Peak District

Best things to do in Peak District

1. 

   1

   1. Chatsworth House

   • Half a day to a full day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families
   • Couples
   • Rainy day

   A stately home in the Derbyshire Dales, 4 miles north-east of Bakewell, and the seat of the Duke of Devonshire. It has belonged to the Cavendish family since 1549 and stands in parkland on the east bank of the River Derwent.

   Check opening times and ticket arrangements with the operator before you go.

   24,872 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Chatsworth House
2. 2

   2. Haddon Hall

   • 2 to 3 hours
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Couples
   • Families

   A medieval manor house on the River Wye near Bakewell, a former seat of the Dukes of Rutland. Its origins are in the 11th century, with additions between the 13th and 17th centuries.

   Check opening times and ticket arrangements with the operator before you go.

   8,598 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Haddon Hall

3. 

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   3. Ladybower and Derwent Reservoirs

   • 2 to 4 hours
   • No booking needed
   • Active
   • Families
   • Couples

   Reservoirs in the Upper Derwent Valley in Derbyshire. The River Derwent flows through Howden, Derwent and then Ladybower Reservoir, and together they supply much of Derbyshire's water.

   7,486 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Ladybower Reservoir
   • Wikipedia, Derwent Reservoir (Derbyshire)

4. 

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   4. Buxton

   • Half a day
   • No booking needed
   • Couples
   • No car needed
   • Rainy day

   A spa town on the edge of the Peak District National Park and England's highest market town, at about 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level.

   7,052 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Buxton

5. 

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   5. Castleton: Peak Cavern and Peveril Castle

   • Half a day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families
   • Active
   • Couples

   A village at the western end of the Hope Valley. Peak Cavern, also called the Devil's Arse, is one of four show caves there and has the largest natural cave entrance in Britain. Peveril Castle is a ruined 11th-century castle with views across the Hope Valley.

   Check opening times and ticket arrangements with the operator before you go.

   6,742 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Castleton, Derbyshire
   • Wikipedia, Peak Cavern
   • Wikipedia, Peveril Castle

6. 

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   6. Eyam

   • 1 to 2 hours
   • No booking needed
   • Couples
   • Families

   A village in the Peak District National Park, known above all for choosing to isolate itself when bubonic plague arrived in 1665, to stop the infection spreading.

   5,703 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Eyam

7. 

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   7. Lyme Park

   • Half a day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families
   • Couples
   • Active

   A National Trust estate south of Disley in Cheshire, within the Peak District National Park. It has a mansion, formal gardens and a deer park, and the house is the largest in Cheshire.

   Check opening times and ticket arrangements with the operator before you go.

   4,753 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Lyme Park

8. 

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   8. Bakewell

   • 2 to 3 hours
   • No booking needed
   • Couples
   • Families
   • No car needed

   A market town on the River Wye, the largest settlement and only town within the Peak District National Park. It is close to Chatsworth House and Haddon Hall and best known for Bakewell pudding and Bakewell tart.

   4,460 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Bakewell

9. 

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   9. Kinder Scout

   • A full day
   • No booking needed
   • Active

   A moorland plateau and National Nature Reserve in the Dark Peak. At 636 metres, it is the highest point in the Peak District.

   Check the weather and your route before you go; this is high, exposed moorland.

   3,293 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Kinder Scout
10. 10

    10. Mam Tor

    • 1 to 3 hours
    • No booking needed
    • Active
    • Families

    A 517 m hill near Castleton, whose name means "mother hill". Frequent landslips on its eastern face give it the alternative name Shivering Mountain.

    3,107 readers a month

    Sources

    • Wikipedia, Mam Tor

Just missed the list: Monsal Trail (11th by readers; an 8.5-mile walking and cycling trail on a former railway); Dovedale (12th by readers; a valley owned by the National Trust with stepping stones across the River Dove)