Three days in the Peak District: Magnificent landscapes, pubs and pastries

We’ve assumed a base roughly in the middle of the park, from which you can spend a few days dodging mermaids on windblown ridges, browsing magnificent halls, boating in the dark and settling your preference for Bakewell’s two eponymous pastry perfections. 

First night: dinner in a great community pub

However you’re travelling to the Peak District, try and make time to get over to The Angler’s Rest in Bamford for dinner. The pub is a heartwarming community success story, saved from ruin by the locals and now playing the role of everything from the village post office to a live music venue. There’s a station in Bamford, so with a change at Sheffield you can be sitting down to a meal in just under three hours from London, or an hour and a quarter from Manchester. 

Day 1: Trails, puddings and grandeur

Get your experience of walking in the Peak District off to an easy start, with the lovely level paths of the Monsal Trail. Abandoned railway lines that run for 8.5 miles between Bakewell in the south and Blackwell Mill in the north can be joined at multiple points for a trundle by bike or an amble on foot. To avoid doubling back on yourself, the Transpeak bus service runs roughly along the same route and can be used for the “out”, leaving only the “back” to walk.

We recommend ending up in Bakewell and sampling some of its world-famous produce as a post-hike reward. Before you go getting your puddings and tarts confused, here’s a simple reminder: Bakewell pudding = puff pastry, jam, custard. Bakewell Tart = shortcrust pastry, frangipane, icing.  

After a morning of walking and cake, it’s time to mix it up a bit, with a trip to Chatsworth House. You can walk the grounds for free if all you’re after is (fooling yourself about) burning off some pastry, but it’s well worth a proper tour. It costs around £30 to go into the ancestral home of the Devonshire family, but the array of sculpture, statuary and art is nothing short of breathtaking.   

Day 2: You have to do at least one…

After a gentle first day, it’s time to reverse the fabled imperial slide and swap the silk slippers of Chatsworth for an ascent in sturdy boots. You could pick from hundreds of walks in the area, but we’ve picked out the one known as Roaches and Lud’s Church. It’s not the longest route, only a little over 7 miles, but there around 1200ft of climb to reach the ridgeline along which it runs, so it’ll be a good test for the legs regardless. The climb gives you sublime views over the surrounding hills and valleys, as well as Tittesworth Reservoir, famed for its curious rock formations. Be careful not to stay too long near Doxley Pool at the top of the ridge. If the wind doesn’t get you, then the mermaid said to live there and ensnare passersby just might.  

To treat yourself after a day of walking, probably fuelled by the smashed Bakewell tarts you couldn’t resist bringing along from yesterday, head for The Old Dog, in Thorpe, towards the park’s southern edge. It’s a family-run pub that keeps a superbly sourced but unfussy menu, full of nothing more or less than great cooking with great ingredients.   

Day 3: Top to bottom

If you’re keen to make an early start home but want one last scenic stop, Derwent Dam is well worth considering. The impressive face of the dam itself is an eyebrow raiser, the cafe might be your last chance to get authentic Bakewell tarts for a while and you could also see, at Ladybower Reservoir, the giant stone “plugholes” that divert overflow down into the Derwent.  

If you’re making a more leisurely journey of it though, then think about Speedwell Cavern. Mining is an enormous part of the Peak District’s history and there are many places where you can wander into some of the caves or explore shafts left by the industry. Speedwell Cavern, though, takes you one step, or rather stroke further, with a boat trip through the eerie, flooded remains of its tunnels. Visits take about two hours, including arriving 20 minutes early before making the slow climb down the stairs to the jetty deep underground from which the boat sets off. A descent into its quiet depths is the perfect counterpart to the hill climbs and long views, giving you a complete picture of the Peaks, from top to bottom. 

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