The Derbyshire Well Dressings this year begin on 14th May at Tissington concluding with Hartington and Chesterfield’s which finish on 19th September.
Each year these beautiful floral displays around the county attract many visitors. The inhabitants work hard. Everyone gets involved, from the school children to the senior folk, producing pictures made from purely natural materials. Some of the villages have times when visitors can come to the see the pictures being created, ‘flowered’, the week before the Blessing Service. Some of the churches join in by having flower festivals on the same week so there is somewhere to go in if the weather is inclement. Many villages provide refreshments in churches and parish halls with homemade cakes and a friendly welcome. Some of the villages also add a scarecrow festival to add to the enjoyment. Most villages produce more than one picture so it is worth asking for a well dressing route when you arrive. We believe some of the best are Ashford in the Water ( 30th May-7th June) Tideswell (20th-28th June) Youlgreave (20th -25th June) and Eyam (29th August-5th September) where the school children take part in Maypole dancing as part of the activities of the week. Do come to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of these unique works of art.
You may wish to access “visitpeakdistrict.com”:http://www.visitpeakdistrict.com, “derbyshiredales.gov.uk”:http://www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk, “visitchesterfield.info”:http://www.visitchesterfield.info for the full list of well dressing dates.
