Gritstone and village beer
Birchover
A small hillside village between Matlock and Bakewell, defined by carved and weathered gritstone, Stanton Moor and two pubs.
- Best for
- Gritstone landmarks and pub stops
- Give it
- The 4.5-mile circular plus a pub stop
- Don't miss
- The rock-cut rooms, steps and seats at Rowtor Rocks
The Fox verdict
A village written into the rocks
Birchover pairs Rowtor's carved gritstone with Stanton Moor walks and two village pubs: the Red Lion brews on site, while the Druid serves an ale brewed for it by Peak Ales.
Start with Rowtor Rocks and St Michael's below them, then choose between the Druid Inn and the Red Lion or continue to Stanton Moor for the Nine Ladies and Cork Stone.
Your picks, your pace
Make Birchover yours
Choose a mood or build your own list. Your saved stops are an ordering aid, with a direct map route when you are ready.
Local signatures
3 placesRowtor Rocks
This wooded gritstone outcrop holds recorded prehistoric rock art alongside rock-cut rooms and steps associated with Thomas Eyre in the early 1700s.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 60 minutes
- Locality
- above Main Street
- Access
- Access among the rocks is by landowner permission. Paths pass steep drops, so take care.
The Druid Inn
A traditional stone-walled country pub with open fires, a lunchtime Walkers Menu, well-kept cask ales and its exclusive Druid's Drop bitter.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 75 minutes
- Locality
- Main Street
- Access
- The pub is dog-friendly, with water and treats provided for walkers' dogs.
Robin Hood's Stride
A gritstone tor near Cratcliffe and a hermit's cave, within walking distance west of Birchover.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 75 minutes
- Locality
- west of Birchover
Food & drink
1 placeThe Red Lion Inn
A 17th-century pub with Sardinian-influenced cooking, a well in the bar and Birchover Brewery ales brewed on site.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 75 minutes
- Locality
- Birchover
- Access
- Muddy boots and dogs are welcome in the tap room.
History & heritage
2 placesSt Michael's Church
This Grade II listed church began as Thomas Eyre's private Rowtor chapel in the early 1700s; its chancel was added around 1869.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 30 minutes
- Locality
- directly below Rowtor Rocks
Nine Ladies Stone Circle
A Bronze Age stone circle on Stanton Moor, accompanied in local legend by a nearby fiddler turned to stone.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 30 minutes
- Locality
- Stanton Moor
Things to do
1 placeCork Stone
A weathered gritstone pillar near the southern side of Stanton Moor, reached on the published Birchover circuit. Its stone footholds and metal handholds are visible from the path.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 25 minutes
- Locality
- Stanton Moor
- Access
- The lower footholds are worn; getting down is harder than climbing up. The stone can be enjoyed from the path.
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On the map
Birchover at a glance
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Three ways to explore Birchover
Signature outings
Meet the Nine Ladies
Reach the circle on foot over paths with gates, stiles and uneven ground; there are no facilities at the site.
Drink where it is brewed
Birchover Brewery makes ales at the Red Lion; a selection is served there and nowhere else.
See the Cork Stone
The published circular passes this natural pillar on its return toward Birchover. Its worn lower footholds make it best admired from the path.
The village story
Between Rowtor Rocks and Stanton Moor
Carved gritstone, two village pubs and the old stories of Stanton Moor.
Carved gritstone and village setting
Rowtor Rocks rises above the Druid Inn in a wooded setting. Prehistoric rock art has been recorded on the outcrop, while the rock-cut rooms and steps associated with Thomas Eyre date from the early 1700s. Seats, altered caves and natural passages add to the maze of stone.
A wooded ridge rises above Birchover's Main Street. Rowtor Rocks marks the village's western edge, while the Cork Stone stands by the southern part of Stanton Moor, where the walking circuit returns toward Birchover.
Two pubs and Druid's Drop
Birchover has two pubs with different beer stories: the Red Lion brews Birchover Brewery ales on site, while the Druid Inn serves Druid's Drop, made for it by Peak Ales.
Just below Rowtor Rocks, the Druid Inn pairs cask ales with light lunchtime food. Its Walkers Menu lists fresh cobs, homemade soups, pastries and sausage rolls. Dogs are welcome, with water and treats.
Birchover beer and Stanton Moor
The Red Lion dates its building to 1680; a well in the bar once supplied spring water for brewing. Matteo and Alyson took over in 2006; Matteo is the chef, brewer and cheesemaker. Birchover Brewery ales are brewed at the pub, with a selection available only there. The small menu has blackboard specials and a Sardinian influence, while dogs and muddy boots are welcome in the tap room.
A published 4.5-mile circuit passes the Druid Inn and Rowtor Rocks, then crosses Uppertown and Stanton Moor, taking in the Earl Grey Tower, Nine Ladies and Cork Stone before returning toward Birchover. Local legend says a fiddler shared the Nine Ladies' punishment.
Chapel, Uppertown and connections
St Michael's stands below Rowtor Rocks. Thomas Eyre built it as a chapel for the Rowtor family; the present Grade II listed church has a chancel added in the 19th century. Uppertown is traditionally considered Birchover's earlier settlement site, although the location of its old church is unrecorded.
Bus 172 runs through Birchover between Bakewell and Matlock, where there is a railway station. The approach to Nine Ladies crosses fields and woodland with gates, stiles and uneven ground.
The western rocks
West of Birchover, Robin Hood's Stride stands near Cratcliffe Rocks and a later hermit's cave. Paths through this landscape link the gritstone tors with archaeological remains on Harthill Moor.
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A guide with a point of view
Written from research. Edited for real journeys.
Use the Official site links for live practical details, then use this guide for context, ideas and room to explore.
Sources
Every place on this page is checked against a published source. Each entry links the record we used and names who publishes it.
- Rowtor Rocks — peakdistrict.gov.uk statutory register or public authority record not machine-readable; publisher restricts automated access
- The Druid Inn — druidbirchover.co.uk operator, sector body or destination organisation
- The Red Lion Inn — red-lion-birchover.co.uk operator, sector body or destination organisation
- St Michael's Church — historicengland.org.uk statutory register or public authority record not machine-readable; publisher restricts automated access
- Nine Ladies Stone Circle — historicengland.org.uk statutory register or public authority record not machine-readable; publisher restricts automated access
- Cork Stone — peakdistrict.gov.uk statutory register or public authority record not machine-readable; publisher restricts automated access
- Robin Hood's Stride — peakdistrict.gov.uk statutory register or public authority record not machine-readable; publisher restricts automated access