A bit like the Lake District, the Peak is another range of low mountains, incredibly popular with walkers. It is, however, closer to London, nestled in the centre of the country below Manchester and Sheffield. The area is bigger over all, and the valleys much wider, than the Lake district, so rather than the repeating pattern of lake-filled valleys you find massive stretches of woodland (magnificent in October and early November) and sparkling rivers. The Peak District also has some major cultural highlights, so you're able to balance the beauty of the great outdoors with an exploration of Britain's heritage. The "peaks" that loom out of these valleys, especially in the North, are high and rugged. These are wild moors that will remind you of Wuthering Heights. And you've probably seen them in many films; most recently in Pride and Prejudice, where we saw Kiera Knightly standing on a particularly dramatic rock escarpment with the moors spreading around her. That's a typical landscape for any walker to find with a bit of a ramble.
My top sight in the region, despite all the natural beauty, is a house. Chatsworth is known as "the palace of the Peak", and if you can only see one English country house, this is the one to visit. It encapsulates all the elements of the great estates of the nobility, in great style. The Dukes of Devonshire have been building and remodelling here since Tudor times. The bulk of the main house is 17th century, but parts have been added in every era. The state rooms are amongst the most impressive in the country, equal to most of the royal palaces. The artwork, furniture and architecture combine to dazzle, and the size of the place leaves you exhausted by the time you get to the fabulous shop in the orangery. But you're only half through. The gardens at Chatsworth are amongst the best in the country, on par with many a civic botanical garden. There are formal allees, luscious vistas over the rolling countryside, walled gardens, wilderness gardens, a dramatic stepped water feature than rolls down a hill to the house and a woodland walk up to the Tudor hunting tower that offers magnificent views. There's also a petting zoo for kids, and the restaurant and shopping on offer in the stable complex is excellent. In fact, all the shops at Chatsworth are particularly good; a range of boutiques for house and garden offering the distinctive and beautiful.
About a mile from the main house you'll find the Chatsworth Farm Shop. These days, every major estate has one (I live half a mile from the Queen's version) but when the Duchess launched it, this was the first of its kind. No rustic attempts here. The shop is a miniature version of the food halls you find in the great London stores, but filled with local produce, artisan baked goods and all manner of gourmet delights. The selection of ales and ciders from small breweries is one of the biggest I've seen.
Stop by the Chatsworth Farm shop to assemble a luxury picnicWhilst the gardens are at their best in the late spring, and the walks around the house are perfect for summer rambles, Chatsworth is a particular delight just before Christmas. Most country houses aren't open in the winter. Chatsworth embraces the season, allowing you to tour a festively decorated house. The shops are stuffed with great gifts and local groups sing carols. The farm shop erects a large tent to hold all its Christmas specialty products.
For truly spectacular walking country, head a bit deeper into the Peaks to the village of Castleton. It sits at the bottom of big, deep bowl of a valley, encircled by a line of high, mostly continuous hills. Once you've made your initial ascent (somewhat strenuous, but even the unfit can make it at a gentle pace) you can walk for several miles on the ridge of the hills, with magnificent views in every direction. There's a six-mile walk that starts and ends in the village, taking in the neolithic fort on one of the highest points in the area, Mam Tor. The visitors' centre in Castleton has maps and guides to the region, and a big car park from which you can start your rambles.
The hills around Castleton are also filled with caves, many open to the public. I haven't made it in one yet, but it's on my to do list. They're particularly famous for the mineral bluejohn, a blueish-purple stone that, when polished, resembles coloured alabaster. This is the only place in the world it's found. It became the rage in the 18th century; most Georgian country houses have a couple of impressive bluejohn vases in their collection. (Chatsworth, as you can imagine, is filled with the stuff.) Unfortunately, all the seams that yielded big pieces were mined out 100 years ago. They are still mining small pieces that are used in jewelry, however, and Castleton in filled with charming little shops selling bluejohn.
My favourite place to stay in the Peak District is an unusual B&B called Stoney Ridge. Unusual because it's a modern house, and because it has an indoor pool. The latter is something you rarely see outside the homes of the very rich. The house sits on a hilltop in almost three acres of gardens with lovely views. Coming home from a day of hiking and having a relaxing swim
before a hearty pub dinner is a perfect way to end the day. There is in excellent pub (the name of which escapes me) just down the hill from the house, so you can leave the car behind and have a few drinks to wash down that hearty meal. Proprietors Helen and Richard Plant are well travelled, especially in America, and fond of American visitors. They also allow dogs, making my life much easier. www.cressbrook.co.uk/hopev/stoneyridgeThose are my Peak District "must sees". There's enough to keep you busy in the district for a week, however. To me, the best way to explore it is to simply get in a car and drive around, stopping when a site inspires you. A few other picks:
- Head further north into the district for bigger hills and wilder landscapes.
- Haddon Hall, near Bakewell, is another gem of a house. This one is entirely late medieval, as much castle as home, fortunately left alone for hundreds of years as the family lived in other properties. Another one you'll probably recognise when you see it, as it's been used in many films. The rose gardens are particularly impressive in June.
- Bakewell itself is a pleasant town in which to ramble. While there, it's compulsory to treat yourself to a bakewell pudding. This concoction of puff pastry with jam base and a topping of eggs, sugar, butter and almonds is the ancestor to the millions of mass produced Bakewell Tarts on British grocery shelves. The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop supposedly makes the best, although they all taste good to me.
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