Ilam Bunkhouse

The old stone bunkhouse at Ilam sits quietly in the Derbyshire Peak District, a few miles south of Ashbourne - the sort of place you'd stumble upon while walking the valley rather than make a special trip for. It's a basic rural hostel, nothing fancy, but it speaks to a different era of outdoor travel when people weren't fussed about en-suite bathrooms and Instagram backdrops.

What you're looking at is genuine working countryside infrastructure. The bunkhouse itself is fairly spartan - dormitory-style sleeping, communal facilities, the kind of place hikers and budget travellers have used for decades. It's not going to win design awards, but that's rather the point. If you're after proper accommodation with creature comforts, the holiday parks scattered around Ashbourne and deeper into the Peak District - Hartington Hills and Rivendale Lodge Retreat among them - offer something more polished.

The real appeal lies in its location. You're steps away from the River Manifold and some decent walking country. The Peak District opens up around you here, and if you're basing yourself at one of the nearby parks, Ilam makes sense as a waypoint rather than a destination in itself. Walkers pass through regularly. History types might appreciate the setting - it's proper rural England - but don't expect visitor attractions or facilities at the bunkhouse itself.

Going mid-week keeps it quieter. Summer weekends can draw groups. Allow an hour or so if you're walking through; it's not somewhere you'll spend half a day. Free to look at from outside, though staying requires booking separately.