Dovedale
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.