"O my beloved nymph, fair Dove, Princess of rivers, how I love Upon thy flowery banks to lie". So wrote the 17th century poet, Charles Cotton, and 350 years later the valley is still filled with flowers. Golden rock roses, purple thyme and the nodding heads of musk thistle cover the steep slopes of the dale, while the sparkling River Dove tumbles over little weirs. Then Biggin Dale leads up onto the high plateau, where gleaming limestone walls are a backdrop to the blue-petalled meadow cranesbill. And finally you descend to Hartington, with its cottages grouped around the green and a hostelry named after the village's most famous son.
LOCATION: Ten miles south-east of Buxton
START: Hartington car park, on B5054, toilets Grid ref: SK128605 Postcode: SK170AP
DISTANCE: 6 miles
GRADE: Easy
TIME: 3 hours
MAP: Outdoor Leisure-White Peak Landranger 119
REFRESHMENTS: Hartington or Pack a flask
EN ROUTE: Beresford Dale , Pike Pool, Beaver Ford, Wolfscote Dale , Frank i'the Rocks, Peaseland Rocks, Bonny Prince Charlie
This walk was originally published by
The Manchester Evening News