Farm Accommodation In The Peak District

Peak District Online Ltd Cartledge House Farm Great Hucklow, SK17 8RG, United Kingdom, 0845 166 8022, info@peakdistrictonline.co.uk

Places To Visit

http://www.peakdistrict-farmaccommodation.co.uk

12:49 10-Sep-2010


 

There's always plenty to do in the Peak District and Derbyshire, whether you're uncovering the secrets of the ancient custom of well dressing, participating in a National Park Ranger guided walk, swinging high above the Derwent Valley on a cable car ride at the Heights of Abraham or having fun at a theme park.
Whatever your interest, you'll find a huge range of events available, from walking festivals, sheep dog trials and country shows to farmers' markets, art exhibitions, music festivals, culinary demonstrations or even woodland laser quest in the National Forest!
Don't miss the regular concerts and events at stately homes such as Chatsworth or Calke Abbey, the joys of the famous opera house at Buxton or the annual food fair and historic re-enactments at Bolsover Castle.
The Peak District provides opportunities for many types of outdoor activity. An extensive network of public footpaths and numerous long-distance trails, over 1,800 miles (2,900 km) in total, as well as large open-access areas, are available for hill-walking and hiking. Bridleways are commonly used by mountain bikers, as well as horse riders. Some of the long-distance trails, such as the Tissington Trail and High Peak Trail, re-use former railway lines; they are well used by walkers, horse riders and cyclists. The Park authorities run cycle hire centres at Ashbourne, Parsley Hay and Middleton Top. Wheelchair access is possible at several places on the former railway trails, and cycle hire centres offer vehicles adapted to wheelchair users.

Beneath the ground, the potholer enjoys natural caves, the potholes and old mine workings found in the limestone of the Peak. Peak Cavern is the largest and most important cave system which is even linked to the Speedwell system at Winnats. The only significant potholes are Eldon Hole and Nettle Pot. There are many old mine workings, which often were extensions of natural cave systems. Systems can be found at Castleton, Winnats, Matlock, Stoney Middleton, Eyam, Monyash and Buxton.
Some of the area's large reservoirs, for example Carsington Water, have become centres for water sports, including sailing, fishing and canoeing, in this most landlocked part of the UK. Other activities include air sports such as hang gliding and paragliding, bird watching, fell running, off-roading, and orienteering.

The spa town of Buxton was developed by the Dukes of Devonshire as a genteel health resort in the eighteenth century and is now the largest town in the Peak District. It has an opera house with a theatre, museum and art gallery. Another spa town is Matlock Bath, popularised in the Victorian era and is often likened to a seaside resort without sea, neighbouring Matlock also has many fine buildings that were once elegant spa hotels but have now been transformed into offices, schools and flats. Bakewell is the largest settlement within the National Park; its five-arched bridge over the River Wye dates from the 13th century and tourists come from all over the world to wander the quaint streets and enjoy the town’s most famous export – the Bakewell pudding.
The Peak district has more than its fair share of stately homes and country houses, many of which have been used in television and film dramas. Historic buildings include Chatsworth House, seat of the Dukes of Devonshire and among Britain's finest stately homes; the medieval Haddon Hall, seat of the Dukes of Rutland; Hardwick Hall, built by powerful Elizabethan Bess of Hardwick; and Lyme Park, an Elizabethan manor house transformed by an Italianate front. Many of the Peak's villages and towns have fine parish churches, with a particularly magnificent example being the fourteenth century Church of St John the Baptist at Tideswell, sometimes dubbed the 'Cathedral of the Peak' and reputed to hold the grave of Little John from Robin Hood fame.
The picturesque village of Castleton, overshadowed by the Norman Peveril Castle, has four show caves, the Peak, Blue John, Treak Cliff, and Speedwell, and is the centre of production of the unique semi-precious mineral, Blue John. Other show caves and mines include the Heights of Abraham, reached by cable car, at Matlock Bath, and Poole's Cavern in Buxton. The small village of Eyam is known for its self-imposed quarantine during the Black Death of 1665 and the churchyard has many gravestones from that era.
The Mining Museum at Matlock Bath, which includes tours of the Temple Lead Mine, and the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and Brindley Water Mill at Leek give insight into the Peak's industrial heritage. The preserved steam railway between Matlock and Rowsley, the National Tramway Museum at Crich and the Cromford Canal all chart the area's transport history.
Well dressing ceremonies are held in most of the villages during the spring and summer months, in a tradition said to date from pagan times. Other local customs include Castleton's annual Garland Festival and Ashbourne's Royal Shrovetide Football, played annually since the 12th century. Buxton hosts two opera festivals, the Buxton Festival and the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, as well as the Buxton Festival Fringe, and the Peak Literary Festival is held at various locations twice a year.