Dovedale

The Dove cuts a narrow limestone valley here on the Derbyshire and Staffordshire border, with reef knolls left standing as pinnacles: Ilam Rock, Tissington Spires, and a natural arch called Reynard's Cave whose entrance is around twelve metres high. The stepping stones near the entrance, a line of flat limestone blocks across the river, were laid in the Victorian period for tourists and remain the single most photographed feature. The ash woods on the slopes are among the best surviving in Britain, though ash dieback is now working through them. Izaak Walton and Charles Cotton fished the Dove and it appears throughout The Compleat Angler of 1653; the fishing temple Cotton built stands upstream on private ground. The valley walk continues to Milldale, about three kilometres up.

What you actually see

• The stepping stones - Victorian limestone blocks laid across the Dove.
• The rock pinnacles - Ilam Rock, Tissington Spires and Reynard's arch.
• The ash woodland - some of Britain's best, now affected by dieback.
• The Walton connection - the river of The Compleat Angler, fished since 1653.

When to go

April to October; weekday mornings are far quieter than weekends, when the car park fills by nine and the stepping stones queue. Autumn colour in the ash woods is strong, and winter floods cover the stones entirely.

Honest expectations

Dovedale is one of the most visited spots in the Peak District and the first kilometre can be very crowded. The stepping stones are slippery and often submerged after rain. The path narrows and gets rocky beyond the spires, and parking is charged and inadequate.

Nearby

Ilam Park is adjacent; Ashbourne and the Tissington Trail lie southeast.