The Plough Inn Hathersage

Within the confines of the Peak District National Park, the village of Hathersage has a relaxed and countrified air – surprising yet rather refreshing given it is just 11 miles from Sheffield. At the heart of the village, the Plough is a country inn of ancient provenance, an attractive complex of stone buildings set back from the road with a slender courtyard at its centre.The hotel offers 7 immaculate guest rooms, each decorated in country-house pastel shades, and a handful of shepherds huts – quaint, cute and simple wooden structures that are ideal for self-catering and come with a full range of equipment squeezed into their narrow confines. The Plough’s restaurant is appealing, too, offering  pizzas, steaks and fancier fare such as pigeon breast and red-wine risotto with crispy spinach. The hotel is also a great place to sample the beers and ales of 2 local brewers – Bradfield Brewery and Sheffield’s Abbeydale Brewery. At every point in the compass, hiking trails stretch out from Hathersage into the surrounding Peak District, drawing hikers, especially those with dogs, from all over – dogs are allowed in every part of the inn, including all the guest rooms and the pub area, and are only excluded from the restaurant.