The Peak District is a precious and protected place of moors and peaks, lush-green dales, clear, fast-flowing rivers, sheer cliff faces and idyllic, quintessentially English towns and villages. The first and probably the most popular national park in England, it is anchored by the East Midlands city of Derby and extends north towards Manchester and Sheffield. A wild haven for hikers, it is also dotted with graceful stately homes, and the summer months bring fine cultural events and fun country fairs.

More than 13 million visitors a year sample the charms of this awe-inspiring region in the heart of England. Designated as the Peak District National Park in 1951, it has two distinct geographical attractions. To the north, west and east lie the windswept hills of the Dark Peak, known for its peat bogs and gritstone cliffs. It was here, in 1932, that the nation’s avid walkers staged a mass trespass on Kinder Scout, crossing fences erected by wealthy landowners and forging a path towards public access to a wondrous natural treasure. This mist-shrouded, heather-clad, inhospitable moorland remains a firm favourite for ramblers.

The topography of the White Peak to the south is far gentler, with deep forested dales, rolling hills formed from limestone, and stone villages linked by walking trails offering beautiful views of the countryside – a picture-postcard paradise for hikers.

Well wishing

Summer sees a slew of well-dressing ceremonies in scores of towns and villages, an ancient ritual conceived to give thanks for this supply fresh water. Bakewell, a genteel town renowned for its namesake pastry desserts, puts on a decorative display.  It is also home to the Bakewell Country Festival, held this year on 13 July, which presents a plethora of displays and activities dedicated to English country life. In late summer, attention switches to the Chatsworth Country Fair nearby. Attractions at the grand Chatsworth estate on 29-31 August 2025 include hot-air balloons, a vintage fun fair, children’s entertainment, and a shopping village selling local produce and artisanal crafts.

Stately splendour

Chatsworth House, a stately home of the grandest scale, draws hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world annually. Handed down by the Dukes of Devonshire through 16 generations, this Baroque palace comes with splendid gardens designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, who included a magnificent maze to get lost in and a sensational tumbling cascade. The property bestows such elegance and opulence that it has featured in numerous film adaptations, including Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen lodged at The Rutland Arms Hotel in Bakewell in 1811, where she is thought to have revised pages of her best-known novel.

Rival manors in the region include Kedleston Hall just north of Derby, designed by Georgian architect Robert Adam in the 1760s, and Hardwick Hall, near Chesterfield, a beautiful Elizabethan-era country pile built in the 1590s. Both properties are under the auspices of the National Trust, a charitable body set up to preserve and protect the UK’s historic houses.     

Spring town

Northwest of Bakewell and just outside the boundary of the Peak District, Buxton is an impressive regional base for tourists. Developed as a fashionable spa town by the fifth Duke of Devonshire during the late 1700s, it is blessed with some marvellous architectural features and neo-classical buildings. Lined with handsome stone houses, the historic centre is now benefitting from a major revamp, including the Georgian Crescent, built from 1780 to 1790 as part of a plan to compete with Bath in southwest England and its famous Royal Crescent.

Indeed, Buxton’s spa history stems from the Romans, who stumbled upon the pure, healing waters of its warm spring, and built baths and a temple to honour the goddess Arnemetia. Today, a fountain opposite the Crescent at St Ann’s Well spouts out free Buxton Water, so have your bottles ready!   

Cultural cup overfloweth

Other notable architectural splendours include the Pavilion Gardens, a string of Victorian buildings noted for their 19th-century wrought-iron work and an impressive glassy dome. Nearby stands the beautifully refurbished Buxton Opera House, an imposing twin-domed Edwardian construction dating from 1903, and the venue for some magnificent musical performances.

The Buxton International Festival, which takes place from 10-27 July this year, boasts world-class classical music, opera, guest speakers and literary readings. Running concurrently is the Buxton Festival Fringe, which covers music, theatre and film and has a more contemporary vibe. Expect to hear snippets of Shakespeare being performed on the streets, or even at Poole’s Cavern, a vast network of caves dripping with stalactites and stalagmites, where opera and theatre have been performed underground. The eerie darkness of this shadowy cavern complex makes for an unforgettable backdrop to an Elizabethan tragedy.             

Room at the inn

Another delightful town just outside the southern periphery of the Peak District is Ashbourne. Some 20 miles south of Buxton, it features a charming cobbled marketplace surrounded by gorgeous Georgian redbrick buildings. The Green Man & Black’s Head Royal Hotel has become a focal point for the town’s economy since reopening in 2018. Its inn sign dating from 1825, which stretches overhead to the other side of the street, has earned a Guinness World Records mention as the longest in the world. Ashbourne is also famous for hosting the annual Royal Shrovetide Football – a raucous, rumbustious ball game with medieval roots.

Trail park

Ashbourne is the starting point of the Tissington Trail and the gateway to the southern fringes of the White Peak, most notably nearby Dovedale, one of the prettiest of the Peak District river valleys. This stunning stretch of the River Dove, a majestic river which winds its way across much of the national park, comprises a two-mile gorge complete with stepping stones, thickly wooded slopes and weather-beaten rocks. A leisurely hike along its banks is a must. The Dove was famously fished by English writer Izaak Walton (1593-1683), who captured the experience in his iconic tome, The Compleat Angler.

The 13-mile route along the Tissington Trail to Parsley Hay, where it intersects the High Peak Trail, is another fantastic hike. A shorter alternative takes a circular route starting from the Old Station in Tissington itself, running along a dismantled railway line and following an 18th-century dry-stone wall. Breathtaking vistas await of open farmland dotted with small stands of trees, and limestone cuttings brimming with wild flowers, lizards and butterflies.

Other famous hikes in the Peak District include the high plateau above Edale, which denotes the start of the 268-mile Pennine Way footpath, snaking north all the way to Kirk Yetholm on the Scottish border. Above Hathersage, there are spectacular views over the moors, an area thought to have inspired scenes in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. 

Village appetite

Among the region’s historic landmarks is Eyam, where villagers heroically self-imposed a quarantine to combat the plague of 1665-6. Cromford Mills is the location of the first-ever water-powered cotton-spinning mill, and the Crich Tramway Village is a reimagined Victorian street replete with trams from all over the world. The road trip from the market town of Matlock through the Derwent Valley gorge to the spa town of Matlock Bath is an unforgettable experience. Once there, head up to the Heights of Abraham by cable car.   

The sweet of tooth will relish the Peak District’s unique culinary delights. Bakewell cooks fold almond paste and strawberry jam into a pudding (with puff pastry) or a dense tart (shortcrust pastry topped by white fondant icing). Other teatime specials include Derbyshire parkin, made of oatmeal, treacle, almonds and ground ginger; crumbly Buxton pudding, best served with stewed or tinned fruit, jam or sweet sauce; and malt loaf, delicious when sliced and buttered.

Another local favourite is the soft, creamy Dovedale Blue cheese. A savoury treat with a memorable name, Derbyshire fidgety pie traps chopped bacon, apple and onions inside shortcrust pastry.