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 Peak District is blessed with hundreds of beautiful rivers and streams that wind through stunning countryside and shady woodlands. From the peaceful banks of the Rivers Wye and Derwent, to the spectacular courses over rocky drops of Wyming Brook and Burbage Brook, you’ll find no shortage of watery inspiration here. There are few things as restorative as walking alongside running water, not just for the diversity of wildlife and the beauty of the landscape, but for the sheer feelgood factor of being immersed in nature.
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Many people associate the Heights of Abraham with just the thrilling cable car ride to the top of Masson Hill ... but that's only the start of it! Once at the top, the 60 acre estate boasts two beautiful show caverns with regular guided tours throughout the day, as well as fascinating exhibitions, a fossil museum, a lookout tower with spectacular views, a large gift shop, three cafés and restaurants, great adventure playgrounds, plus miles and miles of wonderful woodland walks. It's a great day out for everyone - including your dog!
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The beautiful little village of Parwich lies in the Derbyshire hills on the southern edge of the Peak District. It's surrounded by wonderful countryside and walking along the village lanes is like stepping back in time, with quaint stone cottages on quiet streets and a stream running through the centre of the village. No wonder that The Sunday Times named it ‘one of the best places to live in Britain’ in 2015.
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The High Peak Trail offers 17 miles of almost traffic-free bliss for walkers, runners, cyclists and horse-riders, stretching between Dowlow near Buxton and High Peak Junction near Cromford. It follows the route of the former High Peak Railway Line, opened in 1831, and runs through stunning limestone countryside and rolling hills, passing close to the ancient site of Minninglow.
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For a walk along some of the finest gritstone edges in the Derbyshire Peak District, with spectacular views in all directions, it's hard to beat this route across Froggatt Edge, Curbar Edge and Baslow Edge with the wide vistas of the stunning Derwent Valley laid out below. This 8 mile walk takes you along all three edges and then descends gently on moorland trails and returns to the start point via the pretty villages of Curbar, Calver, Froggatt and Grindleford, on country lanes, field tracks and shady woodland paths alongside the River Derwent.
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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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The little Peak District village of Flash in Staffordshire has the distinction of being the highest village in England, and anyone who has ever visited on a snowy or windy day will be able to confirm that wholeheartedly! Flash is surrounded by wild open countryside on the southern slopes of Axe Edge Moor, south west of Buxton. It's also close to the popular beauty spot of Three Shire Heads, where Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire meet at a collection of picturesque pools, waterfalls and stone bridges.
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