The Peak District (England’s Oldest National Park)
England has 10 National Parks (which seems a lot, but actually is nothing like many other countries (Turkey has over 60). We also have National Landscapes (the new name for Areas of Outstanding Beauty). The idea is that nobody can come along and build on them, so here’s hoping to protect birds and native wildlife. And provide lovely walking holidays for outdoorsy-people!
When out walking, always follow the Countryside Code, to keep all creatures safe. At the coast, read how to keep dogs safe by the seaside.
The Peak District was opened back in 1951, after years of campaigning by local people, who were banned from walking near areas owned by rich landowners. It’s one of England’s most popular walking holiday destinations, if only because it’s very accessible to people living in the surrounding counties.
Covering over 550 square miles, this is a Park full of rolling hills, valleys and villages.
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.
