Ashbourne

The picturesque little market town of Ashbourne in the county of Derbyshire is situated at the southern tip of the Peak District; amongst the stunning scenery of wonderful countryside. The town is famous for its unusual, annual Shrovetide Football match where one half of the town, the Up'ards plays the other half, the Down'ards at football; using the town as the pitch and resulting in the goals being three miles apart. The players compete for two days and there can be several thousand players competing for the hand-painted, cork-filled ball. It is said that this tradition may have endured for more than a thousand years. Ashbourne was once a small Saxon village first mentioned in the Domesday Book where it is called by its medieval name ‘Esseburn’, referring to it as the stream where the ash trees grew. Being at the meeting point of six coaching roads in the 18^th century, Ashbourne found prosperity through the ease of transport and influx of visitors.

The county of Derbyshire is popular with tourists for its great beauty and Ashbourne is well placed for those want to explore the gentle hills here as well as the ruggedness of the Peak District. The town of Ashbourne has lovely features, from its many small tea rooms, restaurants and gift shops to its historic buildings. One of the oldest buildings here is the 12^th century church of St Oswalds, whose magnificent steeple overshadows the town.

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