Just off the A515 Buxton to Ashbourne road, about 4 miles north of Ashbourne you will see a sign to Tissington and a pair of stone pillars with a tree lined road leading away between fields. This will lead you to what must be one of the most unspoiled villages in Derbyshire, if not the whole country. As you come down into the village itself you will see lovely old cottages, and a pond on your right whilst ahead of you is the church - standing slightly above the road. Turn to your left and you are in a street with wide grass verges and a stream running down one side. No obtrusive emphasis on tourism but just a real feel of England as it was in an earlier more gracious age.
At the heart of the village you will find Tissington Hall which was built by Francis FitzHerbert in 1609 and has been lived in by that family ever since. Sir Richard and Lady FitzHerbert now live there with their young family and the Hall and gardens are Open to the Public on 28 advertised days throughout the Summer.
The village is certainly original and unspoilt, but that is not to say that visitors are not well catered for. Situated opposite the church is The Old Coach House Tearooms which are open daily throughout the Summer between 11.OOam and 5.00pm for lunches teas and coffee. Opened in 1997 these tearooms have proved a great success for visitors and are an ideal stopping-off point when cycling the Tissington Trail.
The village is perhaps best known for the ancient Derbyshire ritual of Well-Dressings. The six Tissington wells are all "dressed" for Ascension Day and the tributes remain in place for a week. The origins of the custom are unclear but it is generally recognised that the festival is in praise of the Lord for providing an unending supply of water in times of drought and plague. Nowadays the event attracts 50,000 visitors to this tiny village over the week and it is necessary for the organisers to charge for car and coach parking to ease the traffic flow.
We know that many of our readers are keen gardeners and there is a double treat in store for them here at Tissington. As well as the delightful gardens at the Hall, there is a Nursery where you are welcome to look around and find a memento of your visit to Tissington which will grow in your garden at home for many years to remind you of your visit to this delightful village.  Tissington is the home of that hardy little perennial plant, Veronica gentianoides "Tissington White" recently a star of the Chelsea Flower Show. Discovered in the border of a garden in the village, every May it reliably produces 15 inch spikes of beautifully marked white florets. You will find this and an array of equally distinguished hardy plants propagated for sale by Sue and Derek Watkins at Tissington Nursery.
If you are a plant enthusiast then this is the place for you. The Nursery is found a few yards down the track alongside the village pond, in the Old Kitchen Gardens to the Hall. Vegetables have now given way to the production of a choice and unusual range of garden perennials and shrubs, many hard to find elsewhere.
It is unusual for us to devote a whole page to so small a village as Tissington - but the village is so delightful and has so much to offer you that we make no apologies in this particular case. Do visit Tissington.