Situated on the edge of The Peak District National Park, within a hidden valley is one truly hidden “Derbyshire Gem” - undiscovered by many the little village of Ashover is one that is just waiting to be discovered. Hidden is one thing that Ashover is, thus meaning that it remains largely untouched by a lot of visitors, most of whom prefer to head to the Derbyshire Dales and subsequently end up delving deeper into the Peak District, yet head outside of the Peak District National Park area and the Derbyshire Dales and you are bound to come across some equally picturesque villages and areas, intertwined with a rural charm like no other.
With a strong historical past, Ashover is located between Matlock and Chesterfield, nestled in what could be best described as something of a hidden valley. It is here in which “The River Amber” rises and is a tributary of the much bigger River Derwent, where it joins The Derwent at Ambergate.
But scratch below the surface at Ashover and it is a village that is just waiting to be discovered and it oozes a certain charm, for the first time visitor. With a picturesque church, the village itself does not really have a village centre as it is laid out in something akin to a ring shape. However it does also have three incredibly popular pubs (The Old Poets Corner, Crispin Inn and The Black Swan). Anyone who has seen Peak Practice, might recognise Ashover and The Black Swan.
Of course the countryside that surrounds Ashover is equally impressive and a network of undiscovered less trodden paths makes it easy to explore the impressive landscapes and the valley in which Ashover is located within. But there is one particular location, situated just above Ashover which just has to be visited and that is the following, “Ashover Rock” Which is also known locally as “The Fabrik”. Sitting on the top of a small but perfectly formed part of moorland at 299 metres above sea level. From here the views cover 360 degrees stretching as far as Chesterfield and it’s majestic spire, Sheffield, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire which can all be seen on a clear day.
Ashover Rock, itself is a Granite outcrop that has an interesting history as it was formerly owned by “The Bassett Sisters” who are descendants of the Bassett Family famous for liquorice all sorts. It is also on here at Ashover Rock where you will find the following,
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What could this be?
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The Secret Is Out There.
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The Secret Is Out There - Black and White.
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Next to Ashover Rock is a former Royal Observer Corps monitoring station that was abandoned in 1991. And as you can see is it any wonder that this spot was chosen for the location of a monitoring station. It also adds something different to the landscape and looks almost alien in a very strange way.
However the landscape that surrounds Ashover Rock is just stunning, a view over the village and the valley below provides for a unique viewpoint in which to soak up this amazing and hidden part of Derbyshire. Photogenic it sure is and Ashover Rock is enough to challenge any landscape photographer.
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On the rock
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Ashover Skies
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The view to the reservoir
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Aliens within the clouds
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Reaching A Summit.
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| Reaching A Summit (Portrait). |
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| Taking a minute. |
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Smoothness in the skies.
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The light dances.
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Sometimes all you need is the sky.
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The Sky Dances
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| Ashover Fire glow |
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| The drama of the landscape - Black and White |
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The drama of the landscape
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On the rocks - portrait
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On the rocks.
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That perfect moment.
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| A racing light - Black and White |
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A racing light
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On lookout.
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A natural guardian sleeps.
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A different perspective
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The Path Back Down.
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It really is amazing that a gritstone rock can provide something so challenging and interesting to photograph and for any landscape photographer, the addition of rocks can provide an interesting subject when shooting landscape photography and working with angles along with the skies can make it even more dramatic, thankfully yesterday despite something of a rather grey and damp start, the weather soon changed and the lighting conditions made for some truly delightful opportunities to capture this secret and hidden part of Derbyshire.
Hidden and undiscovered is what Ashover is, but take the time to explore it and you will discover something new and exciting that tells a story. But one question remains though and that is the following,
“Could Ashover be one of the prettiest villages in Derbyshire if not the UK?”
I for one think so.
If anyone is wanting any prints of Ashover or any other photographic prints which make the perfect Christmas presents, then check out the following,
https://www.redbubble.com/people/28swphotography/shop
https://www.28swphotography.co.uk/
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