Is Dovedale Worth Visiting?

Dovedale is a jaw-dropping gorgeous village in the Peak District. It is a very scenic drive down, with all the beautiful green hills, and there is a bonus of passing through the village of Ilam – so pretty and quaint!

What Can You Do There?

There are lots of different walks to enjoy, some a little more challenging than others. There is one main path the takes you to the well-known stepping stones. That path is possibly the only path that is wheelchair and buggy friendly, other than that the rest of the paths are narrow, steep or rough and uneven terrain. There are plenty of places to stop and rest, or have a picnic along that main path, and around the stepping stones area. We crossed over on the little bridge at the start of the walk and walked about half way up the path, then stopped for a picnic and a little play in the river.

After we had played for a while we decided to pack up the picnic and go and explore. We walked up to the Stepping Stones, then followed the path through a little gate and kept walking. Eventually we came to some cool steps. As you follow them up (possibly feeling your legs burn!) You come to a little break in the trail. 

As well as following a trail, we also climbed some of the hills. I have to admit, I was concerned about the number of people who struggled to get up the hills, and then were totally clueless on how to come down as safely as possibly. The hills were very steep and we saw lots of people who were leaning too far backwards and ended slipping and sliding down on their bottoms. So, if you are thinking about doing a bit of climbing  when you go (the views are stunning!), please recap on how to come down hills safely. It would be a shame to ruin the day with an accident.

Parking

The Car Park (which is down a long narrow, 2-way road) is £3. There is no limit on how long you can stay there. We stayed all day, but there were people who were just going to see the stepping stones and then leaving.

Toilets

There is a block of toilets at the car park. You have to pay 20p to use them, so make sure you have plenty of change!

There was also a food hut in the carpark, selling ice creams, hot dogs, etc. Prices were a little high, but that’s normal for places like this.

Between the stunning scenery, playing in the river, climbing, jumping across the stepping stones and exploring – it was an epic day out! We were warned that it gets very busy on a nice day. The day we went it was mostly overcast, and it was busy but thankfully not overly busy. We got there just before 11am, there was a small queue, maybe 6 or 7 cars in front of us. There were plenty of spaces, we didn’t have a problem finding a parking space, however I’m not sure if people that came after us did.

Well worth a visit, so pop it on your lists!