Attractions

Attractions

From wild and windswept moorland to peaceful pastures. From market towns to sleepy villages. From museums to theme parks. The Peak District caters for all tastes.

Activities

Activities

There is a huge range of outdoors activities, walking climbing, cycling, caving, hang gliding, coarse & game fishing, kayaking ... what better location for an outddors enthusiast?

Accommodation

Accommodation

Organise your bed and breakfast (B&B) accommodation in a Peak District hotel, guest house or farmhouse. For a longer stay, you can rent a characterful self-catering holiday cottage.

Image: Tea room at Hathersage in the Peak District.The Peak District is mainly in Derbyshire but extends into the neighbouring counties. It has been portrayed in numerous TV series and films as being a remote and wild place. Some areas that are definitely remote, however, it is compact so you are never too far away from civilisation. There are plenty of towns and villages therefore you can usually find a handy tea room or pub for a spot of refreshment!

Variety is one of the key factors that attract visitors to the Peak District. The Park's stunning scenery best experienced on foot, by bike  or on horseback. Many key moments of rock climbing have been played out in the Peak, climbers from around the world are still drawn to crags like Stanage, Froggatt and Curbar. Because the Peak District can offer such a variety of challenges of all magnitudes, many team building companies work in and around this National Park.

Talking of challenges, the Peak District National Park is a popular area for students doing the Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DoE). It offers a perfect balance between remoteness and closeness to civilisation that is needed for the expeditions. There are also several outdoor centres and other activity centres to carry out the whole of the DofE training programme.

Scenery

Image: Typical Peak District (White Peak) scenery.The central southern part of the Peak District National Park is referred to as the White Peak because its geology is that of limestone. It is a heavily farmed plateau therefore the scenery here is agricultural.  Whilst some settlements can be seen from afar, many picturesque towns and villages are hidden in the dips and valleys of the countryside. This means travelling the numerous backroads, BOATs, Bridleways and public footpaths is a real delight, as you suddenly come across them as you breast a hill or turn a corner.

By contrast, the northern half plus the eastern fringe almost down to Matlock is called the Dark Peak. The geology here is dominated by a hard form of sandsone known as gritstone. You will find spectacular rock formations, wild and windswept moorland, reservoirs and forestry plantations. It is popular with outdoors enthusiasts because of its rugged scenery and large areas of open access land.

The western 'arm' of the Peak District contains the Staffordshire Moorlands. Here you will find the popular climbing venue of the Roaches together with walking and mountain biking in the Macclesfield Forest area. Oh, and there is also the 'Cheshire Matterhorn' - Shutlingsloe - a must for you if you are a walker!

Celebrity stuff

Jane Austen used the Peak District as inspiration for 'Pride and Prejudice'; the much acclaimed film of the book was shot here. The TV series 'Peak Practice' was filmed on location here (Crich doubled as Cardale). Some well-known names associated with the Peak District and its surrounding areas are:

  • Florence Nightingale
  • D. H. Lawrence
  • Eliza Cook
  • Daniel Defoe
  • George Elliot
  • Timothy Dalton
  • Simon Groom

The Peak District has always been an inspiration to adventurous types. Firstly for example, there is  round the world Yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur from nearby Ambergate. The 1953 Everest expedition photographer Alfred Gregory lived at Elton for a while and described it as 'a cold place'. Climber Alison Hargreaves was born close to the Peak District at Belper and climbed here.

Getting to the Peak District

Train:

The cities surrounding the Peak District are well served by main line services. From Derby, the Derwent Valley line gets you to Matlock, at the southern end of the Peak District. The line between Manchester and Sheffield passes through the Derwent, Hope and Edale valleys. This is arguably the most attractive of the rail links. Glossop and Buxton are linked by rail to Manchester thus giving access to both the White Peak and Dark Peak.

By road:

Image: Traffic free cycling in the Peak DistrictThe Peak District is served by several main roads for anyone arriving by car. From the west, there are main roads from Glossop Manchester, Macclesfield, Congleton and Leek. These take you directly to the Dark Peak and Staffordshire Moorlands. From the south, roads from Ashbourne, Wirksworth and Matlock take you into the White Peak. From the M1, Chesterfield, Sheffield and Barnsley provide you with easy points of entry to the Dark and White peak.

These roads are  often busy, so check out the sustrans routes if you visit the Peak District by bike. That is, unless you like cycling in traffic of course! Once here, there is plenty of traffic free cycling.

The Peak District is also served by buses and coaches. For example, the Trans Peak service crosses the White Peak , joining Derby to Buxton. There are local bus services but some of these operate infrequently.

By air:

You can't exactly get to the Peak District directly by plane! Or at least not unless you have a helicopter or light aircraft handy. The Peak District is served by Manchester, East Midlands and Doncaster Sheffield airports. You can hire a vehicle or use public transport for the rest of your journey.

Staying in the Peak District

The Peak District is not huge, consequently, most places are separated by less than a couple of hours drive. Rent a self catering apartment, cottage or other holiday home around somewhere like Bakewell or Hathersage and you can reach most other parts of the Peak District in under an hour by car. ublic transport is available to and from many of the key towns and villages. Information is found here - https://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/visiting/publictransport/peak-district-bus-routes