Due to its size, many areas of the Peak District go undiscovered by visitors to the national park. From hidden natural attractions like stunning waterfalls to the abundance of quaint villages dotted across the Peak District perfect for a day out, there is much more to explore.
One of these places, just one hour's drive from Nottingham, is Parwich, a neat limestone village situated remotely in the scenic hill country of the White Peak that is a beautiful little gem in the Derbyshire hillsides. Often undiscovered by visitors to the Peak District, Parwich did shoot to a small degree of fame when it was named in 2015 in the Sunday Times as being ‘one of the best places to live in Britain', reports Derbyshire Live.
The village is an ideal base for touring the surrounding countryside given the number of walking trails. Close by are both the High Peak Trail and Tissington Trail, both following the routes of former railway lines, and the Limestone Way, a long-distance footpath that stretches for 46 miles between Castleton and Rocester, also passes through the village.
Read more: Nottingham named poorest place in the country
With lanes lined with clusters of pretty stone cottages dotted along the stream that runs through the centre of the village, walking the quiet streets is like stepping back in time to a more peaceful time. Nestling with its back against Parwich Hill, a privately-owned 18th-century mansion house, the village is at the heart of some of the most beautiful countryside in Derbyshire.
The village is very minimal in terms of amenities only offering a cosy country pub The Sycamore Inn that also houses the local village shop in a small room off the bar. Despite this, the Parwich community is a thriving one boasting a school, a Royal British Legion club, a lovely children’s playground and various sporting clubs.
Parwich is also shrouded in history, with the Romans almost certainly being active in the area with a number of Roman coin hoards found in fields surrounding the village. The Royston Grange Archaeology Trail is just north of the village, with remains of Roman field systems and houses and later medieval buildings.
Given the calm nature of the village, matched with narrow windy roads if you can, the best way to explore Parwich is to park elsewhere and walk along one of the many trails into the village. There is a National Trust car park in Tissington, next to the Tissington Trail, that is around a two-mile walk from Parwich.
There is a beautiful four-mile round walk that starts from Tissington and takes you into Parwich. For the full route and details about what to expect when doing the walk, check out the online route map.
The 411 bus service from Ashbourne stops in Parwich, however, this bus only runs at 4.10pm.
Read next:
- Nottingham city centre restaurant building up for sale as council sells assets
- Detectives launch investigation after serious sexual assault on girl
- Nearly 300 new homes for town where neighbours say 'not enough infrastructure'
- Notts family theme park to reopen for February half-term
- 24 Hours in A&E shows students attend QMC over suspected spiking