Here are three countryside saunters which take the rambler to some of the Peak District’s most interesting and pretty rural churches.
Youlgreave and the River Bradford
This 3.5-mile ramble through the beauty of the White Peak is a spiritual experience – both in the conventional sense at All Saints Church and in the wider sense of awe-inspiring scenery.
High above Youlgreave, Moor Lane drops down to the dale-top village. As you ascend the designated quiet lane – a single-track road mostly used by farmers – views open out to the settlements of Over Haddon and Stanton-in-Peak.
The road winds into the heart of Youlgreave with its modest terraced cottages, including the diminutive Tweedledee and Twiddledum, as well as grander villas. You’ll find a fountain at the centre of the village, where villagers in days of yore queued for water.
Turning left into Church Street, you’ll pass the handsome Bull Inn with its protruding mock-Tudor timber-frame dormer (weekend lunch openings). All Saints Church sits on the corner of Church Street (becoming Alport Lane) and Bradford Road.
Drop into the church to view the WWII Ypres panes (salvaged by local man, Charlie Waterhouse) and beautiful Pre-Raphaelite window designed by Edward Burne-Jones.
From the church descend Bradford Road, veering right onto Stoneyside. Go through the wooden gate on your right at the bottom to follow the River Bradford. Cross the clapper bridge and continue along the waterside towards Middleton (the river now on your right).
It may be one of the shortest rivers in the country, but it’s also one of the prettiest. The river cascades over rapids, and pools in dammed lakes, the still waters reflecting the surrounding woodlands, colours somewhere between marine-blue and aqua-green. Mallards, moorhens and coots find passage through waterweed along with trout.
When you come to a humpback bridge, pause on it to take in the views and the carved words on the stone: Still glides the stream, and shall forever glide; The form remains, the function never dies by William Wordsworth (part of the Smerrill and Middleton Parish Boundary Millennium Project, Sites of Meaning). It’s an idyllic spot with the soothing sound of cascading water.
Continuing over the bridge, veer left to climb through a woodland valley. It emerges at the bend of Weaddow Lane.
You’ll find two more Sites of Meaning quotations here. One is carved into the bench – Roughwood Hollow Seat – set into the drystone wall: In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength - Isaiah 30:15.
The other, on top of Roughwood Hollow kerbstones, was written by Youlgreave primary school children: Down the dale feel the wet soggy dogs which have just come out of the river, and, He's beautiful, golden, white fur, wild, free, ready to come and go as he pleases.
Turn right here and follow the pavement to another sharp bend. At its beginning you’ll see a fingerpost pointing left. Climb the field to a second road, Coldwell Lane.
Turn left and walk the road a short distance, then climb the stepped wall and go through the gate into a field, veering left to follow the grassy Limestone Way. Go through another gate at the top of the field and follow the path to a farm track. It leads back to Moor Lane Car Park and your starting point.
From the Tissington Trail to Fenny Bentley
This 2.5-mile saunter takes you along the Tissington Trail and over fields to Fenny Bentley and the lovely St Edmund, King and Martyr.
Starting out from Thorpe Station Car Park (charge) head south along the Tissington Trail towards Ashbourne, taking the first gate on your left. The grassy path takes you through a field to a footbridge.
Crossing over the brook, climb the field, then follow the boundary of another field. Drop down to Ashes Lane, turning left into the village of Fenny Bentley. Soon you’ll see the church on your right.
St Edmund, King and Martyr is one of my favourite Derbyshire churches. Check out the unusual, shrouded effigies of Thomas Beresford and his wife Agnes, their 21 children likewise shrouded around the base of the chest tomb.
Overhead are painted ceiling panels in rich reds, golds and greens, the Beresford coat of arms detailed with bears, winged angels and bright rays of sunshine. Enjoy the colourful wall panels of the saints and stained-glass windows. The church is a hidden gem in Derbyshire.
From the porch, cross the churchyard, passing the village school. Follow a house boundary, then head across the field diagonally to a squeeze gap. Cut over a lane, heading for a house.
The public footpath takes you through its garden and out into more fields. Pass by Ashes Farm, then follow the field boundary down to the brook. Cross the footbridge and climb up to the Tissington Trail.
Turn right to return to the car park. If you’re in need of refreshments, you’ll find the Coach and Horses in Fenny Bentley and The Dog at Thorpe, both a short detour from the route.
Around Ilam
Just over two miles, this easy amble lies a short way over the border of Derbyshire in Staffordshire. The route takes in Ilam parkland, riverside paths and country lanes as well as the picturesque estate village of Ilam and its church.
From the NationaI Trust car park (charge for non-members) head up to the Italian Garden (grab a takeaway coffee or ice-cream on the way). Linger on one of the benches with one of the best views in the Peak District.
The pyramid-shaped Thorpe Cloud, with its point sliced off to give it an oddly flat appearance at the top, and Bunster Hill are a heart-lifting backdrop to the Church of the Holy Cross with its crown-shaped annex.
At the far end of the garden drop down steps to the River Manifold. Head west and north through the parkland of Ilam, the path hugging the riverside. You’ll pass a cross shaft called the Battle Stone, associated with the struggles between Saxons and Danes.
Eventually, you’ll leave the country park to be funnelled through a grassy corridor and out onto Lodge Lane. Turn right to head uphill, the quiet country road eventually meeting Ilam-Moor Lane.
Drop down into the village, passing one of the prettiest schools in England. Continue through the village to admire the picture-box Olde English estate cottages as far as the ‘wedding-cake’ monument, the Ilam Cross sitting, at the centre of a triangle of roads near the bridge.
It was commissioned by J.W. Russell of Ilam Hall as a memorial to his deceased wife in 1841. Can you spot the Ilam Imp?
Retrace your steps to the entrance of Dovedale House. Go left through the kissing gate and follow the path round to the Church of the Holy Cross.
There is much to explore: the Chapel of St Bertram with its effigies and paintings, the Pike Watts Monument and Mausoleum, the folk-art panels created by Sue Prince, telling a pictorial Story of Ilam, and the Celtic and Saxon crosses in the graveyard.
Detour to the St Bertram Bridge with its idyllic views of the Manifold River. Head back up the steps to the Italian Garden with a chance to rest up in the Manifold Tea-room before returning to the NT car park.
