Dovedale

Wonderful low-​cost day out. Pack a picnic and walk down to the stepping stones, unpack, let the kids play on the stepping stones (bring a towel and make sure they take off shoes and trousers) and sit back and eat. Or instead of a picnic, just carry some water and then after the stepping stones climb the hill we like to call a mountain and then come down the other side and back to the car park and treat yourself to the gorgeous fresh ice cream at the stand there. The stand only operates after Easter. And refill your water bottles at the public tap — the water tastes gorgeous for some reason! The car park costs a few quid, but otherwise brilliant low cost day out.

Picturesque, scenic, peaceful, engaging, natural and all round brilliant.
When you need a place to go for a wander to take your mind of the stress of life then Dovedale is the place to do it. Just outside of Ashbourne you can find some lovely walks taking you along the River Dove, over hills, through woods and across the famous stepping stones.
The parking is cheap (£2 i think) and you can buy hot dogs and ice cream for the journey. Kids will love it as they get to explore nature and you can enjoy the serenity that this wonderful Derbyshire location provides.
Try it; you’ll love it.

Just north of Ashbourne, Dovedale is most peoples first foray into the Peak District. As a result it can be unbelievably busy on bank holidays and on any nice day in the British summer. It is a lovely place to go walking, picturesque countryside and a straightforward circular walk back to the car park of around 6 miles. Great in the winter to stretch the legs, but the stepping stones that Dovedale are famous for will probably be flooded in the winter, so don’t get caught out on the wrong side of the river and have to retrace your steps! Its close proximity to Derby and Ashbourne means that the best time to go to Dovedale is ‘off peak’, unless you are partial to queueing and crowds.

If scenery and hiking is your thing you won’t be disappointed in giving this place a visit. There are some easy walk’s suitable for pushchair’s. Children love the stepping stones, and seem to enjoy falling into the water.

This was one of my favourite places to visit when I was a child, and now my children love it. Advisable to take wellies for the kids in the colder months as they can’t resist the stepping stones and will inevitably get wet as the river is generally running higher than in the summer.
Scenery is amazing and if you are feeling fit there are lots of hills to climb.

Not sure how this has stayed off my radar for this long. We had the place to ourselves as it was wet and windy. There are caves, cliffs, weirslots to see and most of it is on the flat as well, but lots of high level climbs if thats your thing. Excellent.

This place is fantastic, it doesn’t matter which end you start from both of them are as fantastic as each other. You can walk alongside the river. you can cross the river at the stepping stones, there are hills to climb and caves to explore.
Only downside is that you have to park if you start the walk from Ilam but its worth every penny. If you start at the otherend you can park for free, but you do have a bit of walk to get to the start of the trail.