Tideswell

Those in the know call this historic old market town ‘Tidza’, and its inhabitants may slyly be referred to as ‘Tidza Saw-Yeds’ - something to do with a scurrilous story about a cow with its head stuck in a gate. After much head-scratching about how to free the poor beast, the ‘helpers’ simply sawed its head off! Seriously though, Tideswell wears its antiquity with just a little bustle and its shops certainly offer a little extra beyond the town’s own needs, while the pubs and eateries maintain a welcome built on the hospitality which is second nature to Tideswell. Overlooking everything is the magnificent church, justifiably known as the Cathedral of the Peak. See if you can spot a stone cat carved high on the north-west angle of the tower; the point to which a curious cat climbed to watch a group of 14th-century workmen. They carved its likeness on the spot.