One of the most visited beauty spots in the Peak District National Park; Monsal Head consists of only a tiny cluster of guest houses and a hotel together with a handful of holiday cottages in Monsal Head
Over a hundred years ago a visitor to the area who may well have stayed in what was to be one of the holiday cottages in Monsal Head was so inspired by her visit that she wrote the following:
“And Monsal, thou mine of Arcadian treasure
Need we seek for Greek Islands and spice-laden gales
While a temple like thine of enchantment and pleasure
May be found in our own native Derbyshire Dales?”
Feel free to send us your own renditions and comments after staying at holiday cottages in Monsal Head
The area around Monsal Head was originally known as Headstone Head. It was really with the arrival of the railway back in the 1800’s that the area acquired its new name. The railway viaduct in the valley below is one of Derbyshire’s most famous landmarks and was granted a preservation order in 1970. However, you will be extremely lucky to have a view of the viaduct from any of the holiday cottages in Monsal Head as it lies tucked away in a corner of the valley.
From any of the holiday cottages in Monsal Head it is a lovely walk beside the river in Monsal Dale heading either upstream to Cressbrook and an idyllic riverside path at Water-Cum-Jolly or downstream, passing a spectacular weir with cascading water before arriving at White Lodge car park at the side of the A6. The walk back up to the hill to holiday cottages in Monsal Head will be a bit of a climb though, but you may wish to reward yourself with a pot of tea from the tearoom at the top or a pint from the Stables Restaurant.
A short drive from holiday cottages in Monsal Head takes you to Ashford-in-the-Water, a picture postcard village with chocolate box pretty cottages and an ancient sheepwash bridge. Drive a few miles north of the holiday cottages in Monsal Headand you will leave behind the rich pasture and limestone walls of the White Peak and enter the more dramatic landscape of the Dark Peak with its gritstone escarpments and high moors.