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Youlgrave
Youlgrave can be found along the ridge of the south facing hillside that lies about Bradford Dale, right in the scenic White Peak area of the Peak District. The village is best suited to pedestrian rather than motorised traffic; a place for walkers & ramblers with some of the most beautiful valley walks in the country. It has an olde-worlde and unspoilt Derbyshire hamlet at either end of Bradford Dale; Middleton to the west and the quaint, picturesque hamlet of Alport to the east. Between the two and annexed at the southern end of the village is the former hamlet of Bradford, built beside the river which takes it`s name.
All Saints Parish Church stands proudly on Main Street with a majestic 15th century square tower. Westward of the church on the narrow Main Street stands the Bull's Head, an old coaching Inn built in 1675 and almost opposite at the centre of the oldest part of the village stands a squat and incongruous circular construction known (almost as incongruously) as `The Fountain`.This is a reservoir which holds 1500 gallons and it was built in 1829 to provide water for the villagers, each household paying the sum of sixpence a year for it's use.
For centuries prior to this the villagers had struggled up the hill with water from the River Bradford, and many deaths amongst children were caused by contaminated water, especially in the `fever months` of July and August. In 1829 Youlgreave had 200 houses and a total population of 951.
There is a delightful riverside walk from Youlgreave which covers the length of the dale from west to east ends at Alport bridge, one of several old packhorse bridges along this stretch of the river. This is the confluence of the rivers Bradford & Lathkill and marks the southern gateway to Lathkill Dale. The walk is exhilerating for it`s sheer charm and rural tranquility and is a must for any visitor to the upland White Peak village of Youlgreave. It is popular throughout the year for Peak District Walking and Peak District Cycling.
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