Tissington

A perfect picture book village with beautiful cottages built around a noble old hall, fine church and duck pond. Whichever way you enter Tissington you get a pleasant surprise for this village is as near to a rural idyll as you can get. From the main gates on the A515 Ashbourne to Buxton Road an elegant avenue of lime trees leads to the first of the pretty cottages alongside the broad wayside lawns. The lane from Bradbourne sets off through a ford and winds along, up and down, before slipping into the village by the pond.

The village has been the home of the FitzHerbert family for over 400 years and it is their splendid Jacobean residence at the Hall that forms the centrepiece of the beautiful picture that is Tissington. The church of St Mary is raised up above the village and has a splendid Norman tower and has many fine memorials to the FitzHerbert family.

Things to do; Tissington Hall is open to visitors at certain times and there are tearooms, gift shops and craft shops. The tradition of Well Dressing is said to have originated here and on Ascension Day five wells are decorated in a floral tribute to God for the gift of water.

The Tissington Trail for walkers, cyclists and horse riders passes by the village, where there is parking and a picnic site. The route follows the old Buxton to Ashbourne railway line passing through some spectacular scenery. The Limestone Way footpath goes through Tissington and there are good routes all around for ramblers. There is no pub in the village, but The Bluebell Inn is on the A52 near Tissington Gates.