Attractions and Places To See around Kingsley - Top 20

This church, which is dedicated to the Holy Cross (Latin "Santa Croce"), takes its patronage from the cross on which Jesus Christ died. The veneration of the Holy Cross goes back in large part to Saint Helena, who was the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great (who recognized Christianity as a religion after his victory at the "Milvian Bridge" in front of Rome and ended the long period of persecution with the "Edict of Toleration" of Milan in 312). In the early fourth century, she made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land (Israel / Palestine) and brought numerous relics back to Europe, including the "True Cross" on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Helena is therefore often depicted with a cross as an attribute. The church celebrates the feast of the discovery, public presentation and veneration of the Holy Cross - called the "Exaltation of the Cross" - on September 14th.

Thor's Cave is a limestone Karst cave accessible above the River Manifold. It's a popular destination but very much worth the detour if you're running in this area.

Holy Cross is church is a delicious combination of Saxon crosses, Norman font and superb memorials, all set in the rich and dramatic landscape of Ilam Park with its Italienate gardens.

Very busy pedestrian path too - so important to be aware and give way.

The beautifully situated church of the Holy Cross stands in the grounds of Ilam Hall, a 19th century stately home built for Jesse Watts-Russell in 1821. That 19th-century house replaced a 16th-century hall, the home of the Port family for over 350 years. Ilam was not recorded in the Domesday Book, though there was, without doubt, a church and settlement here at that time. The earliest written record comes from 1004 when King Aethelred confirmed the gift of Ilam to Burton Abbey in the will of a lord named Wulfric. The south chapel was added in 1618 by the Meverell family of Throwley Hall, and houses a 13th-century altar tomb locally known as the Shrine of St Bertram.

Cycle hire at south end with refreshments. Another cafe in the middle and yet another at the north end.

The trail is all surfaced in tarmac but now (2021) is becoming fairly worn and large sections are quite bumpy. Probably not best for expensive road bike wheels but suitable for all other types of bike.

As part of Dimmingsdale’s transformation in the 1800’s, the Earl of Shrewsbury commissioned the design of two gatehouses within the Alton Towers Estate – Dimmingsdale Lodge (now the Ramblers Retreat) and Pink Lodge (opposite the lower gates to Alton Towers). These gatehouses were strategically positioned on Earls Drive, the main thoroughfare through the estate. The gatekeepers would keep a watch for the Earls carriage from the tower to ensure that gates were opened promptly & thus avoid an interrupted journey.