Derbyshire Holidays Guide

Why Visit Derbyshire on Holiday?

Derbyshire offers a diverse range of attractions, from stunning natural landscapes including the Peak District National Park, to family attractions, historic sites, pretty towns and villages and ample opportunities to enjoy various outdoor pursuits.

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Stunning Natural Landscapes including the Peak District National Park

If you love unspoilt beauty and naturally stunning landscapes you should be wowed by Derbyshire.  The county of Derbyshire boasts rolling countryside, dales, streams and rivers, limestone villages with dry-stone walls, as well as caves with stalactites and stalagmites.

Most holidaymakers visiting Derbyshire, will be visiting the Peak District National Park; a natural asset of extreme beauty that covers acres of moor, woodland, hills and dales.  If you want to enjoy some of the best of the area’s character, be sure to book a stone-built holiday cottage as your holiday base.

The Peak District National Park, Britain's first, occupies part of Derbyshire. An ideal area for walkers, the moors are strewn with large boulders, limestone gorges, the home of sheep and grouse. The Dales are truly lovely; Dovedale, Monsal Dale and Lathkill; all offering scenic and peaceful walks.  Visitors often choose between visiting the White Peak; an area of the Peak District known for its dales, rolling hills, limestone valleys and caves, and the Dark Peak; an area renowned for its moorlands and rugged terrain.

Memories of Derbyshire evoke rugged green wooded hills and fields separated by dry stone walls. Small tricking brooks meander through the wild flower strewn Dales. Sheep wander at will across the moors and roads. 

 

Derbyshire Family Attractions

If you will be holidaying in Derbyshire with young kids you may want to visit Gulliver’s Kingdom near Matlock Bath with its assortment of rides for younger kids.  If holidaying in the area with teenagers or older kids, the Heights of Abraham with its cable car may be a great choice.  Just outside Derbyshire in nearby Staffordshire is Alton Towers, a theme park with rides and attractions for various ages.

 

 

Historic Attractions to Visit in Derbyshire

Probably the best known historical country house in Derbyshire is Chatsworth House.  This beautiful house stands in extensive grounds and with dogs allowed in the grounds, makes for a great place to visit.  There are also historic castles in Derbyshire include Bolsover Castle and Elvaston Castle, as well as fascinating stone circles.
 

 

 

Idyllic Towns and Villages in Derbyshire

Derbyshire is home to many charming stone-built villages and towns, where life enjoys a gentle pace.
 
The spa towns of Matlock and Buxton faithfully welcome tourists and are ideal for day trips, with their tea shops, country inns and visitor attractions.  Matlock is located very close to the heights of Abraham, whereas Buxton’s attractions include Poole’s Cavern and Buxton Country Park.  The market town of Chesterfield with its church with the distinctive crooked steeple is another popular place to visit.

Also well worth a visit is the charming village of Castleton with its numerous caverns and caves and access to gorgeous Winatt’s pass with its high limestone peaks.

There are countless charming villages strewn across the Peak District to explore and enjoy, including Hartington with its village duck pond.

 

 

Explore the Great Outdoors in Derbyshire

With the landscape of the Peak District National Park ideal for walks and hikes, there are ample opportunities to explore the great outdoors in Derbyshire.  If you enjoy cycling, then the mostly traffic-free cycle route of the Monsal Trail which follows an old railway track, is not to be missed.

Another hot spot for outdoor pursuits is Carsington Water where you can enjoy walks, bike rides, as well as a variety of watersports such as kayaking, canoeing and paddle boarding.
 

 

Derbyshire is Home to a Great Choice of Holiday Accommodation

There is a huge choice of holiday accommodation in the Peak District, we concentrate on self-catered cottages and houses where guests have an entire property to themselves. This can be a little luxury when booking a small one bedroom or two bedroomed cottage but becomes better value with larger houses, especially those that have enough bedrooms to sleep a big group of people. The larger properties also tend to have extra facilities such as a games room, hot tub, mini gym, tennis court, sauna or swimming pool.