The Church of the Holy Trinity

Look Mum, I'm In Emmerdale!

Ashford In The Water, Derbyshire, England East Midlands

Recommendation added: 07/10/2006 01:26
By: dewberry (YSUK rating +704)

dewberry has been thanked 0 times for this contribution

"During a recent stay in Derbyshire we decided to go on a random walk and see what we could find. We set off with some sandwiches, ready to walk miles in search of some little gem in the middle of nowhere. It turns out we didn't need to walk miles from our B&B in Bakewell; well, perhaps a couple of miles but Ashford in the Water is worth it.

We'd driven past this tiny hemmed in village several times during the week we'd been in Derbyshire but it can't really be seen from the road. In fact the only reason we spotted it while walking was because my partner, an avid fisherman, spotted a bridge over some shallow water and went carp-spotting.

The bridge in question is Sheepwash Bridge, named because this is where sheep were washed in olden times before being sheared, and the water turned out to be the beautiful River Wye. While gazing into the clear running water I noticed there was a village behind so we went off to explore.

It's a gorgeous little place, if I had to sum it up in one word that word would be 'quaint'. It's an old village with beautiful houses dating in some cases back to the 17th century, a village shop which sells absolutely everything, and a couple of pubs. Oh, and the prettiest church and yard I've ever seen.

The Church of the Holy Trinity is a gorgeous building, parts of which are 800 years old and fantastically maintained. I love graveyards and it was this which originally drew us to the church; the yard is extremely clean and well ordered with some very old stones to decipher as well as some more recent headstones.

I was surprised to see the church itself open as this was in the middle of the afternoon and no services were taking place, the vicar was nowhere in sight and this simple gesture of leaving the church open all day spoke volumes about the spirit of this village. It's so trusting; there's a small gift shop inside the church which is unstaffed and relys on an honesty box for your payment. Wow, I come from Birmingham where collection plates are nailed to the ends of the pews and openable only with a key! I chose a couple of items; a motorist's prayer card, a bookmark and candle which came to the princely sum of £1.49 and put my money into the box as loudly as possible so anyone within earshot would know I've paid!

Ashford Hall is where the lord of the manor would reside in times gone past and is now home to the Olivier family, it's one of the two most impressive buildings in the village and not one we could get too close to because of the boundaries of their land. From a distance it looks to be a beautifully old building which seems to loom in the background of Ashford in the Water. The second most impressive building is The Rookery. This is a huge 17th century building in a beautifully asymmetric design, the gorgeous lush green lawns and stone wall surrounding this wonderful house makes it look like a fairytale cottage – and when you notice the River Wye runs directly through their back garden you'll yearn to live here.

After strolling through what seemed like the set of Emmerdale for an hour, I spotted The Ashford Arms pub and we decided to sample some local hospitality. I loved this pub so much we've booked a room here for a couple of nights this month. It's truly gorgeous; a very old building which is nicely upmarket inside. They serve food at reasonable prices for the area and I can vouch for the fact that their lager and lime is wonderfully refreshing after a long walk! The beer garden is great; a well maintained lawn and beautiful flower beds to look at while enjoying your drink.

Opposite the pub is a shop which immediately reminded me of Arkwright's Open All Hours. It's lovely and sells absolutely everything! I bought some humbugs in a jar, Ashford postcards and fresh cream éclairs which were given me in a traditional paper bag. I also had to have a coffee flavour ice cream to munch on our way back to the B&B.

I'm so glad we discovered this beautiful little village as it was one of those 'off the beaten track' places that you don't find very often. It's situated in a valley within the Peak District and there are hills and general greenness as far as the eye can see; as a village it's totally unspoiled and looks similar, I'd imagine, to how it would have done a couple of hundred years ago – if you can ignore all the Land Rovers!

The residents of Ashford in the Water are friendly and obviously proud of their village. An elderly lady I was speaking to in the pub told me the village was the setting for the Vets in Practice TV series. She'd lived in Ashford all her life and said the majority of people who live here are of retirement age which makes for a friendly and neighbourly community.

I love the place. It's just so tranquil and quiet that it's quite hard to believe Bakewell, a bustling town, is not too far down the road – and a main road runs directly along the outskirts of the village. Standing near the River and looking down you can see large fish cruising through the water, and if you can spot one of the gorgeously decorated wells you're in for a treat. We saw a couple dotted around the village but there are another four hidden away for people to find and enjoy.

Ashford in the Water is located between Buxton and Bakewell in Derbyshire and is most easily located travelling along the A6. When walking you'll definitely spot the medieval Sheepwash Bridge and the entrance to the village. By car it's a bit trickier as the bridge is well hidden when travelling at the high speeds allowed on the A6, there's a road sign telling you you're approaching Ashford but this isn't particularly obvious from the road. If I had to give a marker I'd say look out for the large fallen tree at the side of the road which has been there for a few weeks now but, hey, this is the countryside and that tree might not be there tomorrow!

The best thing to do is take a packed lunch, park your car in Bakewell and enjoy a leisurely walk to the village along the A6. You'll see some fantastic countryside on your way and have a couple of beers in the Ashford Arms without worrying about driving. Plus you'll feel a million times better for exerting yourself in the fresh Peak District air."