




B & B Special Offers | Special Offer on Short Stays | | Mon 04 Jan 2010 to Fri 12 Feb 2010 | | 10% discount on 3 nights or more.The Old Farmhouse cottage is self-contained with own access and complete privacy. Great views with walks from the doorstep. Pets Welcome £2.50pn | Location: Darley Moor, Matlock Tel: 01629 733838 Email Web Link |
| THREE NIGHTS FOR TWO | | Fri 01 Jan 2010 to Sun 28 Feb 2010 | | Three nights for the price of two in January and February 2010 | Location: Rowsley Tel: 01629 732987 Email Web Link |
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The Peak District is an upland region of Midland and Northern England which encompasses a large part of Derbyshire plus parts of Staffordshire, Cheshire and Yorkshire. The Peak District is an area of great natural beauty with rugged, peat-covered moorlands and magnificent limestone dales, plus picturesque villages and some interesting towns. It is the location of Britain's first National Park - the Peak District National Park, which is the the world's second most visited National Park.
The Peak District is within 50 miles (80km) of 50% of Britain's population - and is within easy reach of Manchester, Sheffield, Nottingham, Derby and Stoke-on-Trent. This means it attracts numerous day-trippers and weekend visitors as well as longer-term visitors.
The Peak District has numerous interesting and exciting tourist attractions. Probably the chief among these is Chatsworth House - a magnificent house set in a landscaped park which is the home of the Dukes of Devonshire - major landowners in the area. This is followed by Haddon Hall outside Bakewell - the home of the Manners family, who are the Dukes of Rutland. Haddon Hall is notable because it was left untouched for many centuries before being restored in the early 20th century, so it now shows us just what a medieval manor house looked like.
On the western fringe of the Peak District there is Lyme Hall - a National Trust property which was once the home of the Legh family. This was used in the 1990s BBC version of 'Pride and Prejudice' as the home of Mr D'Arcy. To the east, just outside the National Park area, lies Hardwick Hall, another National Trust Property which was built by Bess of Hardwick - one of the most powerful women of the Elizabethan era. See our 'Great Houses' page for information about more sights like these.
If you are interested in history then the Peak District has many places of interest. These range from the Stone Circles at Arbor Low and Stanton Moor, through the hill fort at Mam Tor and the Norman Castle (Peveril Castle) at nearby Castleton through to Richard Arkwright's original cotton mill (the world's first) at Cromford. See our 'Ancient Monuments' page for more about these. In addition, there are numerous fine churches, such as Tideswell Church, known locally as 'The Cathedral of the Peak. See our 'Local Churches' page for a fuller list.
The Peak District is a fine place for outdoor activities such as walking and cycling, and each week and especially at weekends, many thousands of people come here to enjoy these activities. This website has full information about this, plus a number of routes to follow, as well as outline information about minority sports such as rock-climbing, caving and hang-gliding.
There are numerous interesting towns to explore. Buxton is the one with the longest history, having been founded by the Romans, who exploited the warm spring water to build thermal baths, for which the town became very popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. As a result it has some magnificent buildings, notably the Georgian Crescent and the Opera House. It now has a thriving music and arts festival each summer.
Bakewell was founded in Saxon Times and is the home of the Peak District National Park Authority and is a busy market town notable for its livestock market. To the south lies Ashbourne, another market town founded by the Saxons, now the southern gateway to the Peak District.
In the north, Glossop is a former mill town which is the gateway to the nothern part of the Peak, controlling the routes across the Pennines. More mill towns lie around the western and south-western fringes of the Peak - Macclesfield and Leek, which were both once centres for the manufacture of silk.
Matlock's development is surprisingly recent as access to it from the south was difficult until the 19th century, but after this it developed rapidly as a spa, and it is now the county town of Derbyshire. Matlock Bath has numerous tourist sites and is a popular destination for day-trippers.
Not far from Matlock, Wirksworth is another ancient Saxon market town which was once the centre of the local lead mining industry, which has left it with narrow winding streets and rows of quaint miners' cottages.
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Cottage Special Offers | Half term in Castleton | | Fri 05 Feb 2010 to Fri 12 Feb 2010 | | An historic and prestigious award winning country property offering an exclusive self-catering holiday for up to six people. Please phone for details 01433620257 | Location: Castleton Tel: 01433 620257 Email Web Link |
| Any 2 or 3 night short break | | Mon 04 Jan 2010 to Thu 18 Mar 2010 | | 2/3 night short break £280/ £330 for 4 adults or £190/ £240 for 2 adults (use of only one en-suite bedroom) Excludes 12th - 21st Feb incl. | Location: Buxton Tel: 01298 77723 Email Web Link |
| Late availability offer | | Sat 06 Feb 2010 to Sat 20 Feb 2010 | VALENTINES WEEKEND Reduced from £400 to £290 for the weekend or part week in Chestnut Cottage. HALF TERM WEEK (13th Feb to 20th Feb) Reduced from £575 to | Location: Hope Tel: 01433-621426 Email Web Link |
| The Garret at The Old Chapel | | Sat 13 Feb 2010 to Sat 20 Feb 2010 | Luxury accommodation for up to 6 guests Half term week - Sat 13th Feb to Sat 20th Feb Special offer £485 | Location: Tideswell Tel: 01298 871912 Email Web Link |
| Discount Offers | | Wed 06 Jan 2010 to Fri 30 Apr 2010 | | 10% OFF WEEKLY RATES BOOKED > 6 WEEKS IN ADVANCE; FEBRUARY SPECIAL OFFERS, 2 NIGHTS £80; 3 NIGHTS £105, 7 NIGHTS £170. VACANCIES FROM FEB 7TH, WKDAY & WKEND | Location: Middleton by Wirksworth Tel: 01629 824519 Email Web Link |
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