Eyam

A tight run of gritstone cottages, the village green, the Market Hall and the old stocks, with St Lawrence Church a short walk along the main street and Eyam Hall near the green. Interpretation boards are placed on buildings, at the car park and on the green opposite the hall, so the story unfolds as you walk rather than needing a guide. Several of the cottages carry their own plague-year connections, which is what makes wandering here feel different from a standard pretty-village stroll.

The museum sits opposite the main car park and is a sensible first stop if you want the full narrative, including wider social history and the village's industrial past, before you walk the street. It is a separate destination with its own admission and its own visit, as is Eyam Hall, so treat them as add-ons to the village walk, while St Lawrence Church sits on the main street as part of that walk.

Mompesson's Well and the Riley Graves lie outside the built-up village, set among drystone walls and fields, and reaching them turns a village stop into a short countryside outing. Ground here is hilly and can be uneven or muddy, so wear shoes you do not mind getting dirty and treat these as optional extras rather than a guaranteed part of every visit.

• Park in the car park on Hawkhill Road, opposite the museum. Roadside parking in the village is limited.
• There is also a coach park, plus public toilets, a tearoom and a village store in the centre.
• The village can become congested. If you want a quieter walk, aim to avoid the busiest periods.

This is a lived-in working village, not a heritage site laid out for visitors, so parking pressure and narrow streets are part of the deal and the residents' privacy deserves respect. The core is compact, so visitors who skip the museum, hall and outlying walks may find it too brief for a long stay. The subject matter is also genuinely sombre, which suits some travellers better than others.