Scenic Point in Derbyshire

Dovedale in the Peak District is one of the finest and most celebrated river gorges in England, a limestone valley of the River Dove between the borders of Derbyshire and Staffordshire whose combination of the clear river, the dramatic limestone pinnacles and reef knolls rising from the valley floor, the ancient ash woodland clothing the valley sides and the stepping stones across the river create one of the most complete and most romantic valley landscapes available in the national park. The stepping stones at the southern entrance to the dale are among the most photographed features of the entire Peak District. The geological character of Dovedale is the result of the differential erosion of a complex limestone geology in which ancient coral reef mounds of harder limestone have resisted erosion more successfully than the surrounding rock, leaving the distinctive rock towers of Dovedale Tor, Ilam Rock, Pickering Tor and the Lion Face that give the dale its characteristic skyline. These reef knolls, formed from coral approximately 340 million years ago, are among the most informative exposures of reef limestone geology in Britain. The dale was the favourite fishing water of Izaak Walton, whose 1653 work The Compleat Angler describes fishing the Dove in terms of pastoral beauty that established the vale's reputation as an Arcadian landscape. The grayling and brown trout fishing of the Dove is still considered among the finest in England and the combination of the fishing tradition, the geological interest and the simple scenic quality of the gorge makes Dovedale one of the most visited non-coastal natural attractions in England.

Monsal Head in the Peak District is one of the most celebrated viewpoints in the national park, a clifftop viewpoint above the deep limestone gorge of the River Wye near Bakewell from which the Victorian railway viaduct — now carrying the Monsal Trail walking and cycling route — spans the dale in a composition of industrial heritage and natural limestone gorge scenery. The viaduct was condemned by John Ruskin when built in 1863 but has long since become a celebrated element of the landscape. The Monsal Dale viaduct carries the Monsal Trail, an 8.5-mile route following the former Midland Railway line through the limestone dales of the White Peak, across the gorge at a height providing views along the dale in both directions. The trail passes through several tunnels, now lit and open to cyclists, providing a complete heritage railway experience through the best section of White Peak limestone scenery. The River Wye below the viaduct provides excellent trout fishing and the combination of the water, the limestone cliffs, the hanging woodland and the viaduct above creates a landscape of considerable variety in a short section of the dale.

Tissington is one of the most attractive and best-preserved estate villages in the Peak District, a cluster of limestone buildings around a triangular green most celebrated as the origin of the well-dressing tradition. This distinctively Peakland practice of creating large decorated pictures from flower petals, moss, leaves and other natural materials pressed into clay frames around the village wells has been practiced in Tissington on Ascension Day each year for over four hundred years, attracting visitors throughout the dressing season from late spring through summer. The origin of the well-dressings is traditionally attributed to gratitude for the village's clean water supply during the Black Death of 1348 to 1349. Whether this specific origin is accurate or not, the dressings represent a continuation of a very old tradition of venerating water sources that may have pre-Christian roots in the veneration of sacred wells found throughout the British Isles. The village itself is a handsome example of an estate village, its buildings arranged around the green in a composition reflecting the care of the FitzHerbert family who have owned Tissington Hall since the sixteenth century. The Tissington Trail, following the disused railway line through the White Peak limestone country, begins in the village and provides excellent cycling and walking in the surrounding national park landscape.

Wirksworth is an attractive and historically important small town in the Derbyshire Dales whose combination of the medieval church, the Georgian and earlier stone buildings of the town centre, the remarkable heritage of lead mining that shaped its history and the contemporary arts and crafts community that has developed in the regenerated town create a destination of unusual depth and character for a Derbyshire market town. The town has been recognised as one of the most successful examples of cultural-led regeneration in the East Midlands. The Church of St Mary contains one of the finest collections of early medieval carved stones in England, including the Wirksworth Stone, a carved coffin lid of approximately 800 AD depicting scenes from the life of Christ in a style of considerable sophistication and historical importance. The collection of Saxon and early Norman carved stones within the church represents a body of early medieval sculpture equivalent in quality to much better-known sites and relatively little visited. The National Stone Centre at Middleton-by-Wirksworth, a short drive from the town, provides excellent interpretation of the geology of the Derbyshire limestone and the history of quarrying and lead mining that shaped both the landscape and the economy of the area. The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, a heritage steam railway connecting Wirksworth with Duffield and the national network, provides a nostalgic transport connection to the surrounding Derbyshire countryside.