Planning a trip to the Peak District National Park in England but not sure where to start?

The Peak District covers a huge area and spans five counties (Cheshire, Derbyshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire and Yorkshire) so you can imagine how tough it might be to find the best place for you!

Here you will find my resources for a planning a trip to the Peak District, including tips on where to stay, what to do and other useful information what you’ll need for an enjoyable holiday.

Simply jump to the option you need to research or scroll down to help plan your trip

Contents

How to get there + transport options?

Where to stay in the Peak District?

Things to do in the Peak District

Other Peak District resources

how to get there?

As with the other National Parks in the UK, driving tends to be the best option for visiting the Peak District. It gives you more options for travelling to those off the beaten track places and generally gives you more flexibility.

Car rental options

Enterprise

Hertz

Avis

Train options

However, you can still visit the lovely Peak District by public transport, there are two train lines that run through the National Park, the Hope Valley line (Northern Railway) and the Derwent Valley line (East Midlands Railway).

Hope Valley Line (Northern Railway)

You can catch trains from either Sheffield or Manchester stations, these are the Peak District stops below. You can click links to see what walks you can do from those locations or nearby.

The Northern Railway also has a second route which runs from Manchester to Buxton. Although Buxton isn’t officially part of the Peak District, it’s located pretty much in the middle! This line has a few stops that go near the Peak District too.

  • Chinley
  • Chapel-en-le-Frith
  • Dove Holes
  • Buxton

Derwent Valley Line (East Midlands Railway)

This line goes from Derby to Matlock, again it doesn’t go directly through the Peak District, but it goes pretty close. These are the closest stops you can get to on this route.

  • Cromford
  • Matlock Bath
  • Matlock

Bus options

Travel South Yorkshire runs a bus service from Sheffield to Bamford, stopping at these locations (some more than one stop, please click to research)

where to stay in the peak district?

If you’re looking to spend a weekend or a few days in the Peak District, or even longer then you’ll want to know where the best place to stay is.

These are my top recommendations on where to stay based on their location and nearby walks in the area.

Accommodation options

YHA (budget accommodation)

Booking.com (Guesthouses, B&Bs, hotels)

Airbnb (Bespoke accommodation options)

Campsites

Wild camping

Things to do in the peak district

The Peak District is perfect for outdoor lovers, as well as walking there are many other outdoor activities you can do, including:

Or if you are looking for a few other ideas, maybe ideas for a rainy day or something a bit different:

other peak district resources

As well as this AMAZING website (wink wink), there are a few other really useful Peak District resources that you might find useful when planning your trip.

Useful Peak District websites

Peak District National Park – https://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/home

Visit Peak District – https://www.visitpeakdistrict.com

Visit Buxton – https://www.visitbuxton.co.uk/peak-district-national-park/

Inspiring Peak District Instagram accounts

@PeakDistrictWalksUK (our Instagram!)

@VisitPeakDistrict

@PeakDistrictNationalPark

@Your_PeakDistrict

Helpful Peak District Facebook groups

Peak District Walks (members only peakdistrictwalks.net) – Join by signing up to weekly walks newsletter

Peak District Photography

Walking around the Peak District

Peak District National Park Community

Peak District Kids

.

*Peak District Walks participates in the Amazon Services Associates Programme, as well as other affiliate programmes. If you purchase through these, Peak District Walks earn from the qualifying links. This is at no extra cost to you. Read more here.