A Visit to Coombs Dale
Escape the crowds and discover Coombs Dale, a tranquil dry limestone valley brimming with natural beauty, rare wildlife, and the ghostly legend of “Black Harry” the highwayman. This designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) offers a peaceful retreat with towering ash trees, steep grassy slopes, and a history stretching back 330 million years.
The Peak District National Park is full of the most wonderful dales, but Coombs Dale is a particularly special gem.
For a start, it’s a place of peace and quiet, away from the usual visitor hotspots.
Secondly, it’s absolutely beautiful. The visitor approaches the dale through arches of towering ash trees, rounds a corner beside a stream … and suddenly finds him or herself in the midst of a deep valley, with steep-sided, grassy slopes rising up all around. It’s a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in recognition of its nationally important wildlife habitats, and it’s home to large numbers of rare wildflowers and butterflies.
And finally, it’s a place of history and legend. For over 200 years ago Coombs Dale was the hunting ground of a feared highwayman, Black Harry. His ghost is said to still haunt the quiet valley on the darkest nights…
The dale is a dry limestone valley, covering an area of more than 230 acres. The dale itself and the surrounding hills are made up of carboniferous limestone, created around 330 million years ago, when Britain lay under a shallow, tropical sea close to the equator. The fossilised skeletons of the tiny sea creatures and plants which formed the limestone can still be seen in many of the rocks today.
Black Harry the Highwayman
Coombs Dale wasn’t always the tranquil, peaceful place it is now. To read more click the button at the bottom of this article…
How do I get to Coombs Dale?
Park in the small car park next to the football field and children’s playground on the approach to Stoney Middleton (S32 4TB), accessible off the A623, and walk along the signposted footpath that runs adjacent to the car park. Also check out our Coombs Dale Walk!
Find out more
To find out more, click on the button below:
If the peaceful, undiscovered charm of Coombs Dale has delighted you, there are plenty more hidden gems to explore. The world-famous Dovedale and the beautiful Tideswell Dale are both nearby, offering equally stunning limestone valley scenery. The charming village of Hartington is just a short distance away, famous for its cheese shop and village green. For more riverside walking, our Riverside Walk collection offers plenty of inspiration, while the ancient mystery of Arbor Low provides a fascinating contrast with its Neolithic stone circle. Find more White Peak inspiration at our Dovedale & White Peak Villages Guide.
