Peak District

Britain’s first national park is a landscape of two distinct halves. To the north, the Dark Peak rises into broad gritstone moors, broken by rocky edges, deep cloughs and peat-covered plateaux. To the south, the White Peak softens into limestone dales, green pastures, dry-stone walls and clear rivers winding beneath wooded slopes.

Kinder Scout and Bleaklow provide the wildest walking. Their open moorland can feel remarkably remote, particularly when cloud settles across the plateau and the paths disappear into peat. Around Stanage, Froggatt and the Roaches, great gritstone edges offer shorter walks with expansive views and some of Britain’s finest climbing.

The limestone country brings a different character entirely. Trails pass through dramatic valleys such as Dovedale, Monsal Dale and Cave Dale, linking old villages, historic halls, abandoned railways and remnants of the region’s mining past.

The Peak District is accessible, but never entirely tame. Step beyond its famous viewpoints and you will find quiet moorland, hidden valleys and paths shaped by generations of walkers. This is where Britain’s modern access movement gathered momentum — a landscape made for exploring freely, responsibly and on foot.