Ramblers Retreat

Meet our special cheesecake for the weekend... Ferrero Rocher! A perfect indulgence after a day exploring Dimmingsdale! It’s available all weekend alongside our usual menu and a whole host of other sweet treats, so why not pop down and give it a try?
#alton #churnetvalley #dimmingsdale #local #homemade #cheesecake #cake #staffordshire #enjoystaffs

If you’re on a family stroll around Dimmingsdale this week, why not support your local woodland by joining in on the Big Butterfly Count!? It’s fun for all the family and there’s plenty to be seen across Dimmingsdale and the Ramblers Retreat!

Our homemade cupcakes are back! Introducing our sun inspired ‘99’ ice cream style cupcake 🍦 We also have our homemade cheesecake ... this weeks flavour is Terrys Chocolate Orange! We are open until 5:30 today and tomorrow so why not pop down for a walk and a sweet treat! #dimmingsdale #cupcake #cheesecake

WE ARE OPEN AS USUAL! Thank you for your patience and understanding during our planned closure on Tuesday 24th July 2018. We are now open as usual (10am-4:30pm Tuesdays-Fridays & 10am-5:30pm Saturdays, Sundays & Bank Holidays) and can't wait to welcome you all soon!

Opening Hours Information: We will be closed on Monday 23rd & Tuesday 24th July 2018 to allow Helen & her family to take a holiday after such a busy period. We will be open again as usual on Wednesday 25th, with Amy & Gary at the helm whilst Helen & Callum are away. Thank you for your understanding and a million apologies for any inconveniences this may cause! *Dimmingsdale Car Parks will be operating usual opening hours during this period.

We always say there’s so many different ways to enjoy a visit to Dimmingsdale and the Ramblers Retreat. But if you’re looking for a new way to experience the Churnet Valley, why not do it by Llama? Check out Llama Adventures on Facebook for more information or to book an experience around Dimmingsdale! We’ve done it and can say it’s an experience we won’t forget! Thanks to Georgie for letting us share this great photo!

Meet our special summer sundaes this weekend! Eton Mess, Millionaires & Chocolate Brownie, all made with our Organic Dairy Marshfield Farm Ice Cream!! A perfect treat after a sunny stroll in Dimmingsdale. We’ll also have Zach playing his piano in our gardens for the perfect summer Sunday! All paths, roads and the Ramblers are open as usual so why not pop down and enjoy the summer tranquility!?!
#alton #dimmingsdale #summer #staffordshire #local #marshfieldicecream #music #summer #piano #garden #woodland #churnetvalley

Dimmingsdale and Ramblers Retreat are open as usual thanks to the amazing work of Staffordshire Fire and Rescue

WE ARE OPEN!! DIMMINGSDALE & THE RAMBLERS RETREAT ARE OPEN AS USUAL! Thanks to the amazing hard work from Staffordshire Fire & Rescue, alongside Staffordshire Police and our Colleagues at Forestry Commission National Forest District, we are now open as usual! The effort put in by the emergency services to protect our amazing valley was outstanding and we’d like to make sure that if there’s any members of staff from fire and rescue that we haven’t provided breakfast for yet, t...o pop down and grab a bacon sandwich to say thank you for all of your amazing hard work! There has been a fire in the valley, which was swiftly controlled by emergency services, the damage to Dimmingsdale is minimal and the valley is still as beautiful as ever. We’d advise all visitors to the Churnet Valley’s hidden gem not to be put off visiting and to come and visit the valley as planned. For more information on the fire itself, we would advise all to contact Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service. Ramblers Retreat Senior Team, Forestry Commission Senior Team and Fire & Rescue Staff will be on site throughout Tuesday 3rd July for ‘clean up operations’ who will all be happy to provide advice or assistance to anyone visiting the valley. The response from all of our guests has been amazing, we’d like to thank each and every member of the local community and our customers who got in contact to check on us, the Ramblers and Dimmingsdale; the response was overwhelming! Thanks to the amazing work by emergency services, Dimmingsdale and the Ramblers Retreat are most definitely open for all to visit, explore and enjoy.
*For responses from Ramblers Retreat Senior Team, call 01538 702730 and ask for Helen or Callum Smith *Forestry Commission Central Forest District- 01889 586593
#altonfire #alton #dimmingsdale #ramblersretreat #churnetvalley #staffordshirefireandrescue #forestrycommission
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We’ve had a great day at our community Himalayan Balsam pull! Thank you so much to all of our volunteers for all of your help, we really couldn’t have done it without you! Thanks as well to our friends at Churnet Valley, Staffordshire, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and Forestry Commission Woods and Forests for joining in and helping us organise the event! Hopefully there’ll be more events to help care for our beautiful valley soon, keep up to date with conservation efforts acr...oss the Churnet Valley by following their page! . . . . . . Forestry Commission Cannock Chase Forest #conservation #himalayanbalsam #churnetvalley #community #volunteer #staffordshire #enjoystaffs
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Meet some of our treats this Father’s Day weekend... chocolate orange gateau, biscotti cheesecake and honeycomb luxury milkshakes; alongside all of our usual meals, snacks, homemade cakes and drinks. Why not pop down and treat Dad with a family walk around Dimmingsdale followed by a treat at the Ramblers!?

