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 beautiful village of Youlgreave or Youlgrave (it's one of the most misspelt village names in the area, if not the country) is one of the largest villages in the Peak District. It’s a wonderful place to explore with history around every corner, and it’s surrounded by stunning countryside in all directions, perfect for walking.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreMany visitors to the Peak District may already know or have been to Dovedale; it's one of the most popular beauty spots in the National Park and indeed one of the most visited natural sites in Britain, attracting over a million visitors every year. The easy access paths through the valley and the delightful river with its pretty stepping stones make it a firm favourite with families and day-trippers. Despite its popularity it's still not difficult to escape the crowds, however, particularly if you walk a short distance away from the main valley, and the nearby dales of Hall Dale and Milldale will reward you richly for just a little...
Read MoreThere’s only one place in the Peak District where you can find a Georgian mansion, an Italian-style villa, a Swiss cottage and a miniature castle all on the same street, and that’s Edensor! This pretty little village lies within the Chatsworth Estate in Derbyshire. It’s a picture-perfect place, with its eclectic mix of housing styles laid out around a wide village green, in the centre of which stands the graceful church of St Peter’s.
Read MoreThe Tissington Trail is a traffic-free trail that runs for 13 miles from Parsley Hay in the north to Ashbourne in the south. It follows the route of the former railway line between Buxton and Ashbourne, closed in the 1960s, and is now a wonderful track for walkers, riders and cyclists through some of the most beautiful countryside in the Peak District.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreOne 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.
Read More
