The 12 Most Beautiful Spots in the Peak District (Updated for 2027)

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I keep coming back to the Peak District because no two visits feel the same. It was the UK’s first national park, and within a couple of hours you can go from walking along a gritstone edge with views for miles to paddling through a limestone gorge or sitting in a village pub that’s been serving pints since the 1600s. I haven’t found anywhere else in England that covers this much ground!

I’ve kept everything here up to date for 2026 and 2027, including prices, walking routes, and seasonal events like the Tideswell Well Dressings and the Lights of Abraham winter trail. A few things have changed recently, and I’ve flagged them all as you go through. Let me walk you through the most beautiful places in the Peak District.

Beautiful places in the Peak District at a glance  

I’ve spent a lot of time in the Peak District and I’m still finding new places that blow me away. It’s a big national park with a lot of ground to cover, and knowing where to start can be overwhelming. Here are five I’d prioritize if you only have a weekend!

• Ladybower Reservoir: Giant plughole spillways, the drowned villages that resurface in dry spells, and panoramic views from Bamford Edge above
• Hope Valley: Mam Tor, Winnats Pass, Cave Dale, and the Great Ridge all packed into one valley, with Castleton as the perfect base
• Dovedale and the White Peak: Limestone gorge, famous stepping stones (reopened 2026), and a flat riverside walk to Milldale that feels completely untouched
• Stanage Edge: Four miles of gritstone escarpment with views for miles, the Pride and Prejudice filming spot, and Robin Hood’s Cave hidden in the cliff face
• Kinder Downfall: The Peak District’s highest waterfall, where the water blows back upward in strong wind, on the plateau where the right to roam was born

1. Bakewell

Bakewell is the heart of the White Peak and the only town inside the Peak District National Park. The Monday market has been going since 1330 and now has around 80 stalls selling local cheese, handmade crafts, and hot street food. Make sure to arrive before 10am if you want to avoid the crowds.

You have to try both the Original Bakewell Pudding Shop and Bloomers of Bakewell. They’ve had a friendly rivalry for years about who makes the “real” one. I think you need to taste-test both to decide for yourself!

The Old House Museum on Cunningham Place is Bakewell’s oldest building, dating back to 1534. It covers everything from Tudor life to the industrial era across eleven rooms. Tickets are £7.50 per adult and valid for a full year.

If you’re up for a walk or a cycle, pick up the Monsal Trail from Bakewell Station. It follows an old railway line for 8.5 miles through lit tunnels with some of the best valley views in the Peak District. You can hire bikes at Hassop Station along the way.

• For more Derbyshire gems beyond the Peak District, read: Most Beautiful Places in Derbyshire

2. Devil’s Arse (Peak Cavern)

Peak Cavern has the largest natural cave entrance in Britain, and it is one of the most dramatic things I’ve seen in the Peak District. The approach is incredible too. A riverside path from Castleton leads you through a limestone gorge before the 60-foot entrance opens up in front of you.

Inside, the guided tour takes about an hour through naturally lit chambers with minimal artificial lighting. Entire families lived and worked inside this cave entrance until the early 1900s, making rope for local mines, and you can still see how they did it on the tour. The acoustics are unbelievable, which is why they host live concerts and cinema screenings in the entrance chamber throughout the year.

Tours run daily 10am to 5pm from April to October, and weekends only in winter. Tickets are £22.25 online for adults. I recommend booking ahead because tour spaces fill up fast, especially on weekends. It’s a constant 7°C inside, so bring a warm layer (even in summer).

3. Derwent Reservoir

Derwent Reservoir sits in the Upper Derwent Valley surrounded by moorland, dark forests, and some of the wildest scenery in the Peak District. The dam itself looks like something from another century (it was completed in 1916) and when it overflows after heavy rain, the sight is incredible. I’ve been here on a misty morning and it felt like I had the whole valley to myself.

This is where the RAF’s 617 Squadron practiced their bouncing bomb runs before the famous Dambusters raid in 1943, and there’s a memorial at the dam you can visit. The flat, paved path around the reservoir is great for an easy walk or family cycle, and you can hire bikes at Fairholmes. For something bigger, the Derwent Edge walk takes you up onto the moors for panoramic views and gritstone tors that look completely otherworldly.

Park at Fairholmes car park (£3 for two hours, £5 all day, card or cash accepted). Ospreys nest in the valley during spring and summer, so bring binoculars if you’re visiting between April and August. Get there early on weekends because the car park fills up fast.

