About Dovedale
Dovedale in Derbyshire, is owned by the National Trust and is farmed with many sheep on the rocky slopes and in the woods. It is little more than 3 miles distance between Thorpe and Milldale in the north and the famous part is the wooded ravine between the stepping stones, a short distance from the car park at the front of Thorpe Cloud and the cave like dove-holes. Dovedale`s stepping stones appear on thousands of post cards and the area attracts a million visitors a year. Keep away on sunny weekend afternoons.
Many of the rocks used to be parts of active coral reefs. Flowing water
aided by rain and wind has eaten away the softer limestone. In some places
caverns or arches have been formed, in others where the harder rock has offerred
more resistance to erosion, huge crags or pinnacles have been left projecting
from the sides of the valley. Lichens cover parts of them but for the most
part they stand out bare, grey and massive. Many have been named.
Upstream from the stepping stones the heights on the left are known as dovedale
castle and these are followed by the 12 apostles, best viewd from the grassy
spur called lovers-leap, possibly named after a rejected maiden threw herself
off the precipice but was saved by the bushes that broke her fall. It is believed
she spent the rest of her life in perpetual seclusion.
Following the path the walker passes the upraised fingers of the tissington spires and the geological oddity of reynards cave, high on the eastern bank.This massive detached arch of rock was the mouth of a cavern until the roof fell in. It is named after one Reynard , a local brigand who made the cave his refuge. The accent to the cave can be dangerous as one irish dean who tried to go up on horseback found out. He was out ridding with a young lady friend when the horse slipped and all 3 tumbled down the slope. The dean died from his injuries and lies buried at Ashbourne.
The path then passes beneath the lions head rock, so named because of its likeness to the king of the beasts and onto Ilam rock which rises sheer from the waters edge. Pickering Tor on the right is like a natural fortress.
The gorge itself ends where the river swings east. Here are crags known as ravens tor and the dove-holes, 2 circles hollowed out when the water level was higher. These are the last show pieces of dovedale gorge. The larger of the 2 holes is some 60 feet wide and 30 feet high. Though this marks the end of the gorge, dovedale continues for a further mile upstream to milldale where the river is crossed via viator bridge, a honey pot for tourists.
All along the route watch out for the dippers, birds like large wrens with white breasts.They bob up and down perched on the lower tree branches and rocks and then dive into the water looking for food. You might also see the odd kingfisher or even a heron. Wild flora abounds with stitchwort, dogs mercury, forgetmenots and lilies everywhere.
The dove has many literary associations the most famous of whom is perhaps Izaak Walton, best known for his instructive book `The Complete Angler` or `The Contemplative Mans Recreation`.It remains the authoritive work on fly fishing. Another literary figure was Charles Cotton who in 1681 produced a laudatory poem called `The Wonders of the Peak`. These 2 men gave dovedale its initial reputation which has encouaged generations of visitors to seek out the idyllic enchantment that dovedale can provide, even to this day.
