Discover Ashbourne's best-kept secrets

Think you know Ashbourne? Look a little closer.

It’s easy to think of Ashbourne as just the Gateway to the Peaks – it’s on all the town’s signs after all.

But give yourself a few hours here, and you’ll find plenty of reasons to linger.

There are more than 200 listed buildings tucked along Ashbourne’s streets, including old coaching inns, elegant townhouses, converted almshouses, and quaint architectural details easily missed if you don’t know where to look.

Take time to see the beautiful Old Grammar School, dating from 1603, and the Mansion on Church Street, one of Ashbourne’s finest townhouses and once visited by Dr Samuel Johnson. Or explore the spooky old Ashbourne Tunnel, complete with ghostly steam train sounds from yesteryear, which links the middle of town with the 13-mile-long Tissington Trail.

You can uncover all the stories behind the town, at Ashbourne Heritage Centre.

And if you fancy venturing a little further, there are wonderfully strange corners of the surrounding countryside too, including the legendary Chained Oak at Alton.

Hunt for architectural salvage and unexpected treasures at Imperial Reclamation in Wyaston, just a short drive out of town. Or browse the stunning work of local artist and sculptor Simon Manby in the Wooton foothills, near Alton Towers.

This is the Ashbourne we love. Not just somewhere to stop on the way to the Peak District. But somewhere to explore and discover for yourself.