Stanton By Dale

Stanton By Dale has no hotels of its own, so visitors tend to stay in the surrounding towns and cities that ring the Erewash Valley. Ilkeston, just a couple of miles away, has budget and independent options within easy reach of the village, while Long Eaton offers a similar mix a short drive to the south. For a wider choice, both Nottingham and Derby are under 10 miles away and provide everything from chain hotels to boutique stays, with the added benefit of city amenities, restaurants and nightlife if you want more than a quiet village evening. Being so close to Junction 25 of the M1, the area also has a scattering of motorway-adjacent hotels aimed at business travellers, which can be a practical, if unglamorous, option for an overnight stop. Wherever you base yourself, Stanton By Dale is close enough to visit for an afternoon walk along the Nutbrook Trail or a pint at the Chequers Inn before heading back. Given the village's small size, do not expect accommodation listings directly in Stanton By Dale itself — this is very much a destination for day visits and short rural walks rather than an overnight stay, with the nearby towns doing the heavy lifting for beds. Booking ahead is sensible if you are travelling at a weekend when Nottingham or Derby have events on, as city-centre rooms can fill up quickly and prices rise accordingly during busier periods.

The village itself is small, but it makes a good base for exploring the Erewash Valley and the countryside around Ilkeston and Derby.

• St Michael and All Angels' Church — the village's ancient parish church, with a tower, four bells and a chancel restored in 1872, worth a look for its long history back to the Domesday era.
• Nutbrook Trail — a walking, cycling and horse-riding route that follows the old Stanton branch railway and the line of the disused Nutbrook Canal along the edge of the former ironworks site.
• Erewash Canal — a level towpath walk and cycle route running north to Shipley Country Park, joining the Nutbrook Trail near Stanton Gate.
• Dale Abbey — a short drive away, with the ruined abbey arch, the curious Hermit's Cave carved into a sandstone cliff, and the Cat and Fiddle windmill.
• Ilkeston — the nearest market town, with shops, a Wednesday and Friday market, and the Erewash Museum covering local history.
• Shipley Country Park — a large area of former colliery and estate land turned parkland, with lakes, woodland trails and a miniature railway on some weekends.

The village has two long-standing pubs: the Chequers Inn, a traditional village local serving real ales and home-cooked food, and the Stanhope Arms, another classic English pub with a country feel. Beyond that, Ilkeston offers a wider choice of cafes, takeaways and restaurants a short drive away.

Stanton By Dale is not a campsite destination in its own right, and as with anywhere in England, wild camping without the landowner's permission is illegal, so any pitch needs to be on a proper site or with an owner's consent. The Erewash Valley's terrain is gentle and low-lying, following the line of the Erewash Canal and Nutbrook Trail, which makes for easy, flat walking and cycling rather than dramatic wild country, and any camping nearby tends to reflect that: small, quiet sites rather than remote wilderness pitches. Anyone looking to camp close to the village will need to look slightly further out into the wider Erewash and Amber Valley countryside, or towards the Peak District fringes further north and west, where campsites and caravan parks are more established. Spring through early autumn is the sensible window for camping in this part of Derbyshire, when the ground is drier and the canal towpaths and Nutbrook Trail are at their most pleasant for walking or cycling back into the village for a pint at the Chequers Inn or Stanhope Arms. Given the flat, historically industrial landscape around the old ironworks and Nutbrook Canal, this is a better area for a couple of nights of easy, low-key camping than for a full wilderness trip. For those who would rather skip the tent altogether, glamping options such as shepherd's huts, pods and small bell tents are increasingly common across the East Midlands and are worth checking in the towns and villages surrounding Stanton By Dale, offering a more comfortable way to enjoy the same quiet valley scenery.