The Peak District National Park
The Peak District is a stunning area of natural beauty covering over 1,438 km2 (555 sq. miles) and has over 2,500 km of public rights of way to enjoy. The Peak District's very special qualities are well known to the people who live in the towns and cities that surround the National Park but for visitors from further away, whether from Britain or abroad, the magic of the Peak District is just waiting to be discovered.
Here are just a few of the many gems within the Peak District...
Chatsworth House & Gardens
When you drive across the surrounding park and see Chatsworth House for the first time, a sumptuous pile of yellow stone surrounded by gardens, fronted by the River Derwent and backed by a tree-covered hillside, it fairly takes your breath away. It is not hard to see why this is the premier tourist attraction of the area.
The original house here was the work of Bess of Hardwick in the late 16th Century. Though no trace of this can now be seen, the modern house retains many of the Elizabethan interior walls and the Huntingtower on the hill above the house dates from the 1580s.
The first Duke rebuilt Chatsworth in Classical style between 1686 and 1707, with the Library and North Wing added by the 6th Duke between 1790 and 1858. The park was landscaped by the 4th Duke (1720-1764), who engaged 'Capability' Brown to reshape the formal garden into the more natural one you see today.
The 6th Duke engaged Joseph Paxton as the head gardener, resulting in the enrichment of the gardens and the creation of the Emperor Fountain as well as the now demolished Great Conservatory. The house and gardens have remained little changed since the 6th Duke's time.
The house itself is magnificent, if a little overwhelming, while the gardens are a treat, and the surrounding park is a superb area of open space with fine scenery, woods and views of the house and surrounding area - an excellent place for relatively gentle walks.
It is also possible to visit the farmyard behind the house, where typical farm animals can be seen in context; with milking demonstrations and other insights into life on a farm for both the people and the animals. Next to the farmyard there is a small adventure playground.
Derwent Dams
The Upper Valley of the Derwent is a deep valley surrounded by gritstone edges and dominated by three great reservoirs, constructed by the Derwent Valley Water Board primarily to provide water for Sheffield, Derby, Nottingham and Leicester.
The upper two dams, Howden and Derwent, were constructed between 1901 and 1916 and they were such a large undertaking that a village called Birchinlee was constructed in the upper valley to house the workers and a narrow-gauge railway was built between Howden Dam and the Midland Railway at Bamford. Traces of both these may still be seen. The dams were opened in 1916.
In 1935 an even larger project began downstream of the two earlier dams - the construction of Ladybower Dam, which flooded the area around the junction of the Derwent with the Ashop. This project, first mooted in the early 1920s, caused considerable controversy because it involved the flooding of two villages; Ashopton - which lay at the junction of the Ashop and the Derwent - and Derwent, which lay upstream on the Derwent river.
Despite protests the dam went ahead and was finished in 1943, and opened by King George VI, though the reservoir took a further two years to fill. At the time this was the largest reservoir in Britain.
Now the only visible reminder of Derwent and Ashopton is the old packhorse bridge from Derwent village, which was dismantled and re-erected at Slippery Stones. Derwent village can still be seen in very dry summers such as 1959, 1976 and 1995, and the spire of the church was left standing until 1959, when it was demolished. The flooding of the two villages was the worst damage inflicted by the water authorities in their many projects around the Peak District, and highlighted the damage which these can do to the environment - though paradoxically Ladybower is now a major tourist attraction.
Another claim to fame for the Derwent reservoirs is their association with the 'Dambuster' squadron of the RAF, for they used the Derwent to practise for their famous raid on the Ruhr dams. Since then this event has been regularly commemorated in the Derwent valley with fly-pasts of old bombers and aerial displays. There is a small museum on this theme in the west tower of the Derwent Dam.
In recent years forestry has become an important factor here and much of the sides of the Upper Derwent valley have been clothed in conifers. This has made a considerable change to the look of the valley and altered the ecology. However the Forestry Commission are a relatively benevolent landowner who allow access and provide amenities for visitors.
This is a beautiful and popular area which acts as a magnet for visitors in fine weather, so at weekends the valley is full of walkers, cyclists, fell-runners and just plain tourists. To preserve the peace of the Upper Derwent the Peak National Park have closed the road beyond Fairholmes at weekends and a minibus service operates.
Bakewell
Bakewell's name is said to derive from the warm springs in the area - the Domesday book entry calls the town 'Badequella', meaning Bath-well. The town was built on the West bank of the Wye at a spot where it was fordable and the site was probably occupied in Roman times (there is a Roman altar at Haddon Hall, found nearby). The Saxons left their mark here and in 924 Edward the Elder ordered a fortified borough to be built here. The church was founded in 920 and some Saxon fragments can be seen in the porch. However, although parts are Norman, most of the modern building dates from the 13th century and it was virtually rebuilt in the 1840s. It contains many interesting monuments and is well worth a visit.
A few yards up the hill from the church is Old House Museum, housed in one of the few genuinely medieval buildings of the area. This house serves as a local history museum and is in the care of the Bakewell Historical Society. Other places of historical interest include Bagshaw Hall, a fine 17th century house built by a rich lawyer, and several old buildings down King Street, such as the Old Town Hall, the Red Tudor House and the Hospital of the Knight of St John. Just off the Buxton Road lies Victoria Mill, which ground corn from water power until 1939.
Two of the original wells (which serve up water rich in iron at a temperature of 15 degrees Centigrade) still survive. These are the Bath-well in Bath Street and Holywell (or Pete well) in the recreation ground. The others have been filled in long ago. Likewise, little except the bridge across the Wye (built around 1300 though widened since then) now survives of the old Bakewell, which was quite medieval in character until the early 19th century. In 1777 Arkwright opened a mill in the town and it was perhaps the resulting surge in prosperity which caused the town to be largely rebuilt in the 19th century.
One such building is the Rutland Arms, overlooking the town square and built in 1804. Jane Austen stayed here in 1811 and in Pride and Prejudice she has Elizabeth Bennet stopping here to meet the Darcys and Mr Bingley. However the Rutland Arms' chief claim to fame is as the place where the Bakewell Pudding (Bakewell has never heard of tarts) was invented by a chef of 1859 who made a mistake. You can now buy Bakewell Puddings at several establishments across the town, all claiming to have the original unique recipe.
Bakewell has one of the oldest markets in the area, dating from at least 1300. The first recorded fair was held in 1254. Markets are still held every Monday and, unlike most of the other local centres, there is a thriving livestock market at the Agricultural Centre which is well worth a visit. The big event of the year is the annual Bakewell Show, which takes place the first Wednesday and Thursday in August and attracts farmers and many others from all over the Peak District and surrounding area.
There are some very pleasant walks along the river from the bridge in the centre of town. Downstream leads to the recreation ground and upstream takes you to the site of Arkwright's mill, via Holme Hall (a fortified manor house dated 1626) and Holme Bridge (dated 1664). The mill burned down in 1868, but the cottages associated with it (Lumford Terrace), still survive.
Many thanks to the Cressbrook Peak District Tourist Information Website
who supplied the above content - www.cressbrook.co.uk
Motorhome Parks in the Peak District:
Chatsworth Park
Greenhills caravan Park
Selection of Campsites from UK Campsite [ukcampsite.co.uk]