Dovedale, a beauty spot in the Peak District long celebrated by writers such as John Ruskin and Jane Austen, has this summer become synonymous with overcrowding, litter and disorder rather than tranquillity. Visitors leaving Tripadvisor reviews describe the site as an "overcrowded, dirty place" and a "no-go zone", citing barbecues, filthy toilets, people washing themselves and cooking equipment in the River Dove, and the smell of cannabis, with the situation reportedly worsening enough that some tourists said the site had been "destroyed" compared with memories from decades ago.

The report highlights a mass brawl at Dovedale's famous stepping stones, in which men were filmed hitting each other with sticks, with police confirming a child was struck and an attempted theft occurred during the disturbance. Local residents, including a retired solicitor, expressed dismay at the decline of a location once praised by Lord Byron as "Little Switzerland", while the piece also notes the site has become an unexpected focus of racial tension, referencing a Department for Environment matter that the article does not fully detail within the excerpt provided.