Thanks to our friends at The Stunner for all the support!!

We're organising a community Himalayan Balsam pull across Dimmingsdale on the 27th June with our friends at Forestry Commission! We're also giving everyone who takes part FREE CAKE to say thank you for helping us protect this beautiful valley!! So if you've got any free time on the 27th; from half an hour to a full day, we'd really appreciate the help! We'll all be working together to remove this invasive, non-native species from our beautiful valley to allow native plants to... flourish, our actions will also hopefully clear space for the development of Dimmingsdale's amazing bluebells next spring as well as so many other benefits! Local Forestry Commission Rangers will be working with us throughout the day, so if you've got any free time, please feel free to join in and help, who could say no to free cake anyway!?
Please help us spread the message by sharing! Thanks! :)
Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Forestry Commission Cannock Chase Forest Churnet Valley, Staffordshire Forestry Commission Woods and Forests
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We’ve sent some of the team home with Marshfield’s Scoop’s Dog Ice Cream for some taste testing and it’s safe to say it was a huge success!
Why not treat your four-legged friend next time you treat yourselves at Dimmingsdale and the Ramblers Retreat!?
Marshfield Farm Ice Cream has specially made this doggy ice cream with their own fresh farm milk and added a lactase enzyme to reduce the lactose for those with sensitive tummies. They have also decreased the fat and sugar content (from Marshfield Farm Vanilla in Clotted Cream recipe), and added vitamins, antioxidants and omega 3 oils to give the ice cream health benefits for your four legged friends!

Fancy treating yourself this bank holiday weekend!? Meet some of our sweet treats we’ll be offering: from chocolate mint gateau, topped with matchmakers, after eights and aero bubbles; malteser cheesecake; raspberry and white chocolate meringues as well as our summer fruit punch, Pimms and our special white chocolate and honeycomb milkshakes! See you soon! . . .... . . #alton #dimmingsdale #staffordshire #churnetvalley #enjoystaffs #local #homemade #cake #coffee #cafe #treats #bankholiday #holiday
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We’re celebrating a very British weekend with a very British cheesecake. Meet our Eton Mess cheesecake, perfect for relaxing on a sunny day in Dimmingsdale! We’re also serving Pimms and Buck’s Fizz, so why not pop down and treat yourself!?. . #local #localbusiness #tearoom #cafe #coffeeshop #homemade #cheesecake #cake #alton #dimmingsdale #churnetvalley #staffordshire #staffordshiremoorlands #enjoystaffs #peakdistrict

Meet this weekend’s special cheesecake- Amy’s Amazing Chocolate Orange Cheesecake!! A luxurious chocolate orange cheesecake, topped with terry’s chocolate orange segments, orange matchmakers and club pieces! Why not pop down to Dimmingsdale, explore the valley and it’s spring bluebells and treat yourself at the Ramblers!? All of our usual menu will of course also be available! . . . #local #localbusiness #spring #homemade #cheesecake #alton #dimmingsdale #enjoystaffs #churnetvalley #staffordshire #cake

The bluebells of Dimmingsdale are looking beautiful this weekend! Make sure you pop down to Dimmingsdale for an explore whilst there still here! Followed by a treat at the Ramblers of course! #bluebells #spring #summer #alton #dimmingsdale #forestrycommission #staffordshire #enjoystaffs #local #localbusiness @ Dimmingsdale, Alton

Meet some of the bank holiday weekend’s summer treats... We’ve got a white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake, chocolate orange and party ring cupcakes as well as Pimms and summer fruit punch! We’re open 10am-5pm Saturday, Sunday AND Bank Holiday Monday!!! Pop down and enjoy the sun!! . . .... #dimmingsdale #alton #staffordshire #churnetvalley #enjoystaffs #local #countryside #spring #summer #homemade #cake
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This place is more than a cafe/restaurant - it is an oasis and an experience that goes well beyond its great food and excellent customer service. We had a lovely relaxed lunch, found out the story of the remarkable restoration of the building, enjoyed the beautiful garden and goggled at the cakes on offer including the extraordinary Lemon Meringue Pie. The owner and his daughter even appeared with a Birthday card for Mum. Their friendly welcome, lovely food and passion for their special home and business will leave you feeling that the world is quietly being made a better place, one scone at a time.

The perfect place for coffee and a cake or a light lunch after walking the dog. Or if you don’t like to walk or have a dog, just sit in the pretty garden in one of the the arbours or summerhouses and watch the world go by.

Stopped here after taking our dog on a family walk. I thought the prices were quite high looking through the menu. £20 for 4 cups of tea and 2 toasted sandwiches. The tea actually served us 10 cups and the toasted sandwiches were huge and packed with filling so left feeling value for money was had. The staff were very friendly and a lovely relaxed atmosphere. Highly recommend.

Love it! so perfect for ice cream after a long walk ! and the dog ice cream is an amazing treat for the pups :)