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Alstonefield
Alstonefield can be found on the borders of Derbyshire and Staffordshire on the watershed between the valleys of the Dove and the Manifold rivers. There are less than 200 households in the area that allows for a true community spirit, so much so that it has won the best kept village in the Community Council of Staffordshire award ten times, has been second eight times times and has always been in the top ten in that competition as well as having been a finalist in the National Village of the Year award in 1998.
 The village of Alstonefield includes many hamlets including Hope, Stanshope and Milldale to the South, and the hamlet of Hulme End to the North. Hopedale is a valley that runs from the hamlet of Hope to Dovedale. Hall Dale is a delightful dry dale leading down to Dovedale, covered with beds of snowdrops in the spring. Dovedale and the pretty hamlet of Milldale, swarming with visitors at weekends on a sunny, summer days’, are the highlights of the walk. Milldale is reached by crossing Viator’s Bridge, a packhorse bridge named after a character in the best selling book The Compleat Angler. The steeper side of the dale faces South and the path from Dale Bottom to Alstonefield Village is known as Sunnybank. The area is very popular for Peak District Climbing with all types of climbing and grades available, along with hundreds of Peak District Walking opportunities to enjoy the spectacular scenery.
The hamlet of Hope is known as the site of England's first co-operative cheese factory. Twenty farmers started the Alstonefield Dairy Association in 1874 and began producing Derby cheese until transport improved and bigger dairies emerged which took the trade away.
Alstonefield boasts many stone buildings dating from the 18th century or slightly earlier. A popular attraction to the village on the south side of the village is St Peter's Church. It dates partly back to Norman times but has seen many alterations throughout the centuries. The church is known for it's low 17th century pews, retaining their original brass-work, a double decker pulpit and a painted Beresford pew at the east end of the north aisle. A huge chest, inside the church, some 10 feet long and about 700 years old, has 3 locks. The vicar and the churchwardens each had a key, making the presence of all 3 necessary at 'opening ceremonies'. There is also the bowl of a Saxon font, which was dug up in the churchyard, and fragments of Anglo-Saxon or Viking crosses are built into the wall, near the porch.
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