Explore Dove Dale and its surrounding countryside with a three-hour walk, starting at the pretty village of Ilam.
Ilam and Dove Dale walk
5 miles/8.2km | 3 hours | moderate
1. Start
The Church of the Holy Cross has a curious crown-shaped annex. Inside, find Bertram’s shrine: King of Mercia turned hermit, who dedicated his life to God after his Irish princess and baby were mauled to death by wolves.
!["Church]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/22/2019/05/GettyImages-855110004-2c28c72.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Church")
2. Meadow walk
Continue through meadows to Dove Dale, crossing stepping stones where Thorpe Cloud hill drops like a plumb-line to the river.
3. Stepping stones
Cross the stepping stones where Thorpe Cloud hill drops like a plumb-line to the river. Dippers bob on the shallows and great pinnacles of rock rise from the valley. A boardwalk squeezes through the gorge.
4. Up and over
Crossing a bridge, climb out of the steep-sided dale, returning along the valley top before tumbling down through fields to Ilam.
Ilam and Dove Dale map
Ilam and Dove Dale walking route and map
!["Ilam]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/22/2019/05/Ilam-map-4d5d8d0.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Ilam")