While there’s nothing quite like a quintessential British village with a cosy pub and chocolate box cottages, there’s something to be said about places which remind you of more distant locations. North Wales’ has its own Italian Riviera in the form of Portmeirion, and in Lancashire you can find a pocket of French culture in Croston.
Deep in the Staffordshire Peak District is another village with a twist - one which wouldn’t look out of place in Switzerland. Set against a backdrop of green limestone hills, Ilam could easily double for an Alpine location.
Its main road is lined with Swiss chalet-style cottages with steep gable roofs and intricate details. In the spring and summer you’ll find their perfectly manicured gardens blooming with colourful flowers, adding to the fairytale-feel of this charming corner of the Peak District.
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With a population of less than 500 people and just a handful of buildings - with no shops - Ilam really does feel like a remote Alpine village. It takes around 90 minutes to drive there from Greater Manchester, so doable for a day trip or weekend away.
Although there’s been a settlement here since the Saxon period, it was during the 1800s that the village experienced its continental-inspired transformation. After acquiring Ilam Hall and its estate, new owner Jesse Watts-Russell decided that the location reminded him of Switzerland, so he set about building cottages in the Swiss-style.
In 1857 he built the village school and funded it, even though at the time schooling was not compulsory. The school, still in use today, is just as beautiful as the Swiss cottages, with stunning wooden details and a
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