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: 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: A Walk From Tissington to Parwich
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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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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70 Best Days Out in the Peak District: Chatsworth House
The jewel in the Peak District’s crown, Chatsworth House is a magnificent English country house set in over 1,000 acres of parkland on the outskirts of Bakewell in Derbyshire. There’s more than enough for a full day out here, with plenty to keep the whole family happy.
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70 Best Days Out in the Peak District: Stanage Edge
Stanage Edge is a stunning gritstone escarpment north of the pretty Peak District village of Hathersage. It runs for almost four miles roughly north to south, rising to 458 metres (1,503 feet) at its highest point. Stanage Edge is the absolute epitome of the Dark Peak. Its gritstone plateau is a wild, unforgiving place offering unsurpassed views of the Hope Valley, and in warmer months its slopes are softened by blooming purple heathers and bright bracken. Here and there are abandoned millstones, harking back to the industrial past of this area. Despite its height and imposing presence, Stanage Edge is quite accessible for most, and a visit to this incredible...
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70 Best Days Out in the Peak District: Mam Tor
Mam Tor, literally meaning ‘Mother Hill’, is an iconic peak just outside the pretty Peak District village of Castleton in Derbyshire. The views from the top are well worth the walk - taking in the whole of the Hope Valley on one side and the whole of the Edale Valley to Kinder Scout and the Derwent Moors on the other.
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70 Best Days Out in the Peak District: Edensor
There’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.
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