Life in the Derbyshire hamlet with more holiday lets than residents

Nestled in the Derbyshire countryside, on the road between Darley Dale and Matlock, is the hamlet of Two Dales.

It’s a typical leafy place that appears to be largely quiet apart for a babbling brook that snakes its way through the village, under fields, driveways and between houses.

There is the Plough Inn pub and, of course, the local Post Office, but other than that nothing out of the ordinary for such a small hamlet.

The occasional cyclist trundles on through and the odd walkers also pass along the public footpaths and pavements.

“It is a really nice, peaceful, quiet place to live, nothing much really happens around here on a daily basis” says Dawn Baron, who’s called Two Dales home, alongside her husband, for more than seven years.

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The hamlet has got a couple of aspects that might set it apart from any of the neighbouring villages.

Firstly there’s the fact that the number of people who live in Two Dales increases during the summer months given that most of the properties in the hamlet are rented out as holiday lets.

“It is full of holiday lets, the property next to us used to be rented out for holidays, but I think the lady is coming back up here in the summer to live, but it is a village where there are more holiday lets than residents.” Mrs Baron continues.

It certainly appears to be the case with only a few residents spotted walking around or working in their gardens when we visited Two Dales.

Derbyshire police did a post about some anti-social behaviour that had taken place in the hamlet recently, something Mrs Baron knew nothing about despite living next to the road where it happened.

“Oh I’d normally hear something like that going on, but I don’t remember hearing anything of the sort.”

The ladies who work in Two Dales’ Post Office told Derbyshire Live that the village does have some issues, but nothing out of the ordinary and much of it is because the children in the village don’t have anything else to do with their time.

Other residents we spoke to, who also didn’t want to be identified, confirmed that the hamlet remains a beautiful place for them to live and somewhere they’re proud to share with those who decide to holiday in Two Dales.

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