MAPLETON AND DOVE VALLEY WALK
THE WALK
Mapleton and Dove Valley Walk follows the Tissington Trail to the ancient village of Thorpe and returns along the beautiful Dove Valley to the brick-built village of Mapleton.
The tiny limestone village of Thorpe is less than a mile from the famous Dovedale Stepping Stones, but still manages to maintain an air of peace and quiet even in the middle of the summer. As the walk route leaves Thorpe, it degenerates into a rough track as it winds down to the 18th-century Coldwall Bridge.
From this point, the walk takes you through water meadows and along the banks of the River Dove to Mapleton. After leaving Mapleton, the route follows a path up the hillside to the east of the village before dropping down again to rejoin the Tissington Trail.
LOOK OUT FOR
Route Point 1 – Tissington Trail, where you can walk, cycle or ride a horse every day of the year on this excellent traffic-free trail, and it will not cost you a penny. During all seasons of the year, you will be able to admire the many stunning views. In the spring and summer, wildflowers are found in abundance, and wildlife is plentiful at any time.
Point 3 – St Leonard’s Church has a stocky little Norman tower and a tub font, one of only three in Derbyshire. The marks made by the sharpening of arrows on the outside of the south porch remain. After the Black Death, there was a decrease in the number of archers available to defend king and country. Edward III, finding archery was being neglected, ordered men to stop playing football and other games to practice archery instead. The people kept their arrows at home, but since they lived in wooden houses, they had no means of sharpening them. They found the stone porch at the church to be the most convenient place. Shooting at butts took place after the Sunday service, usually at the bottom of the churchyard.
Point 4 – Coldwall Bridge crosses the River Dove only a short distance from Thorpe. This long, wide grass-covered bridge arouses quite a lot of curiosity amongst visitors, until maybe they notice the milestone ‘Cheadle 11 miles’ that dates to the days when the coach-road ran between Ashbourne and Cheadle. Built in 1726, the bridge fell into disuse at the start of the motoring age, the gradients proving too steep for the cars of that era.
Point 5 – Dove Cottage, built in 1867, stands in an enviable location alongside the River Dove. The river rises on the slopes of Axe Edge, close to the Leek to Buxton Road and flows for 45 miles to meet the River Trent at Newton Solney in South Derbyshire. For a substantial part of the route, its banks divide Derbyshire and Staffordshire. The River Manifold joins the Dove only a short distance upstream from Dove Cottage.
Point 6 – Mapleton stands on the Derbyshire side of the River Dove that divides it from Staffordshire. Mapleton’s attractive red brick cottages are somewhat unusual in the Peak District, where stone typically dominates. Most of the houses face the river, on the other side of which is Okeover Hall, a private residence not open to the public. As with so many towns and villages in Derbyshire, there is a problem with either the pronunciation or the spelling.
Point 7 – Mapleton’s only pub, the Okeover Arms, is an attractive Grade One listed building dating from about 1700. It is popular with walkers and visitors to the village. At one time, it was a Temperance Hotel
WALK DETAILS
Length: 5 miles.
Start: The Tissington Trail car park is situated just off Mapleton Road at the former Mapleton station. It is Pay & Display run by the Peak National Park.
Location: To the west of Ashbourne, off the B5035, on the road leading to Mapleton village.
Terrain: Mainly easy walking along the Tissington Trail and by the River Dove. Gentle descents at Thorpe and a steady climb back to the Tissington Trail.
Refreshments: The Okeover Arms at Mapleton. There are pubs, restaurants, and cafes in Ashbourne to meet all requirements.
THE ROUTE
1. From the car park, walk up the Tissington Trail for about two miles before turning left by a finger post sign, ‘Thorpe and Dovedale’, opposite a similar sign for ‘Fenny Bentley’.
2. Walk straight up the field and go through a gate stile, then cross a narrow field to a stile leading onto a minor road. The Old Dog public house can be seen further up the road. Go over the road, walk down the narrow country lane opposite, and follow it as it winds around towards Thorpe village.
3. At the bottom of a dip, take the footpath sign on the left. Follow a clear path over a small wooden bridge and up the other side of the hill, turning right just before St Leonard’s Church. Keep the church on your left, and on reaching another road, turn left in front of the church. Continue through the village, going through a gateway at the far end.
4. The road bends to the right before descending to Coldwall Bridge. Look out for the ancient milestone on the right just before you reach the bridge. Do not cross the bridge; turn left along a rough track.
5. Go through a squeezer stile and cross a field, past Dove Cottage 1867, entering another field by an unusual gate stile ‘lift, do not pull’. Stay by the fence on the left until reaching a stile at the far end of the field.
6. Continue along a clear route close to the banks of the River Dove, all the way to the road into Mapleton, where you turn left along the road and then right at the ‘T’ junction.
7. Just after passing the Okeover Arms, take the footpath sign on your left down a narrow passageway between houses and on reaching a field, turn right at an angle of 45 degrees.
8. Cross the field before going over two stiles in quick succession, and then follow the hedge on the left up the next field to go through a gap in the top corner.
9. Remain by the hedge on the left to go over a stile into another field. Here, you follow an obvious path straight across a short field to a stile. Continue along a fenced path to a stile in the top corner. Cross the stile and maintain the same direction, before descending to a stile in the next field in the bottom right-hand corner.
10. Continue down another short field to reach the Tissington Trail, where you turn right to walk back down the trail to the starting point of the walk.
MAPLETON AND OKEOVER
