Thorpe

Thorpe Cloud above a quiet village

Thorpe Cloud rises above the village, a conical limestone hill near the entrance to Dovedale. Footpaths run up three sides of the hill. The climb is steep, with views over the gorge from the top.

The village itself sits below, on the east bank of the River Dove, four miles north of Ashbourne at the southern edge of the Peak District. The main part of the village, with stone cottages and a few more affluent homesteads, lies in a cul-de-sac off the through road. Thorpe attracts fewer visitors than Tissington, while Dovedale draws crowds on summer weekends.

The Old Dog and practical provisions

The pub is The Old Dog, on Spend Lane. Until 2012 it was the Dog & Partridge. Two years of refurbishment turned it into a country inn serving muddy-boot lunches and Sunday roasts with all the trimmings. It has a warm atmosphere with real fires, a rotating selection of real ales including a stout, a beer garden and dog-friendly space inside and out; staff will bring water for dogs. It can be a pricey choice given the portion sizes.

Ilam Park offers woodland walks and views across to Thorpe Cloud.

Dovedale trails and getting here

Dovedale's stepping stones lie at the foot of Thorpe Cloud. From Dovedale car park, reached via Thorpe, follow the River Dove for 640 metres to the stones.

After the Ashbourne–Buxton railway closed, the trackbed became the Tissington Trail.

Norman stone and Domesday Torp

The Church of St Leonard is Grade I listed, with a west tower dating to the early 12th century, a 12th-century font substantially renewed in 1865, medieval windows and the tomb chest of John Millward, who died in 1632.

Domesday recorded the place as "Torp," among the smallest fifth of English settlements at fewer than five households. It stayed with the crown until 1245.

The Dovedale Dash tradition

The Dovedale Dash began at Ilam Hall in 1953. The four-and-three-quarter-mile cross-country race now starts at Thorpe Pastures and passes through Lin Dale to the stepping stones.