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!
70 Best Days Out in the Peak District: Bakewell
The picture-perfect town of Bakewell in Derbyshire is often referred to as the ancient capital of the Peak District, and it’s the only town that lies wholly within the boundary of the National Park. Bakewell is a relatively small market town with a population of less than 5,000, but its peaceful setting on the River Wye and its wealth of historic buildings, shops and restaurants make it a very popular destination for visitors. We think it’s a wonderful place to explore, with pretty riverside walks, narrow lanes and hidden courtyards.
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70 Best Days Out in the Peak District: Parwich
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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70 Best Days Out in the Peak District: Minninglow
The mysterious site of Minninglow (also referred to as Minning Low) is located just off the High Peak Trail in the Peak District in Derbyshire. It's a remarkable collection of ancient tombs strewn through woodland on the top of a hill, with a distinctive double ring of beech trees that make it a landmark for many miles around. The tombs at Minninglow include an Early Neolithic chambered tomb dating back over 5,000 years as well as bowl barrows that date back to the Bronze Age.
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70 Best Days Out in the Peak District: Sudbury Hall
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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70 Best Days Out in the Peak District: Eyam
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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70 Best Days Out in the Peak District: Dove Stone Reservoir Walk
Dove Stone Reservoir is located in the far north west of the Peak District National Park. It's a spectacular spot in the hills and moors on the edge of Oldham, popular with visitors and families. Our beautiful Dove Stone Reservoir Walk (4 miles) gives you a great tase of the countryside in this part of the Peak District. It takes you briefly into the Chew Hills and the moors of Dove Stone Moss, and then returns for an easy circuit of the lovely reservoir, with fabulous open views of this wonderful area.
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70 Best Days Out in the Peak District: Blue John Cavern
The Blue John Cavern in Castleton is home to 8 of the 14 known varieties of Blue John Stone, where it’s been mined for centuries. During the winter months miners still descend deep into the tunnels here, armed with traditional picks and shovels, in search of the beautiful stone. This is then cleaned and polished to be made into jewellery and ornamental objects. Guided tours of the cavern are conducted at short regular intervals. Each tour lasts around an hour and gives a wonderful insight into these magnificent natural cave systems. The famous Blue John Stone can be seen in its natural state, along with stalactites, stalagmites and huge, beautifully...
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