4. Heights of Abraham

The Heights of Abraham in Matlock Bath is one of the best viewpoints in the Peak District. You reach the summit by cable car, Britain’s first alpine-style gondola, and the ride over the Derwent Valley is stunning. From the gondola you can see the River Derwent, the railway line cutting through the valley, and Matlock Bath spread out below you like a model village.

Once you’re at the top there are two guided cavern tours, a 60-acre hilltop estate with woodland paths and gardens, adventure playgrounds for kids, and the Victoria Prospect Tower for panoramic views across the peaks. I recommend spending at least half a day here. There’s a restaurant and cafe at the summit if you want to make a full day of it.

Advance tickets are £27 per adult and from £16 per child online. Under 4s go free. Book ahead because you’re given a specific time slot and they sell out on busy days. If you arrive by train to Matlock Bath station, you can get up to 25% off your ticket, which is a great saving. In winter, the Lights of Abraham trail (late November to 30 December) transforms the whole estate with illuminated gardens and a moonlit cable car ride.

5. Hope Valley

Hope Valley stretches from Castleton in the west to Hathersage in the east, and almost every iconic Peak District view is crammed into this one valley. Mam Tor, Winnats Pass, Cave Dale, and the Great Ridge are all here. If you only have time to visit one area of the Peak District, this is where I’d recommend.

The circular walk from Castleton is the best way to see Hope Valley. It takes you up through Cave Dale, along the ridge past Mam Tor (the “Shivering Mountain”), and back down through Winnats Pass, a narrow gorge between towering limestone cliffs. The whole loop is around five to six miles and takes about three hours.

Castleton is the best base for exploring. Peveril Castle sits on the hill above the village, dates back to the Norman Conquest, and is managed by English Heritage with admission at £9 for adults (free for members). The village is also home to four show caves, including Blue John Cavern where the rare Blue John stone is still mined by hand.

6. Ilam, Dovedale and the White Peak

Dovedale is a deep limestone gorge in the White Peak with the River Dove running through it, and it’s one of the prettiest valleys I’ve ever walked through. The famous stepping stones are a 10-minute flat walk from the car park and are back open after storm damage repairs in 2026. Get there early on weekends because this is one of the busiest spots in the Peak District.

If you have time, keep walking north beyond the stepping stones toward Milldale. The gorge opens up into towering limestone pinnacles, small caves, and quiet stretches of river that feel completely untouched. The walk to Milldale is about two miles each way and you can grab a coffee at Polly’s Pantry when you get there.

Ilam Park is right next door and makes a great starting or finishing point. It’s a National Trust estate with riverside walks, a cafe in the old stable yard, and Ilam Hall (now a YHA hostel). Parking at Dovedale is £3.50 for four hours or £5 all day, and Ilam Park is £6 for four hours or £8 all day. Both are free for National Trust members.

• Discover more stunning Derbyshire destinations: Most Beautiful Places in Derbyshire

7. Kinder Downfall

Kinder Downfall is the highest waterfall in the Peak District, where the River Kinder drops around 30 meters off the edge of the Kinder Scout plateau. On a windy day, the water gets blown back upward in a huge plume of spray that you can see for miles. In winter it occasionally freezes solid, and ice climbers come out to scale it.

The most popular route starts from Bowden Bridge car park near Hayfield and follows the Kinder Reservoir up to the plateau edge. It’s about a 13km circular loop and takes around four hours. The terrain up top is wild, boggy moorland with very few landmarks, so bring a map and compass or a GPS if the weather looks changeable.

Kinder Scout is the highest point in the Peak District at 636 meters and holds a special place in British walking history. In April 1932, around 400 ramblers staged a mass trespass here to demand public access to open countryside, and five were jailed for it. The protest helped lead to the creation of the Peak District as Britain’s first national park in 1951. The 95th anniversary falls in April 2027.

8. Ladybower Reservoir

Ladybower Reservoir is a huge Y-shaped reservoir in the Upper Derwent Valley, and the two giant plugholes on the dam wall are unlike anything else in the Peak District. Each one is 24 meters across with a 20-meter drop, and when the reservoir overflows after heavy rain they create a vortex of water that is mesmerizing to watch. Winter and early spring are the best times to catch them in action.

Two villages, Derwent and Ashopton, were flooded when the reservoir was built in the 1940s. In dry spells the old stone foundations sometimes resurface from beneath the water, which happened again in 2025 and drew visitors from across the country. It’s eerie and fascinating in equal measure.

