The Peak District (England’s oldest national park)
The Peak District is England’s oldest National Park, opened in 1951, after years of campaigning by local people for people to have access to walking country near Manchester and Sheffield. Before that, many areas were banned to the public by rich landowners.
The park covers over 550 square mils of rolling hills, valleys and villages, and is mostly in Derbyshire, but rolls into nearby counties. It’s the most popular park due to being so accessible to millions of people.
Always follow the Countryside Code to keep all creatures safe. Keep dogs away from steep banks, mushrooms (and toxic plants/trees) and on leads near birds, barnyard friends and wild ponies.
If at the coast, keep away from nesting birds and never walk on sand dunes. Learn how to keep dogs safe by the seaside (check beach bans before travel).
How to upright an overturned sheep
Pregnant sheep (and sometimes due to wool waterlogged from rain) can sometimes roll over onto their backs, and can’t get back upright, due to having four stomach chambers (so will die if not turned back upright).
If you see a sheep on its back, just firmly right it back, then stay with it, until rain has drained off, so it won’t happen again. Then inform your local farmer.
The Dark Peak is known for gritstone edges, peat moorland, and big skies. Walks here can feel wide, windy, and slightly stern, like Kinder Scout and Stanage Edge.
White Peak has gentler limestone dales, caves and green pastures. Paths often follow streams or thread between dry-stone walls. Dovedale is the best-known example, with stepping stones and steep-sided valley views.
The Peak District isn’t just for boots and waterproofs. Bakewell brings together local food, stone buildings, and a town centre that still feels lived in. It makes a good base, but it also stands well on its own for a short visit. Learn how to make vegan Bakewell tart!
Wild Peaks is a journey on foot by travel writer Tom Chesshyre through the Peak District National Park, which is more than the ‘howling wilderness’ that Daniel Defoe described 300 years ago.
Designed to let hikers escape from industrial Manchester and Sheffield, this Park is home to ridges of rock, peat, farms, villages, cloughs and taverns.
How has the dramatic landscape fared in the last 75 years? Tom hits the trails on a 363-mile ramble to find out, and to celebrate the symbolic home of hiking. Following winding paths, passing at old inns and mountain huts and meeting a rich cast of historians, mountaineers and publicans.
