The countryside of Derbyshire has remained unchanged for centuries. Walking into the estate village of Edensor is like stepping back in time, and Winster has a façade that could easily belong to a prosperous 19th century market town. Tissington and Calke show off what’s best in southern Derbyshire, while bustling Hathersage is an engaging place with a rich industrial heritage. But memories of the past are not always happy ones: Eyam is north Derbyshire’s famous ‘plague village’ and has a fascinating but tragic history. Many villages, such as Castleton and Hartington, make ideal bases for exploring the best of the county.

1 EDENSOR
It’s hard to believe that a place such as the small estate village of Edensor (pronounced ‘Enzer’) actually exists. Crammed full of diverse architectural styles, the village feels like a film set and is home to designs from Norman to Swiss, Jacobean to Italian. The legend goes that the architect John Robertson approached the fourth Duke of Devonshire with possible designs for the village at an inopportune time, and that the Duke, unprepared, hastily chose nearly all the designs listed. Particular architectural gems include the English gate lodge, designed by Sir Jeffery Wyatville, and the splendid St Peter’s church, built by George Gilbert Scott. Take a moment to explore the church to locate the monument to Henry and William Cavendish and the grave of Kathleen Kennedy, which was visited by her brother, John F Kennedy, only months before his assassination.

2 EYAM
In 1665, Eyam, went into voluntary quarantine after a roll of cloth sent from London carried bubonic plague to the village. The 350 villagers, who selflessly sealed themselves off from the outside world, lost 260 people, but their sacrifice prevented the spread of the disease to the rest of the north of England. A small museum on the hillside and an even smaller exhibition within the church, are worth a visit and a number of houses bear plaques giving details of their plague history. Look out for Plague Cottage, former home of the tailor George Vicars who received the deadly, infected cloth. The handsome Jacobean-style Eyam Hall is open in the summer months. Founded by the Wright family in 1676, it contains more than 300 years of family history.

3 CASTLETON
Castleton has it all: caves, a Norman castle, great walks, interesting geology, pretty houses and plenty of pubs. Although the village had more than 30 pubs back in the 18th century when the nearby mines were in full production, the handful that remain, including The George Inn, The Bull’s Head, The Old Nags Head and The Castle, are all charming and great places to warm up after a brisk walk in the hills. Be sure to drive into the village via Winnat’s Pass: this twisting limestone pass is a must, although it can get crowded at peak times.

4 TICKNALL AND CALKE
A two-for-one that’s too good to miss. When visiting Calke Abbey in south Derbyshire, signposts direct you to Ticknall where you take a left turn into the Calke Estate. On leaving the Abbey, you do so via Calke Village. This one-way system lets you visit south Derbyshire’s finest in one easy swoop. The old village of Ticknall, located in mature Derbyshire woodland, had its heyday in the late 18th century, when pottery and brick making were the main industries. Calke Village (more of a hamlet to be precise) comprises a scattering of picture-perfect houses.

5 WINSTER
Winster charmingly pairs a graceful main street that follows the valley’s bottom with tiny twisting lanes that snake up into the hillside. Park up on the main street and challenge your family: the first one to Winster’s highest point, via the ginnels (little alleyways), gets a chocolate bar from the village shop. If that sounds a bit too energetic, you could always admire haunted Winster Hall, once home to Derbyshire historian Liewellyn Jewitt, or explore the parish church of St John the Baptist, with its unusual two-aisled nave. The village is well placed for access to Arbor Low Stone Circle.

6 HARTINGTON
Hartington is a bustling village located in the central section of the Dove Valley, right on the Staffordshire border. Tourist shops and tea rooms line the central square but for a taste of the unusual visit the Old Cheese Shop near the duck pond. The shop sells local produce from the nearby creamery, which is famous as the source of Stilton and Buxton Blue cheese. If you’re a keen walker, a comprehensive network of footpaths starts from the centre of the village.
Try the scenic route that heads down to Beresford Dale, or follow the route of the old railway, now known as the Tissington Trail. And if you’re sightseeing by car, it is well worth while crossing the border into Staffordshire to admire the picturesque villages of Alstonefield, Grindon and Wetton.

7 HATHERSAGE
Although the village was at its economic zenith in the 19th century, an air of prosperity lingers. But that prosperity came at a cost: conditions in the 19th century Hathersage Mills were so bad that they prompted the interest of a Royal Commission in 1867, which led to one of the first factory acts. Charlotte Brontë visited Hathersage in 1845 and used it as the model for her Norton, in her masterpiece, Jayne Eyre. She is also thought to have based Thornfield (with its madwoman in the attic) on nearby North Lees Hall. To follow further literary leads, pay a visit to Little John’s grave at Hathersage church, or simply raise a glass to him in the Little John pub. Hathersage is easy to access by car, and is located at the junction of the A625 and the B6001.