A new guided experience combining immersive storytelling, historic walking routes and period-inspired dining invites groups to uncover the darker side of the Peak District.
Believed to be the first experience of its kind in the Peak District, Dark Tales of the Peaks: Eyam, Plague & Murder combines immersive storytelling and guided walking through sites of both famous and lesser-known historic events.
The approximately four-hour experience is the first to launch from Peak District Tours, a new venture based at The Cupola Kitchen & Apartments in Stoney Middleton which has been created to offer visitors a different way to discover the Peak District through guided experiences that combine landscape, history, storytelling and local period-inspired food.
The year-round tour is initially running on Thursday to Saturday, with plans to increase the available days at a later point. Each tour can accommodate up to 15 people; private group tours are available on request.
What the experience involves
Dark Tales of the Peaks: Eyam, Plague & Murder takes visitors through Stoney Middleton and Eyam, following old roads once used for trade and travel and uncovering stories of plague, doomed love, highwaymen, murder and justice along the way.
Highlights include the story of Eyam’s devastating 1665-66 plague outbreak and the Boundary Stone where villagers exchanged money for food while isolating themselves from surrounding communities; the tragic story of lovers Emmott Sydall and Rowland Torre, separated by the outbreak; and notorious highwayman Black Harry, whose crimes and punishment became part of Peak District folklore.
“We want people to come away feeling that they’ve discovered another layer to the Peak District and perhaps see places they thought they knew in a completely different way.”
Alison Ahern, Peak District Tours
During the experience, groups also discover Stoney Middleton’s historic Roman Bath House and natural thermal spring, alongside stories of lead mining, old toll roads and the movement of people and goods through the landscape.
The journey starts and ends at The Cupola, finishing with a Derbyshire dining experience inspired by food of the period, with dishes including pottage with flatbreads and Bakewell pudding.
Bringing stories together
Alison Ahern of Peak District Tours said: “People come from all over the world to walk through the Peak District, but so many of the extraordinary stories behind the places they are walking through remain hidden.
“Dark Tales brings those stories together. There’s plague and murder, but also love, survival, trade, industry and justice. You’re hearing these stories while standing in the places where they happened, which gives you a completely different connection to them.”
The new experience has been designed in response to a gap in the market, explained Alison: “There are some fantastic ways to explore the Peak District, but we couldn’t find anything bringing all of these elements together - guided walking, immersive storytelling, historic locations and food - in one experience. That was really the starting point for Peak District Tours.
“We want people to come away feeling that they’ve discovered another layer to the Peak District and perhaps see places they thought they knew in a completely different way.”
A new visitor hub for the area
The launch of Peak District Tours forms part of a wider development of The Cupola, with its visitor centre, café and restaurant, as a visitor hub for Stoney Middleton and the surrounding area.
Groups can also turn Dark Tales of the Peaks into an overnight stay or short break, with 49 one and two-bedroom self-catered holiday apartments available at nearby Rock Mill in Stoney Middleton.
Alison added: “Stoney Middleton is surrounded by some of the best-known places in the Peak District, but there is so much history and character here too. We want The Cupola to become somewhere people can start their visit, discover something they didn’t know before and then go out and explore.”
Find more information and make a booking at thecupola.uk/explore.
