If, like me you do not drive, you may like to visit the fascinating little village of Hartington and travel there by bus from Buxton. The ride alone can be quite an eye-opener, especially since the bus is quite small and not without its faults.

The journey takes about an hour and passes through some pretty amazing countryside like that around Earl Sterndale and Longnor in the upper Dove valley.

Here, the superb views of Chrome, Parkhouse and Hitter hills are a thing of natural beauty. This landscape is among some of Derbyshire’s finest, with the view offered from the bus being worth it alone.

There is even a surprise, when just before the bus passes through Crowdecote after coming off the High Wheeldon, the road bends sharply and offers a tremendous view across the wide valley below all the way to Longnor, and no doubt with the bus having to keep to a tight schedule, the ride is quite hair-raising at times.

It’s not every day that you get the chance of a white knuckle ride as you grip tightly on the back of the seat in front of you.

After passing through Longnor and upon reaching Hartington, the visitor will discover the quintessential and very pretty village that is typical of many throughout the English countryside.

The scene is almost perfect down to the presence of a nearby duck pond with seating, and a broad market square with its ring of tiny shops that seem to sell just about anything.

As with many tourist towns and villages, it also supports a number of pubs and hotels along with an assortment of lovely houses all built from a mixture of the local limestone with sandstone additions.

Hartington is in the heart of walking country. To help you to relax and take in the country air, you’ll discover that it is close to several long distant footpaths such as the Manifold Valley Trail that passes Ecton, renown for its copper mines.

Further, there is the Tissington Trail that can be accessed at the location of the old Hartington signal box.

The Cromford and High Peak Trails are also close by, all of which are former railway lines that have long since fallen into disuse, then transformed for recreational use by various Peak District authorities.