Peak District National Park

The Peak District National Park, embracing a southern extension of the England's Pennine backbone was the first National Park in Britain to be so designated, in April 1951. Today it is, in visitor numbers, the most popular of Britain's National Parks and is commonly referred to as the 'lungs of the industrial Midlands'. More than any other of our National Parks, the Peak District provides essential recreation for the cities of Manchester and Sheffield, including great walking in a vast range of contrasting landscapes. From the High Peak and the wild moorlands of Kinder Scout, the craggy gritstone edges of the Derbyshire Dales and the Staffordshire Moorlands with the Roaches, Dovedale and the Manifold Valley the Peak District excels for walking.

In parts of its northern area the Peak District can be a wild, forbidding place with high peaks at over 600m. This contrasts with the gentler Derbyshire Dales of the southern area where lively streams splash down idyllic valleys, Dovedale being the most justifiably famous example. This contrast is due to the differing geology of the northern and southern areas. The north, together with the east and west perimeters, comprise peat moorland and grey millstone grit, predominantly clad in heather and bracken. This dark brooding appearance has given the area the title 'Dark Peak' and in bad weather it can indeed be a hostile environment. It can also provide exhilarating walking with spectacular views and a wonderful sense of freedom. The southern geology is predominantly limestone, which gives rise to the deep eroded dales and supports a greener and lighter landscape known as 'White Peak'.

Here is a region of endless variety and interest that can provide a lifetime's enjoyable walking. There are idyllic riverside walks, splendid vistas and the glorious colours of spring wildflowers and summer heather. The geology is fascinating, from the dramatic limestone cliffs of White Peak, packed with fossils, to the magnificent gritstone edges with their strange shapes, so typical of Dark Peak. Archaeologically the region is also rewarding with fascinating locations such as Gardom's Edge with its famous rock art, Magpie Mine and the ceremonial monument at Arbor Low, all of which make good destinations for a walk.

On bank holiday weekends honeypots like Dovedale, Bakewell and Castleton become very crowded and are probably best avoided, but it is quite easy to escape the crowds with a map and walking guide and have relative solitude in which to absorb the sights and sounds of the countryside. Within the White Peak area good locations to walk are Lathkill Dale from Monyash, Thor's Cave from Wetton, Pilsbury Castle, Chatsworth from Bakewell, Tideswell and Cheedale. There is also easy walking on the Tissington Trail which follows the trackway of a disused railway. In the Dark Peak good locations are the Goyt Valley, Stanage Edge, Shutlingsoe, Win Hill, Kinder South and the Woolpacks, Stanton Moor and The Roaches. From Edale, of course, you can walk part of the Pennine Way which begins there.

The picturesque villages of the Peak District, with their stone cottages, often adjacent to a village stream are a haven of peaceful tranquillity. Village ponds and packhorse bridges, market crosses and cobbled streets, and unusual churches make them worth visiting and a base for walking.

Each of the villages has its own character. Castleton with its caverns and castle, Eyam the ‘plague village’ where the stories of the tragedy are still told today, and Hartington, home of Stilton cheese. Quieter more rural villages include Alport and Middleton near Bakewell in their limestone dales, or the gritstone villages of Edale in the Hope Valley and Longnor near Buxton. Current or previous estate villages with remarkable architecture include Edensor, the village connected to Chatsworth, Tissington, Ilam and Osmaston.

Hartington

Hartington is an attractive small town close to the River Dove between Buxton and Ashbourne and surrounded by beautiful scenery. Georgian houses built in fawn coloured stone surround a spacious town square, lending a feeling of quiet elegance to the town. The red sandstone church of St Giles with its battlements and curious gargoyles overlooks the town, and on the outskirts Hartington Hall, a youth hostel, once played host to Bonnie Prince Charlie. Hartington is one of only two towns in England that can make genuine Stilton cheese. Nearby Beresford Dale, a beautiful stretch of the River Dove, can be reached via a footpath from the town.

A Walk from Hartington [SK 128604] OS Maps: Explorer™ OL24

Leave Hartington by a waymarked footpath heading south for Beresford Dale. The opening stages of the path are gravelled and broad, but after crossing a narrow lane it becomes a field path. After passing to the right of Pennilow, a small but attractive hill, the way descends to Morson Wood and the River Dove in Beresford Dale. A footbridge leads over the river by Pike Pool and on the hillside near here you will see a tower that is all that remains of Beresford Hall, once the home of Charles Cotton of fishing fame.

The river is re-crossed at Beresford Lane, by a narrow wooden footbridge after which you continue over a broad riverside meadow. At the next footbridge turn you back on the river, ascending a walled lane which diminishes to a footpath. Turn right with the track and left at a metalled road. Turn left onto a waymarked farm track and follow it until you come to another metalled road. Turn left here to return to Hartington. About 3 miles.

Best Pub for this walk
The Devonshire Arms, Market Sq, Hartington Tel: 0129884232 (Good Pub Guide)
Situated in the very centre of Hartington, this attractive old pub offers good food from a choice of simple bar meals which include local specialities such as Hartington Chicken and grilled rainbow trout. The flag-stoned public bar with log fires on colder days welcomes walkers and there are tables out in front facing the village duck pond. Accommodation is available.

Click here for walking guidebooks to the Peak District National Park