Jane Austen's World

Last month, we explored the route Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner took on their journey to Derbyshire through Oxford, Blenheim, Warwick, Kenilworth, and Birmingham. This month, we begin our exploration of their time in Derbyshire, so that we might catch a glimpse of what travelers during Austen’s time would have seen when visiting there.

Austen first gives the details of their journey to Derbyshire:

It is not the object of this work to give a description of Derbyshire, nor of any of the remarkable places through which their route thither lay—Oxford, Blenheim, Warwick, Kenilworth, Birmingham, etc., are sufficiently known. A small part of Derbyshire is all the present concern.

The Picturesque Tour

Scholars agree that Austen almost certainly never visited Derbyshire, so then how did she know so much about it? First, from William Gilpin’s popular book, Observations on Several Parts of England: particularly the mountains and lakes of Cumberland and Westmoreland: relative chiefly to picturesque beauty (1786), which made Matlock, Chatsworth, and Dovedale household names across England.

Elizabeth Bennet’s fictional visit to Derbyshire was also quite common during Austen’s lifetime. During the Napoleonic Wars, the Grand Tour of Europe wasn’t possible, so many genteel English travelers explored England more fully, traveling to seaside resorts and into Wales, the Lake District, and Derbyshire.

Guidebooks circulated widely as well in genteel circles, with engravings of Chatsworth, Dovedale, and Matlock Bath appearing in fashionable drawing rooms. Finally, Austen may have also heard about these destinations from friends or acquaintances who had traveled there.

Derbyshire:

While in Derbyshire, this is what Austen tells us they were to see and why it was of such interest to Mrs. Gardiner:

. . .they were obliged to give up the Lakes, and substitute a more contracted tour; and, according to the present plan, were to go no farther northward than Derbyshire. In that county there was enough to be seen to occupy the chief of their three weeks; and to Mrs. Gardiner it had a peculiarly strong attraction. The town where she had formerly passed some years of her life, and where they were now to spend a few days, was probably as great an object of her curiosity as all the celebrated beauties of Matlock, Chatsworth, Dovedale, or the Peak.

Below is a detailed map of Derbyshire from 1627 that can help us to visualize the location of each site:

We know that Elizabeth did, in fact, visit Matlock and Dovedale because she and Mr. Darcy talk at length about where she has traveled and what she has seen:

He then asked her to walk into the house—but she declared herself not tired, and they stood together on the lawn. At such a time much might have been said, and silence was very awkward. She wanted to talk, but there seemed an embargo on every subject. At last she recollected that she had been travelling, and they talked of Matlock and Dovedale with great perseverance. Yet time and her aunt moved slowly—and her patience and her ideas were nearly worn out before the tête-à-tête was over.

With their conversation in mind, let us explore Matlock and Dovedale to find out what Elizabeth might have discussed with Mr. Darcy on their walk.

Matlock

Matlock (and nearby Matlock Bath) are located on the south-east edge of the Peak District alongside the River Derwent. One of the reasons people visited Matlock Bath was for its natural thermal springs, which became popular and fashionable in the late 17th century. Much like visiting Bath to “take the waters,” aristocratic people visited Matlock Bath for the same reason: hoping for the health benefits of the springs.

In Molly Gorman’s, “A Guide to Jane Austen’s Derbyshire, England” (BBC Travel, April 20, 2025), she says this:

Austen was likely well aware of the town’s famed thermal waters. When Bennet enters Derbyshire with apprehension about seeing Darcy, she says, “But surely … I may enter his county without impunity and rob it of a few petrified spars without his perceiving me.” Austen might have been referring to Matlock Bath’s petrifying well – where the mineral-rich thermal water, turns objects into stone.

Gorman goes on to share what Elizabeth might have seen while visiting the area:

Matlock is also popular with walkers as it lies in a valley of the River Derwent. Pride and Prejudice fans may opt to explore the fittingly named Lovers’ Walks, a series of footpaths along the riverside, or if you’d prefer something more challenging, there are also trails that go up and over the wooded cliffs. But perhaps the most famous tourist attraction is the Heights of Abraham, where you can take a mountain cable car to the top of Masson Hill, a 60-acre hilltop estate with a panoramic view of the surrounding valley and town below.

Though we have no textual proof that Elizabeth and the Gardiners took the waters, we can imagine that they would have certainly enjoyed exploring such a naturally beautiful location.

Dovedale

Dovedale is considered one of the most romantic landscapes in England. It includes a limestone valley with a dramatic ravine carved by the River Dove. Craggy cliffs rise up dramatically above the water. Many have painted and photographed it over the years, trying to capture its beauty.

This area drew visitors long before the Regency era and throughout Jane Austen’s lifetime–and it still does today. During the time Elizabeth Bennet would have traveled through Derbyshire, Dovedale was a popular destination for tourists, especially given the wild, rugged scenery that was prized during the Romantic era. Artists gathered there to sketch its ravines, woodlands, rock formations, and limestone caves. The river was also famous for its fishing, and Austen and her contemporaries would have been familiar with it because of Izaak Walton’s book, The Compleat Angler (1653).

Today, the National Trust owns the valley, and it has been a National Nature Reserve since 2006, recognized for its rare wildflowers, ash woodlands, and wildlife and fish. There is also a set of famous stepping stones, placed in the 1890s, that create a path across the river.

It’s wonderful to think about Elizabeth Bennet exploring this area, especially given her love of nature and long walks. Surely, the scenery would have inspired and refreshed her soul.

More of Elizabeth Bennet’s Travels

Though Elizabeth did not make it to the Lake District, she certainly would have seen an abundance of breathtaking landscapes and rugged wilderness to spur on her imagination. Perhaps she was already falling in love with Derbyshire, long before her visit to Pemberley.

Next month, we’ll explore more of Elizabeth Bennet’s travels. We’ll take a closer look at Chatsworth and Austen’s inspiration for “Pemberley,” followed by the Peak District and Bakewell, a small village that many scholars believe might have been Austen’s inspiration for Lambton.

Until then, let us remember fondly Elizabeth’s famous words, “What are men to rocks and mountains?”

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Rachel Dodge teaches writing classes, speaks at libraries, teas, and conferences, and writes for Jane Austen’s World blog. She is the bestselling, award-winning author of The Anne of Green Gables Devotional, The Little Women Devotional, The Secret Garden Devotional, and Praying with Jane: 31 Days Through the Prayers of Jane Austen. She has narrated numerous book titles, including the Praying with Jane Audiobook with actress Amanda Root. A true kindred spirit at heart, Rachel loves books, bonnets, and ballgowns. Visit her online at www.RachelDodge.com.