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!
One of four beautiful show caverns in the pretty Peak District village of Castleton, a visit to Peak Cavern is a great adventure for the whole family! The entrance is the largest cave entrance in Britain, standing at 60 feet high, 100 feet wide and 340 feet long. Once you're inside it's every bit as impressive, with huge natural chambers illuminated to show off the beauty of the rock formations. Guided tours are available to help you get the most out of your visit.
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A day out in the beautiful village of Eyam is the perfect choice for visitors to this part of the Peak District. Set in a stunning location, surrounded by wonderful Derbyshire countryside, Eyam has a fascinating and inspiring history, reminders of which lie around every corner. Eyam today is a pretty, characterful village, with a range of small shops and cafés, a beautiful Jacobean Hall that's open to the public, a wonderful pub, a Museum and a small Visitor Information Centre.
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A day out at Crich Tramway Village, located just a short distance from the lovely town of Matlock, is a fabulous way to spend some time, with plenty to keep the whole family happy - including the dog! It's home to the National Tramway Museum, which takes you through a hundred years of tramway development from 1860 – 1960, and also features a beautifully-recreated period village, complete with a vintage pub, café and olde-worlde shops.
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The truly beautiful wooded ravine known as Padley Gorge is only a stone’s throw from civilisation, but it feels like another world entirely. Located on the border between Derbyshire and Yorkshire, it lies at the eastern edge of the Peak District National Park. Padley Gorge is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), recognised in 1972 as being “the best example of the remnant oak and birch woodland that once covered much of the edges of the gritstone uplands of the Peak District.” Here, ancient trees grow along gentle slopes, forming the most wonderful twisted shapes, and in the valley below a clear stream, Burbage Brook, tumbles over rocks...
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The beautiful reservoir of Carsington Water lies on the edge of the Peak District near Ashbourne. It’s the ninth largest reservoir in England and covers a whopping 300 hectares (741 acres); 700 football pitches could fit on the surface! It's a fabulous place to spend a day, being a perfect location for walking, cycling, bird-watching, fishing and a wide range of water sports.
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For those with younger families, the wonderful theme park of Gulliver’s Kingdom in Matlock Bath is a real treat. It’s especially designed for children aged between 2 and 13, with a wide range of rides, attractions and themed areas – from the Western World to Smuggler’s Wharf. There’s an exciting Log Flume and Drop Tower, as well as a Log Roller Coaster and a Pirate Ship. Aspiring digger drivers will also love the JCB Zone in Lilliput Land!
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