Peak Advertiser - Our Area

HACKNEY
Long before construction of the A6 out of Matlock, horse-drawn traffic travelling into the Peak had to climb the steep Dimple hill and continue along the flanks of the Derwent Valley via Hackney. Apart from a pub and some long established nurseries, all commercial life has come to an end in the village now. Many of its cottages were built before the age of the motor car, but lack of a garage is a small price to pay for having sweeping views across the width of the Derwent valley.

HARTINGTON
Farming has been Hartington’s lifeblood for upwards of a thousand years, almost since the place was given by William the Conqueror to Henry de Ferrers. Charters for a market and three-day fair followed. Today’s shoppers are unlikely to go home without a chunk of one of Hartington’s delicious cheeses. A picturesque village in its own right, with a duck pond and village ‘square’, Hartington is also the gateway to beautiful scenery on both the Derbyshire and Staffordshire sides of the River Dove.

HASSOP
The former Hassop railway station is now a large out-of-town bookstore, while the track bed has become the popular Monsal Trail. Walkers and cyclists can follow the waymarked trail all the way from Bakewell almost to Buxton, not necessarily all at once, with car parks and refreshment stops en route. Totally free of motor traffic, the path is full of interest to lovers of natural history and geology and of course to railway buffs.

HATHERSAGE
Hathersage lies snugly in the north-eastern corner of the Derwent Valley below the stunning outline of Stanage Edge, acclaimed as some of the finest rock climbing faces in the country. So what of the old village set in this beautiful spot? Well Hathersage boasts several hostelries including a haunted hotel and an old drover’s inn, some very special shops, evidence from its days as a manufacturing centre for pins and needles, associations with Charlotte Bronte and her heroine Jane Eyre and, believe it or not, the grave of one of England’s favourite outlaws, Little John. Hathersage has much to offer as a holiday base, with lovely riverside walks, woodland rambles or good moorland hikes on its doorstep.

HOPE
Better to live in Hope they say, and generations of families would agree. The village which gave name to a beautiful valley played major roles in Peakland history. Hope church lies alongside the point where a Roman road forded Peakshole Water, but even in Saxon times Hope was one of the largest parishes in the land, evidenced by a Saxon cross shaft in the churchyard. In medieval times Hope lay at the heart of the Royal Forest of the Peak, jealously guarded royal hunting lands with wolf, bear and deer all the preserve of the king. The village pinfold still houses an occasional beast, though nothing wilder than a stray cow or sheep. August Bank Holiday sees Hope Show and Sheepdog Trials - a real country day out amidst stunning scenery.