Dovedale - am I remembering it wrong?

[summerlemons]

I used to visit Dovedale in the Peak District several times a year as a child, in the late 80s and early 90s. IIRC, it was a beautiful spot that was peaceful and chilled - I remember (and family photos seem to back this up) there only ever being about 10 to 15 other people there at any one time. Getting across the stepping stones was easy as there were so few people there.

I’ve been wanting to revisit as it holds happy memories for me. But having looked it up on TripAdvisor, the reviews are shocking - people saying it’s packed to the gills, long queues to walk across the stones, litter left everywhere, people barbecuing and setting up tents.

Is this really the case and is it a recent development, or has it always been like this and I’ve got a case of rose tinted specs?

Similarly Bakewell people are saying is very busy nowadays, but I remember as a child driving up there with my parents - I don’t remember us not being able to park or the place seeming especially crowded.

Any insights would be helpful as I’m hoping to book a week away, but don’t want to waste my money if it’s no longer worth visiting! I’d be looking at early September time.

It’s the sort of place that people just go for a day out that aren’t the type to be delighted when they get thick walking socks as a gift. Social media is partly to blame and the rise of apps that show routes as it makes it easier. I miss the days of struggling with an OS map in the wind. But even back then places like Dovedale were always going to be busier as you don’t have to make an effort to find it. Now when walking I see the remnants of fires far more often and people that do not follow the country code. The last Peak District walk I did which was very recent as we live not far we saw very few people but it’s not a popular one, never seen it pop up on TikTok. We avoid walking anywhere well known at the weekend.

Families go on far more days out than they used to so places are busier. A trip to an attraction used to be something done once or twice a year but now many families do a trip every weekend.

I’m going to check out Lathkill Dale too, I haven’t heard of that before. I’m hoping it’ll all be significantly quieter come September anyway, once the kids are back.

Looks like an Instagram magnet so it's bound to be packed and shit because it's packed!

I visited in the 80s and I have the same memory of you - pretty much having the place to myself.

I have since been back in 2021 and 2023 and yes, it was much much busier.

However, I now wonder if it was simply the time of year and even time of day that mattered. I think in the 80s I went in October half term. These recent times I went in August, when it was obviously going to be much busier.

It also depends upon the time of day you go.. in 2021 I rushed there early in the morning because I'd heard that the car park fills up. We arrived at about 8:30 and it was virtually empty. I managed to take the photo below at about 10am. By the time we left at 12 it was heaving

Likewise, in 2023 I went there about 5pm, and it was pretty quiet.

Everywhere has got busier. Can't go on a day out anywhere without traffic, struggling to get parked, queues at cafes and the toilets etc.
I think it's partly due to increase in population. But also people go out more and travel further (more disposable income, more people have cars, more free time etc). When I was a child we rarely went out on trips..we mostly just played on the street, our own garden or round at our friend's house! But now there's pressure to go places all the time (maybe social media plays a factor too).

I live 10 minutes from Dovedale and you couldn’t pay me to go on a weekend/school holidays!
I went a couple of weeks before the schools broke up for summer on a Tuesday afternoon and even then it was heaving.
It wouldn’t be so bad but we have a real issue with visitors leaving litter and generally disrespecting the countryside. I think some people forget that the national park is working farmland, several times up there I’ve seen dogs disturbing sheep, gates left open etc etc and it’s really not on.
A few months ago we saw a car had actually driven onto a field and they were sat on the bonnet taking photos with the sheep. Mind boggling.

OMG - the DM!

It isn't a 'huge brawl' but an unpleasant scuffle (still totally unacceptable of course) over in about a minute. And only a couple of people are actually scuffling, the rest are milling round. And not that many.

If it wasn't for the endless filming and SM it would never have made any newspaper.

Even in the early 90s I remember there were discussions about restricting parking at Dovedale due to pressure of visitors. It's at a strategic point for many city dwellers who want a breath of fresh air.

I did an absolutely glorious long walk around Dovedale though. A bit terrifying as it was wet and slippy so I had to keep going down on my bum!! 😂 but it was glorious and it avoided the crowds (though of course we still did use the carpark…)

I live in Scottish highlands and as a child we always went to the north west coast in the summer holidays, I don’t really ever remember seeing other tourists there. We camped and played in the beaches all day and had the absolute best time. I have stopped travelling west at all with my own kids since the NC500 though because it’s just a horrible, stressful, campervan filled nightmare now! I guess it’s the same everywhere. Unfortunately we live on the nc500 route so can’t escape it even at home 😬

Everywhere is busy in nice weather because people want to be out and about. We went to Thors Cave not long back and it was busy, we managed to find a parking spot but we took the last one.

Social media probably plays a part, someone posts a photo of somewhere nice that isn't in your area and it gets put on your list of to do things.

@Proudbitch Did you go up past lovers leap and then the big steep hill over to mill Dale?! It is beautiful!

I don't like Mam Tor and Castleton because it's like a supermarket!

The queuing on Mam Tor is crazy at the busy times!

We went last month and it was fairly busy on the main bit up to the stones, there were a couple of school parties, but after that it was really quiet - and only us and one other couple doing the looonnng upward walk on the circular route 🥵

I remember the same as you, years ago (decades) it was much quieter for sure. I have photos from peak season with almost nobody there! Went back with the kids about 10-15 years ago and there were queues to walk across the stones. I can’t imagine how bad it’s become now.

We made the mistake of visiting the lakes on a Sunday - the number of people were not the problem but the cars were…..parked everywhere, blocking others in even in car parks, parking in passing places on narrow roads, entrances to farmers fields, on wildflower verges. No respect for the countryside or anybody else.
Don’t get me started on uncontrollable dogs not on leads, chasing other dogs, children, sheep etc. Times have certainly changed.

You might want to read today's Daily Mail on line. Dovedale features.

Posted upthread

It's HEAVING during summer months! Beautiful though, but rammed.

It’s always been busy in the summer. I live about an hour away and remember having an accident there when I was about 10ish and there being loads of people around and my mum getting really pissed that no one would help. It has become even busier though, I don’t think lockdown helped. Summer 2020 was awful. People were super inconsiderate with their parking and general attitude to others, especially locals

I remember going on a lovely sunny day about 15 years ago. It was tranquil and nothing like the pictures in the Daily Mail. What a shame.

hhmn, I went to Dovedale as a child, and it was always very popular in the summer. I remember there being lots of people, ice cream sellers etc. The crowds were "nice" though, if that makes sense... it didn't seem packed to the gills and I don't remember litter... though I perhaps didn't notice litter when I was a child.

This would have been 30 years ago.

RTFT

A lot of very touristy locations get very crowded (we're in the North York Moors) but if you walk less than a mile in either direction away from them it can be deserted. People don't seem to want to walk much, they like to stay near where they can get an ice cream and find a toilet. So maybe go to somewhere nearby and walk to the tourist attractions. You might have to forgo the ice cream but you can park much more easily and you might even find somewhere you prefer to somewhere that's touted in all the tourist literature.