Peak District

[rockyracoon]

My parents are taking the kids away for a few days in the summer holidays, OH and I are going to have a break away ourselves, I quite fancy the Peak District, any advice on whereabouts, I want somewhere we can walk to pubs and restaurants etc, I want to use the car a little as possible.

Thanks for any replies.

[sunny-dave]

I love the Peak District - used to live up there.

I'd suggest Bakewell or Buxton - Buxton is bigger with more to see/do, Bakewell is more 'in the countryside'.

I've got some info about a really nice self catering place that I used a while ago - but you need a car because it's a few miles out of Buxton.

[sunny-dave]

There is a cracking good Thai restaurant in Buxton too :)

[Buenchico]

If you want a reasonable-sized town then, as S-D suggests, Buxton is probably your best option. However (as S-D also suggests) it doesn't have the 'rural' feel which many people seek in the Peak District. Bakewell is indeed a good alternative, as is Castleton:
http://www.castleton.co.uk/

Chris

[rockyracoon]

Thank you both, I've got a bit of thinking to do, Castleton looks lovely and all the hotels seem to get good reviews on Tripadvisor, just got to convince the OH that a walking holiday will be up our street ;)

[Eve]

Castleton is lovely and there are some lovely tea shops and a good chippie and nice pub you can side outside in the sunshine.

Some nice walks from round there too (Mam Tor etc...) and you have the caverns and Peveril Castle, ruins only but a lovely view and nice to explore (if a little bit of a steep climb where they cunningly put the office you pay to go through in front of so you don't see if til you've paid out haha).

Bakewell and surrounding villages are lovely and Chatsworth House is near there. I agree with the Buxton comments, lovely little place but much more small towny. There used to be a lovely old fashioned sweet shop but couldn't find it last time I went. The park is really nice for a wander round and on some days they have farmer type markets on in the hall next to the park.

Edale has some nice walks too and a nice pub by the station with a large beergarden.

A bit further afield you have Lyme Park and a lovely pub in Disley with an open fire.

Matlock is lovely too! Really nice in the sunshine and lots of pubs to sit outside (and often lots of bikers) and cable cars going up to the Heights of Abraham where there are some lovely views and caverns you can go for a tour in.

Eyam (the plague village) is interesting too and has some nice pubs and tea shops and a hall which has craft shops in a lovely courtyard with a teashop (nice cake!). Some nice walks around there too and they get involved in a flower festival round there with big displays, we saw some in a neighbouring village (Stoney Middleton I think) which we walked to from there, another pub with a good beer garden.

Up over the Cat & Fiddle is also well worth a drive, some stunning views (and a pub!) and often paragliders up there flying about.

[rockyracoon]

Wow Jenna, sold, I definitely want to go now. The walk up Mam Tor, is it a bit heavy going? I want to see the views.

[Eve]

Erm, I kinda copped out (arthritis). My mates went up there and I went up Peveril Castle and we managed to wave at each other :) They said it was a pretty moderate walk. I had a lovely potter around Castleton, lots of coffee and photo taking and such then sat outside a lovely pub in the sunshine with a book waiting for the wanders to return. Was a lovely day.

I think I might have just found you rocky profile on FB (or some stranger is going to be very very confused!) so sent a message, feel free to add me to look through my albums on there are lots of photos of various places round the peaks, Eyam, Edale, Castleton Matlock, Buxton, Cat & Fiddle, Lyme Park...

Beauty of living in Manchester, so close to the Peaks and the Lakes :)

My friends are also very good walkers so I can try and get some walk ideas from them - they do quite a few round the peaks.

[rockyracoon]

Many thanks Jenna, Just found you on the rocky fb, I'll friends request you as the real me.

[Eve]

Ok, lots of random faffy ones of my arsing about with my camera but enough to get an idea :) The Lyme Park ones are in the "Mr Darcy" album for "imaginative" reasons haha!

[rockyracoon]

Jenna, just having a flick through your pics to find the album with peak district in, unfortunately I seem stuck on one that I noticed and can't seem to remove myself from it, it's titled hunks.............ding dong!

[sherrardk]

Has anyone mentioned Dovedale? There is a nice (short) walk by the river and across the stepping stones (near to a pub called the Okeover Arms that we nearly bought!). Lovely part of the country, would have been happy to settle there.

[rockyracoon]

Funny enough sherr, I was just looking at Dovedale, is it near Castleton? I think I'm set on staying there.

[sherrardk]

I only went there once, but the area is lovely and the pub we were going to buy does accommodation (don't know what it's like these days). Not sure how central it is for lots of walks without using the car though. (We nearly lived in lots of places that I only went to once!)

[sherrardk]

This is the place with the stepping stones http://www.google.co....l=en-gb&client=safari

[rockyracoon]

Thanks Sherr, I'll have a lookey at that.

[Eve]

Ah hahaha :) Ooh I haven't updated that for a while, got a few to add at some point! :D

[rockyracoon]

I just got stuck staring at Timothy Olyphant.

[sunny-dave]

I was around Castleton and Edale on the bike last week - forgotten just how pretty it all is (I tend to stay more over the Dovedale/Tideswell area).

Going down Winnats Pass on a wet road surface is quite 'interesting' on a big bike ...