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 romantic ruins of Peveril Castle stand on a hilltop high above the pretty village of Castleton in the heart of the Peak District. Mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, this is one of England’s earliest Norman fortresses. It’s one of only 48 castles recorded at that time, and the only one in Derbyshire. Its historical significance is recognised by the fact that it’s a protected Scheduled Ancient Monument, designated to be of international importance.
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If you've never spent a day in and around beautiful Bradfield, you've really missed a trick! Only 7 miles out of Sheffield but surrounded by the most wonderfully wild countryside, Bradfield straddles the border of the Peak District National Park in Yorkshire. It's the largest civil parish in England and it's made up of two villages: High Bradfield, which is situated on the hillside, and Low Bradfield, which sits down in the valley alongside the River Loxley.
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Dating back to the Bronze Age, around 4,000 years ago, the stone circle known as the ‘Nine Ladies’ stands in a clearing on Stanton Moor in the Derbyshire Peak District. It's a place of myth and mystery, surrounded by clusters of ash, silver birch and beech trees. According to popular legend, the stones are believed to represent nine ladies who were turned to stone for dancing on the Sabbath. The King Stone represents the fiddler who provided the music for their revelry.
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Ashford-in-the-Water is - arguably! - the most perfect little village in the Peak District. Certainly if you're looking for chocolate-box appeal, you'll be hard pressed to find anywhere more picturesque. It has everything that a country village needs: an idyllic riverside setting, complete with a medieval bridge, pretty limestone cottages, narrow lanes, a tearoom and cosy country pubs. The Sheepwash Bridge across the River Wye is one of the most photographed bridges in England, and it’s not hard to see why.
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Ladybower Reservoir is one of three large reservoirs located in the beautiful Upper Derwent Valley in the Peak District. It's surrounded by wonderful countryside and, at 5.5 miles, our easy circular walk around part of its shores is a great way to spend a day, especially with a picnic (no barbecues please) or a meal at the nearby Yorkshire Bridge Inn afterwards.
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The perfect little village of Tissington, on the southern edge of the Peak District National Park, is a must-see for any visitor to the area. A pretty collection of stone cottages lie clustered around a gracious stately home, in a village complete with a duck pond, six ancient wells, a church, a fabulous tea room and some wonderful independent shops. Our easy 4 mile circular walk from the village takes you along country lanes and over field paths offering fabulous views, all the way to the equally charming village of Parwich. From there the route heads back over field paths and along the peaceful Tissington Trail all the way back...
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The lovely village of Monyash in the Derbyshire Peak District is gorgeous, a place to stop for a while and enjoy the village life, with pretty stone cottages lining quiet lanes and a country inn overlooking a village green.
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