Dovedale is the apt name given to the valley of the Dove, a river rising on the borders of Derby and Stafford, near Buxton and Axe Edge Hill, and, after a course of 45 miles, joining the Trent at Newton Solney. The portion of its course chiefly associated with the name begins half a mile from the village of Thorpe, which may be reached from Ashbourne, the nearest station, by coach. From Thorpe the river is approached by a stony declivity on the east of Thorpe Cloud. The footpath is throughout on the Derbyshire side of the stream, and may be reached from the Staffordshire side either by crossing the narrow bridge or some stepping-stones at Thorpe Cloud. For some distance after entering the valley the footpath follows the margin of the river, whose banks are a mass of magnificent foliage, intermixed with a tangle of brambles, honeysuckle, and wild roses. On the Staffordshire bank, a little further up, the foliage suddenly changes to a mass of sheer cliff, changing again to a mass of rifted rocks, divided into curious turret-like terminations. This striking formation is known as Dovedale Church, and is accompanied on the Derbyshire side by a number of rocks which appear from below to terminate in sharp pinnacles, and have been named "Tissington Spires," from the village close by. About 200 yards beyond the "Church," on the Derbyshire bank, is the entrance to Reynard's Cave, a huge cavern with an entrance 40 feet high by 20 wide, from which the view over the dale is superb. Throughout its whole length of nearly 3 miles the Dovedale scenery is the extraordinary mixture of ruggedness and soft beauty, which makes it unequalled, in its particular style, in the kingdom. Dovedale is associated with the name of Izaak Walton and his friend Charles Cotton, the poet. [Illustration: _Photochrom Co., Ltd._ TISSINGTON SPIRES, DOVEDALE.] WELLINGTON AND THE WREKIN, SHROPSHIRE =How to get there.=--Train from Euston. L. and N.W. Railway. =Nearest Station.=--Wellington. =Distance from London.=--152-1/4 miles. =Average Time.=--Varies between 3-3/4 to 4-3/4 hours. 1st 2nd 3rd =Fares.=--Single 22s. 8d. 15s. 0d. 12s. 0-1/2d. Return 42s. 2d. 26s. 6d. 24s. 1d. =Accommodation Obtainable.=--"Wrekin Hotel," etc. =Alternative Route.=--Train from Paddington. Great Western Rly. To reach the top of the Wrekin from Wellington--a distance of 3 miles--one must follow the main road to Shrewsbury for a mile; then turning to the left, having skirted a ridge of the hills, and following a lane one reaches the foot of the ascent. The Wrekin, although it rises in such a compact and lonely fashion from the level country, is not one single height, but a range consisting of four hills. Those on the north-east are called the Ercall and Lawrence hills, while those on the west are the Wrekin and Primrose hills.