70 Best Days Out in the Peak District
The Peak District National Park was founded on 17 April 1951, the first national park ever to be created in the UK. It covers 555 square miles of the most beautiful parts of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire, Yorkshire and even parts of Greater Manchester.
To celebrate the 70th birthday of our very favourite place, we’ve collected together what we consider to be the 70 Best Days Out in the Peak District to inspire you to visit more of this wonderful area. Have a browse through our collection below to get suggestions for entirely new spots to discover, or to remind yourself to revisit old favourites.
You’ll find all the region’s best attractions in here, as well as the most popular beauty spots and a few hidden gems as well, not to mention some wonderful little villages and many of the vibrant towns on the borders.
Join us in celebrating the very best that the Peak District has to offer, not just in this special birthday year but in every year to come!
The deep, dark chasm of Lud’s Church is a truly mysterious place, full of myth and legend, hidden within the depths of Back Forest in the Staffordshire Peak District. Inside is green as far as the eye can see. The walls are covered with mosses, ferns and grasses, and arching above the chasm, forming a natural roof, are trees that have grown from both sides to meet in the middle.
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Matlock Bath was one of England’s first true tourist destinations in the late 17th Century, when the healing properties of its warm spa waters were first discovered. Access to the area was improved in the 18th Century, and by the 19th Century Matlock Bath was a place for society’s finest to visit. And little wonder, for it occupies a beautiful position in a limestone gorge on the River Derwent, with attractive riverside gardens and steep wooded hillsides.
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The beautiful Treak Cliff Cavern, located in the village of Castleton in Derbyshire, offers a great Peak District day out. It’s the home of Britain’s rarest mineral, Blue John stone, and Castleton is the only place in the world where it can be found! There are beautiful caverns to explore here, as well as a cafe with fantastic views, a gift shop and a museum.
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Bolsover Castle is a true fairytale castle, perched high on a ridge above the Vale of Scarsdale on the eastern edge of the Peak District. It's a great place to spend a day, with plenty to see and do for the whole family. The Little Castle, Terrace Range and Riding House are all open to the public to explore, as are the beautiful gardens. There's also a cafe, gift shop and children's playground on site.
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Ilam is just about as perfect a Peak District village as you could hope to get! With a collection of pretty cottages set in the most idyllic location, and only a short walk from the popular beauty spot of Dovedale, it’s a great place to spend a day.
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The village of Rowsley lies on the eastern edge of the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire. It’s a peaceful, pretty place, surrounded by beautiful rolling countryside. The village is located where the River Wye meets the River Derwent, and as you might expect there are many fabulous riverside walks starting from and passing through the village, including the long-distance footpath the Derwent Valley Heritage Way.
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Just on the outskirts of the Peak District National Park close to Ashbourne in Derbyshire, Sudbury Hall is a beautiful late 17th Century country house, the historic home of the Vernon family. Here you'll find a beautiful home with lavish interiors, as well as the wonderful National Trust Museum of Childhood. Outside there are acres of landscaped parkland with formal gardens and ornamental lakes, as well as a great outdoor woodland play area to help your kids burn off steam.
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