Things to do in the Peak District

Britain's first national park starts within an hour of Manchester, its gritstone edges and limestone dales offering some of the best walking and climbing in England. Chatsworth House, the "Palace of the Peak," anchors a day around Bakewell's market-town charm and its famous pudding, while Castleton's show caverns — Peak Cavern, Speedwell and the Blue John Cavern — descend into the hills that shelter them. Mam Tor's ridge walk delivers one of the finest views in the country, and the Monsal Trail turns a disused railway into an easy cycling route through viaducts and tunnels. Book the top-rated tours below.