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Peak Experience Guides

Time Travellers GuideTime Travellers GuidePeak Time Travellers

Peak District history leaps out at you from the ground – take a journey back in time as you visit more than 5,000 years of human life and death, discovering worlds that live on as archaeological monuments and historic buildings.

Arbor Low stone circleArbor Low stone circle

Your journey takes you from Victorian lead mines, Elizabethan country houses and Viking crosses to the tombs of the area's first farmers, Roman forts and prehistoric hillforts.
 
Highlights include the New Stone Age Arbor Low, famous as the Henge of the Peak, and the Normans’ Peveril Castle – home to Peveril of the Peak, while from our more recent past, there are splendid country houses and fascinating historic villages. What’s more, this history speaks from some of the Peak’s most beautiful countryside, well-served by holiday accommodation, cafés and shops. 
 
There are 14 places featured in the Peak Time Travellers – stepping back in time guide, available from visitor centres and participating businesses, and a further 10 on our partner website, Peak Experience.
 
 
 

Peak Churches GuidePeak Churches GuidePeak Churches

Christianity came to Derbyshire in the 600s AD but today, we have only tantalising glimpses of that time - little survived the onslaught of the Norman invaders who rebuilt churches and suppressed local traditions in favour of their own.
 
Since then, these places of worship have continually evolved and changed. None are as they were originally and even the oldest should not be seen as a lifeless monument, but as a tapestry of the community’s history where each generation has left its mark.
 
St John's church, Tideswell - the Cathedral of the PeakSt John's church, Tideswell - the Cathedral of the PeakHighlights include Tideswell's beautiful ‘Cathedral of the Peak’and the shrouded effigies of Thomas Beresford’s alabaster family tomb at St Edmund's in Fenny Bentley. Look out for Saxon and Norman fonts with distinctive carvings of stylised humans, animals or dragons with fishy tails.
 
There are 14 churches featured in the Peak Churches - from the cradle to the grave guide, available from visitor centres and participating businesses, and a further 17 on our partner website, Peak Experience. All are beautiful buildings with hidden surprises to discover inside.
 
 
  Peak Geology GuidePeak Geology Guide

Peak Geology

People, animals and plants depend on the rocks for life. Geology determines whether the land is wet or dry, windy or sheltered, fertile or sparse, woods, grass or heather moorlands – no geology, no Peak District National Park!
 
Winnats Pass, CastletonWinnats Pass, CastletonUse the accessible Peak Geology – the lands that time forgot guide to the geology of the Peak District to explore millions of years of history in beautiful settings. From caves, crags, mountains and valleys to ghostly, abandoned millstone works, the remains of ancient quarrying, agricultural field clearance and SSSIs – the Peak District has it all!
 
The Guide shows how this land – once a tropical sea, with magnificent coral reefs and red-hot lava flows – was formed and how it affects the way we live today.
 
 

Front Row of the Peak GuideFront Row of the Peak Guide

 

Peak Film and Literature – Front Row of the Peak

With its rugged crags, soft valleys and dramatic lighting, the Peak District looms large on our screens and has inspired authors for centuries – from Jane Austen to Stephen Booth, Charlotte Brontë to Berlie Doherty and William Wordsworth to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 
 
Filming Jane Eyre at Haddon HallFilming Jane Eyre at Haddon HallNow actors and directors come, too – comic romance Pride and Prejudice, dramatic Jane Eyre, WWII classic The Dam Busters, doctor drama Peak Practice and hit comedy The League of Gentlemen were all filmed in the Peak District and in autumn 2006, film crews moved in to shoot The Other Boleyn Girl, starring leading American actors Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman.
 
Front Row of the Peak will guide you around the places that star in films, books and TV, and help you blaze your own trail through our creative and inspiring landscape.
 
 
 

The Bloody Peak GuideThe Bloody Peak Guide

 

Bloody Peak – the Bloody Peak

The White LadyThe White LadyWelcome to the witches, ghosts, highwaymen and horrors of the Bloody Peak. Do the hairs rise on the back of your neck? They should... this is a most haunted place!
 
A strange light at night, a suspicious breeze or the sound of distant voices might not be what you thought. Listen for the creak of floorboards in a haunted hotel, drink with an apparition in a paranormal pub... you have been warned!
 
Now take a torch, some courage and step out into the darkening night... begin your exploration of the Peak District's haunted places and ghostly stories by using our devilishly good guide, The Bloody Peak.
 
 
 

Take a Walk On the Wild SideTake a Walk On the Wild Side


Wild Peak – Take a Walk on the Wild Side

The Peak District is a unique place of stunning landscapes and an abundance of wildlife, but different plants and animals need different conditions to live and that affects where you'll find them.
 
Wildlife in the Peak National ParkWildlife in the Peak National Park The  Take a Walk on the Wild Side Guide will help you to discover more about the variety of landscapes and habitats of the Peak District, and enjoy getting out to experience for yourself the area's birds, trees, flowers, butterflies, fungi, mammals and water creatures.
 
We suggest some magnificent places to visit and give ideas about species to look out for.
 
 
 
 

The Collectable Peak GuideThe Collectable Peak GuidePeak Antiques – the Collectable Peak

The Peak District has a range of antiques shops, collectables fairs, exhibitions and collections to satisfy even the most fervent antiques lover - from prestigious collections such as those at Chatsworth, Tissington Hall and Sudbury Hall, which include fine examples of the area's most distinctive specialities, Blue John and Black Marble, through to local museums such as Eyam Museum and the Old House Museum in Bakewell, which give fascinating insights into community histories.
Blue John Tazza, ChatsworthBlue John Tazza, Chatsworth
And of course, if you're in the market to make a purchase or two yourself, The Collectable Peak Guide can also direct you to the renowned antiques centres in Leek, Buxton and Ashbourne, as well as numerous antique shops throughout the area.
 
Travelling between the Peak District's many antiques centres and special collections is a treat in itself – the undulating green hills and valleys are dotted with market towns and artists' studios, and jewelled with stately homes.
 
 
 

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