Discover Ashover: Nature, History and Village Culture

Ashover combines open countryside, historic traces and unique experiences around the village. When planning your trip, you can choose from a range of options: you can include a viewpoint and signposted circular walks, learn about Ashover’s history on an audio trail or explore its church and industrial heritage. This combination makes the area appealing to families and other travellers who, when choosing a holiday apartment or holiday cottage, consider not only the accommodation but also how they would like to spend their days.

Countryside, Views and Trails

Ashover Rock is designated as Open Access Land. Visitors have the right to move around freely there. At Highoredish Picnic Site, you can enjoy views across Ogston Reservoir. Signposted circular walks also begin from the car park at this picnic site. Plants such as heather and bilberries grow at Highoredish, giving the landscape a distinctive character of its own.

Ashover offers different types of trails for a range of day plans. The Ashover Audio Trail is 1.5 miles long and leads through Ashover Village. The audio trail can be walked around the village and tells the stories of eight people whose memories of Ashover reach back to the early years of the 20th century. If you would prefer to plan a longer historical walk, the Ashover Walk offers a 4-mile route with an optional extension to Cocking Tor.

The Ashover Walk includes Gregory Mine, whose tall chimney has been preserved. It also crosses the former route of the Ashover Light Railway and the River Amber. The Ashover Light Railway Society’s themed walking booklets allow you to explore a large part of the former Ashover Light Railway via public rights of way. For families weighing up different interests and day lengths, this provides a clear choice between a shorter audio trail, a designated circular walk and a longer historical route.

Church, Village Stories and Local Tradition

The Church of All Saints in Ashover is a medieval church with remains dating from the late 13th and mid-14th centuries. Its notable details include the lead font dating from around 1200, which is decorated with 20 figures. The chancel screen dates from 1511 and features Perpendicular Gothic tracery and a central Tudor arch. The church therefore complements the walks and landscape experiences with tangible insights into the area’s long history.

Another historic feature is Stone Edge Smelt Mill. It is considered one of the best-preserved examples of a reverberatory smelting works in England. Spancarr Tower Mill is a Grade II listed building. The structure is a roofless tower with four millstones. Together with the remains of the former railway and Gregory Mine, this creates a varied picture of the region’s industrial history, without requiring you to focus your trip on a single theme.

Agricultural and Locally Focused Events

The Ashover Show is an annual event held in Ashover with an agricultural tradition. It includes a marquee featuring local food producers. There is also a Craft Marquee showcasing talented people from the region. Anyone wishing to include local produce, crafts and village traditions in their trip planning will find an individual focal point here alongside the walking and cultural attractions.

Which Accommodation Suits Your Travel Plans

When looking for holiday accommodation in Ashover, you can first decide whether the focus of your trip should be on the countryside, village history, industrial heritage or local traditions. If you would also like to include regional produce and crafts, you can add the Ashover Show to your travel plans.

If you would like to compare other places for your trip, you can find Shardlow, Mickleover, Hardstoft, Litton, Hartington, Morley, Melbourne and Long Eaton here.

For the overarching travel overview: Derbyshire.