For the best views, hike up Bamford Edge or Win Hill, both of which look down over the full length of the reservoir. The walk around the reservoir itself is flat and family-friendly. Park at Heatherdene car park for the plugholes (it’s a short walk from there to the dam wall) or at Fairholmes for longer walks north toward Derwent and Howden reservoirs. Parking is £3 for two hours or £5 all day.

9. Padley Gorge

Padley Gorge feels completely different from the rest of the Peak District. Instead of open moorland and exposed ridgelines, you’re walking through ancient oak woodland with mossy boulders, twisted trees, and Burbage Brook tumbling through the valley below. It’s one of the easiest and prettiest walks in the Peak District at around 3.5km.

The gorge is a fantastic spot for families in summer since kids can paddle in the shallow pools along the brook. In autumn, the whole woodland turns gold and it becomes one of the best photography locations in the Peak District. You can also extend the walk to include Surprise View, a panoramic viewpoint looking out across the Hope Valley toward Hathersage.

Start from Grindleford Station or the Longshaw Estate car park (free for National Trust members). Grindleford Station has a legendary cafe that serves no-frills hot food and chip butties, and I can confirm it’s the perfect way to finish the walk! Parking on the roadside layby fills up fast on weekends…arrive early or use the Longshaw car park instead.

10. Stanage Edge

Stanage Edge is a four-mile gritstone escarpment that towers above the Hope Valley, and walking along the top of it feels like standing on the edge of the world. On a clear day, you can see for miles across the Peak District in every direction. It’s also one of the best rock climbing locations in the UK, and you’ll almost always see climbers scaling the cliff face.

Look out for Robin Hood’s Cave hidden in the cliff face and the abandoned millstones scattered at the base of the escarpment, left behind from centuries of quarrying. This is also where the famous Elizabeth Bennet scene from the 2005 Pride and Prejudice film was shot. Fans still come to stand on the exact ledge where Keira Knightley stood.

Park at Hollin Bank car park (free for National Trust members) and follow the path up to the edge. The climb from the car park is steep but once you’re on top the walking is easy and flat along the ridgeline. It can get incredibly windy up here even on a calm day in the valley below, so bring layers. Sunrise and sunset from Stanage Edge are two of the best views in the Peak District.

11. Thor’s Cave

Thor’s Cave is a huge natural cavern set into a limestone crag high above the Manifold Valley. The first time you see the entrance from below, you’ll understand why it made my list of beautiful places in the Peak District! The arched opening is 10 meters high and 7.5 meters wide, and it’s been used by humans since the Stone Age. Archaeological digs have uncovered tools, pottery, and bronze artifacts inside.

The walk from Wetton village takes about 15 to 20 minutes, but the final climb up to the cave entrance is steep and the rock can be slippery from foot traffic. Bring decent walking shoes and a headtorch if you want to explore the tunnels at the back. The view from inside the cave mouth looking out over the valley is one of the best photo spots in the Peak District.

The Manifold Way, a traffic-free cycling and walking trail along an old railway line, passes right below the cave. You can combine the two into a full day by cycling the trail and stopping off to climb up. Dovedale is only a 15-minute drive away if you want to visit both in one trip. Try to visit mid-week or in the evening because this spot has become very popular on social media and weekends get busy.

• Read Next: 12 Most Beautiful Places in England

12. Tideswell

Tideswell is a large village in the White Peak with a church that will stop you in your tracks. St John the Baptist, known as the Cathedral of the Peak, was built entirely in the 14th century and has a pinnacled tower that looks like it belongs in a city, not a village of 2,000 people. I wasn’t expecting to be this impressed by a parish church!

Every year in late June, the village holds its traditional well dressings, where locals spend weeks creating elaborate pictures from flower petals, seeds, and other natural materials pressed into clay. Wakes Week follows with a carnival and parade, and the whole village comes alive (expect it around late June 2027). The Tideswell Food Festival in May is another highlight, with local food stalls, cooking demonstrations, and a makers’ market.

Pick up a pork pie or one of the award-winning Thar cakes from Tindalls of Tideswell, a family bakery on Commercial Road that has been here for over 60 years (it closes at 1pm, so don’t leave it too late). Tideswell Dale at the southern end of the village has a nature reserve with wildflowers, a sculpture trail, and a short walking loop. It’s a peaceful spot that many visitors to the Peak District drive straight past without knowing it’s there.

• Ready to explore more of this incredible county? Don’t miss: Most Beautiful Places in Derbyshire