden Service based at Ilam Hall, offer help and
advice to visitors, There is also a National Trust Information Centre
and shop at Ilam Hall. The National Trust have a small Information
Centre and car park at Milldale, in a converted barn. An Information
Centre for Dovedale has been discussed, but so far a scheme has not been
implemented. The National Trust and Ilam Youth Hostel Association
have set up a base for educational visits, either on a day basis or a
residential basis.
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Points
to Consider
Loved to death? The popularity
of such beautiful areas as Dovedale could actually destroy the very landscape
that people come to see. How could this be avoided?
For more information on any
of the subjects highlighted in this factsheet try searching the archive.
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