Wandering around Edale

There are two pubs in Edale - which is generous for such a tiny village, but they both obviously serve walkers in the Peak District.  I'm staying at the one on the left - the Ramblers' Inn.  

The one on the right, the Old Nag's Head is the official start of the Pennine Way.  I ambled up there this evening to meet the landlady - Jo - who very kindly gave me a free half-pint, a very tasty "Nags 1577".  Named for the age of the building in which it resides. Jo also gave me a certificate to carry with me - courtesy of the brewery.

I ambled back down and stopped at Edale Parish Church.  Before Edale had its own consecrated burial ground, deceased villagers were carried over the ridge to Hope Church via a route known as the "coffin road" or "corpse road." This path traversed Hollins Cross, the lowest point on the Great Ridge between Edale and Castleton. Hollins Cross served as a resting point for pallbearers during the arduous journey. The term "Hollins" likely refers to holly trees in the area, and "Cross" suggests a cross once stood at this junction of tracks.

The first chapel in Edale was constructed in 1633 and consecrated in 1634. This chapel was rebuilt on the same site in 1812. Both structures stood across the road from the current church, within what is now the old graveyard. In 1863, Edale became a separate parish, and the present church was consecrated in 1886.  The font from the original 17th-century chapel still stands in the old graveyard across from the current church just where it would have been when the chapel stood.  I think that's such a lovely touch.