|
|
Print-friendly version
Mappleton
Mappleton, also known as Mapleton, is a quaint hamlet found on the banks of the River Dove about two miles north west of Ashbourne on the very fringe of the Peak District National Park.
The spectacular scenery surrounding the village includes the well-known local landmark of Thorpe Cloud, with the famous stepping stones across the River Dove just a mile or so upstream, all of which puts Mappleton well within reach of the two million visitors each year who come to experience the natural delights of Dovedale.
TheA515 Ashbourne to Buxton road takes you into Mappleton and the first sight that greets any visitors is the magnificent neo-Elizabethan Callow Hall, built in 1852, and with a splendid tower designed by Stevens. Set in 44 acres of gardens, meadow and woodland and Callow Hall overlooks the Bentley Brook, and is a high quality hotel with 16 en-suite bedrooms and an excellent restaurant renowned for it’s home-cooked cuisine, owned and run by local family the Spencers, who have been master bakers in Ashbourne since 1724.
Mappleton is the perfect base for exploring the many attractions which this area of the Peak District has to offer, with Dovedale on the doorstep, and within half an hour’s drive the delights of Chatsworth House, Haddon Hall, Kedleston Hall, Carsington Water, Matlock Bath – and many of the natural wonders of the Peak are all readily accessible and available. There are also some interesting almshouses dated 1727 in the village which are contemporary with the original construction of Okeover Hall, and a pretty one-arch stone-bridge spans the River Dove along the road to the Hall. The one-arch Mappleton Bridge, and the nearby white-painted Okeover Arms both feature in the villages’ main annual attraction and perhaps its main claim to fame - the famous New Year’s Day Mappleton Bridge Jump!
|
|