Limestone dales and living water history
Youlgreave
A long gritstone-and-limestone village above Bradford Dale, with a Grade I church and a water story that reaches from the river to Fountain Square.
- Best for
- Bradford Dale walks, church history and village food
- Give it
- A short dale walk with time for the church and a village stop
- Don't miss
- The riverside paths and stone footbridges of Bradford Dale
The Fox verdict
Walk the dale, then follow the village's water story
Bradford Dale is the reason to walk here; All Saints' Church and the 1829 Fountain give the village visit its historical depth.
The River Bradford runs through a limestone dale below the village. Its riverside paths lead naturally into a visit shaped by All Saints' Church, the Fountain and village food stops.
Where to go
Places in Youlgreave
Every place below is checked against a published source, listed with what it is and how long to give it.
Local signatures
3 placesAll Saints' Church
A Grade I church with Norman nave fabric, a 15th-century west tower, a 12th-century font and an east window designed by Edward Burne-Jones.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 45 minutes
- Locality
- Youlgreave
The Fountain
This circular stone conduit head was erected in Fountain Square in 1829 by the Youlgreave Friendly Society of Women as part of the village's piped water supply.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 15 minutes
- Locality
- Fountain Square
The Ginger Nut Shop & Tearooms
A village shop stocking daily essentials and serving freshly prepared hot and cold food, drinks, cakes and savouries.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 30 minutes
- Locality
- Youlgreave
Food & drink
4 placesThe George Hotel
A traditional village pub serving home-cooked food made with locally produced ingredients, with a menu that includes meals to take away.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 75 minutes
- Locality
- Alport Lane, Youlgrave
The Bulls Head Hotel
A village inn welcoming walkers, families and dogs, with freshly cooked food and a bar tapas menu.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 75 minutes
- Locality
- Fountain Square
Youngs of Youlgrave
Youngs of Youlgrave combines a Post Office with a village store selling groceries, newspapers, magazines, cards and stationery.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 15 minutes
- Locality
- Youlgreave
Peak Feast
A family bakery making handmade cakes, brownies, tarts, puddings and pies. Its products are vegetarian, with vegan and gluten-free options in the range.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 30 minutes
- Locality
- Youlgreave
Walks & outdoors
1 placeBradford Dale
Follow public footpaths through Bradford Dale, the wooded limestone valley immediately south of Youlgreave, where two stone footbridges are listed historic structures.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 90 minutes
- Locality
- along the River Bradford
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Three ways to explore Youlgreave
Signature outings
Walk Bradford Dale
See the village's position between Bradford Dale and Lathkill Dale; their rivers meet farther east at Alport.
Look inside All Saints'
Take time in the churchyard for headstones dating back to the 1700s and memorials connected with long-established village families.
Stop at Peak Feast
Stop at the Moor Lane bakery for a coffee and a freshly baked slice of cake.
The village story
Bradford Dale and Youlgreave's Water Story
From Thimble Hall on Fountain Square to the paths of Bradford Dale, explore the village's church, food stops and independent water supply.
A tiny house and a long village
Thimble Hall stands on Fountain Square. This Grade II listed, single-bay stone cottage dates probably from the eighteenth century; its small scale makes a striking start to a village walk.
Youlgreave stretches along a narrow shelf at about 600 feet, with Bradford Dale immediately to the south and Lathkill Dale to the north. Their rivers meet at Alport, about a mile east of the village. Many buildings use local limestone and gritstone.
Pubs, shops and something to take away
The George Hotel on Alport Lane serves home-cooked food made with locally produced ingredients. On Fountain Square, the Bull's Head welcomes dogs and offers freshly cooked food and bar tapas. Both make useful village stops after a walk.
Youngs of Youlgrave combines a grocery store with the Post Office on Church Street. The Ginger Nut Shop & Tearooms stocks daily essentials and serves freshly prepared food, drinks and cakes. At Peak Feast on Moor Lane, visitors can stop for coffee and cake from its vegetarian bakery.
Bradford Dale and All Saints
Bradford Dale lies immediately south of Youlgreave. Public footpaths follow its wooded limestone valley, and two stone footbridges in or near the conservation area are listed. Farther east, the River Bradford meets the River Lathkill at Alport.
All Saints' is a Grade I listed church. Its oldest surviving fabric includes Norman pillars and arches in the nave; later additions include a fifteenth-century tower and an east window designed by Edward Burne-Jones.
Waterworks and ways in
The Youlgreave Friendly Society of Women funded the stone Fountain in 1829 as part of a piped water supply for the village. Youlgrave Waterworks continues to provide the village's water supply through an independent local company.
Bus 172 connects Bakewell with Youlgreave and continues towards Matlock.
Six wells dressed in June
Each June, floral well dressings appear around the village from Saturday to Thursday in the week usually containing 24 June. The custom began with the new piped water supply in 1829, paused after about two decades, and was revived in 1869.
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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.
- Bradford Dale — peakdistrict.gov.uk statutory register or public authority record not machine-readable; publisher restricts automated access
- All Saints' Church — achurchnearyou.com national body or asset manager
- The Fountain — historicengland.org.uk statutory register or public authority record not machine-readable; publisher restricts automated access
- The George Hotel — georgehotelyoulgrave.co.uk operator, sector body or destination organisation
- The Bulls Head Hotel — thebullsheadyoulgreave.com operator, sector body or destination organisation
- Youngs of Youlgrave — postoffice.co.uk other published source record not machine-readable; publisher restricts automated access
- The Ginger Nut Shop & Tearooms — youlgrave.shop operator, sector body or destination organisation
- Peak Feast — peakfeast.co.uk operator, sector body or destination organisation