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The Peak District and Derbyshire

Welcome to ThePeakDistrict.net and our Peak District and Derbyshire information, useful online links, local villages sections and cottage holiday sites for a relaxing stay in this wonderful part of the north of England.

The Peak District sprawls across parts of Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire. The Peak District National Park itself is contained within the greater area of the Peak District. The Peak District has many faces for the visitor and all have something special to offer. The larger towns, like Buxton, Macclesfield, Leek. Matlock, Ashbourne, Wirksworth, Glossop and Holmfirth are on the outer fringes of the National Park but all of them make great jumping off points for exploration of the Peak District and surrounding areas. Buxton is an old, once elegant, spa town, famed for the beneficial properties of its spring waters from Roman times. Today it is often referred to as, 'the gateway to the peak'. It's 'glory days' were in the 18th and 19th centuries when aristocacy visited the town to 'take the waters', to 'see and be seen' in the right places. Much of the interesting architecture in the town dates back to this period, including The Crescent, reminiscent of that in Bath. Nearby Macclesfield was once famous for its silk production and was once the world's biggest producer of finished silk and, today, its heritage is recognised in a working museum demonstrating the history and skills of the industry. Holmfirth, of course, is well known as the setting for the long-running TV favourite, 'Last of the Summer Wine'. Wirksworth, a town mentioned in the Domesday Book, was at one time a centre of the lead mining industry in the region.

The many villages and small towns are pretty and also interesting, with lots of places to visit, and most are linked by networks of minor roads making access easy. The area of the 'Dales', like Dovedale, is also easy to access by road. The northern part of the Peak District is mainly comprised of the open moors, which draw hikers and climbers to them like a magnet draws steel.

Read about The Peak District and the history of The Right To Roam