Ashbourne - always book in advance (Ashbourne in General)

Name: Motley

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Product:	Ashbourne in General
Date:	04/07/00 (38 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Pretty, close to the Midlands and a good base to stay in order to explore Derbyshire.

Disadvantages: It's very popular and you ruin the risk of being killed by a rugby team.

Four of us decided to get away from Birmingham for the weekend. We wanted cows and countryside but didn’t fancy driving very far so we ended up in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. We knew of Dovedale (a really pretty place with a few big hills, some lovely countryside and a beautiful river walk) and of the Tissington Trail (an old railway, now converted into a nature trail, brilliant for walking and cycling) and as they were both near Ashbourne, we decided to stay in a B&B in the centre of town.

On arrival, however, all beds in all hotels and bed and breakfast places were full. In Ashbourne and for 12 miles surrounding Ashbourne, there are no vacancies available, so the tourist office lady told us (and I think she was enjoying it, does anyone else think that in order to work in a tourist office you have to hate tourists?).

It was the weekend of 26th June and Ashbourne was hosting the international bag-pipe playing championships, the highland games final and some shire horse show-jumping thing. We ended up in Matlock, another very pretty place in Derbyshire.

Ashbourne would have been lovely but we know to book now. B&Bs are fairly cheap too (between £12 and £20 per night per person). Well worth a visit as there is always lots to do. There are plenty of pubs per square feet, an open market on Saturdays and Sundays and lots of little gift shops surrounding the main square. Once a year they also do that mad rugby game when hundreds of people play and the basic idea is to get the ball from one end of the town to the other with loads of huge men trying to stop you. Apparently its really entertaining to watch and if you are suicidal in any way then you can join in!

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