Here's a mixture of the Peaks most iconic landmarks under our care
One of the most visited areas in our care, Kinder Scout offers any intrepid walker a passage into the wilds of the Peak District and awe inspiring panoramic views of the surrounding area. Follow the Pennine Way to Kinder Downfall on a wintry day and you maybe rewarded with the sight of the waterfall frozen in mid-air.
Explore Kinder Scout
Watch the babbling Burbage Brook rumble through the gorge, explore the ancient woodlands and enjoy the views over this rugged terrain. Longshaw has an enchanting mixture of man-made and wild history with its past etched in sheep dog trials, hunting and industry. Lose yourself in the welcoming retreat of Longsh
Explore Longshaw
Dovedale has been popular with tourists and locals for hundreds of years. With its iconic stepping stones, gentle rolling hills, dalesides swept in wildflowers and the “shining silver” of the River Dove it is easy to see why so many people have been drawn to it. It is also the hobbyists dream, an ideal location for fishing, climbing and walking.
Explore Dovedale
Known as the “Shivering Mountain”, Mam Tor is the ideal point for surveying the picturesque Hope and Edale Valleys. Mam Tor acquired its name from the south-eastern face whose rock disintegrates and appears to ‘shiver’. Steeped in history, it was first used as an Iron Age hillfort, due to its key location and natural protection it offered to the Iron Age settlers.
Explore Mam Tor
Here's a selection of places that will give you a glimpse into the Peaks' past
Buried beneath the “Shivering Mountain” is a past of impenetrable fortresses, defensive ditches and towering ramparts. Bronze Age man used the natural defences of Mam Tor to their advantage, building a settlement at its base, remnants of which have left a scar on the landscape. Discover the remains of this ancient civilisation.
Explore Mam Tor
From Norman invaders to Victorian industrialist, the park at Ilam has a varied past and a plethora of landowners. A walk around the park reveals its Norman roots with the detached Norman church standing proud in the open parkland, the remnants of the medieval hall and the gothic façade of the 1830s. Enjoy a stroll in its varied past.
Explore Ilam Park
When woolly mammoths and cave bears walked the earth, Dovedale was covered in woodlands of birch, oak, lime and ash. Early man inhabited the caves of Dovedale, looking down into the valley he would have seen a bounty of wild animals and woods, vastly different from today’s landscape. Explore the caves of early man that were inhabited right up until the early Victorian age.
Explore Dovedale
One of the most momentous events in the Peak District’s history was the Mass Trespass of 1932. Ramblers from nearby cities gathered to walk over Kinder Scout to gain access rights over the open countryside. It was their brave act that led to the creation of the National Parks and has been the National Trust’s main objective ever since to keep these recreational areas open for ever, for everyone.
Explore Kinder Scout
After the Norman Conquest in 1066, by order of William I, Derwent Valley became part of the Royal Forest of the Peak District. It was a hunting reserve with harsh punishments for local people who cut peat, gathered wood or hunted animals in its boundaries.
Explore Derwent Valley
Here are just some of the top places to see the Peaks unusual and rare species
Explore the wild moorlands of Kinder Scout, which plays host to one of the Peak District’s most famed game birds, the Red Grouse. Look for the distinctive red head popping up from under the heather, with its even more distinctive call of “Go back, go back” that resounds over the moors.
Explore Kinder Scout
Take a walk through the woods in Longshaw and you will be in for a big surprise. Beneath the tree canopy an assembly of wildflowers and mosses cover the ancient woodland, whilst a chorus of breeding birds above will literally bring music to your ears.
Explore Longshaw
As you explore the open moorland around Derwent and Howden Edges you might be fortunate enough to see the Mountain Hare, with its distinctive white winter coat which turns black or grey in the summer. They are incredibly shy animals, so don’t be surprised if you only see them running away at high speed.
Explore Derwent Valley
With the views and some of our more vigorous walks. Here's a small collection of our suggested routes
Follow in the footsteps of the 500 ramblers who tresspassed en masse to gain open access to this iconic part of the Peak District countryside.
Download this walk route: Hayfield to Kinder Scout
A vigorous 10 mile walk, that leads you through the beauty of the Manifold valley and out into the parkland of Ilam.
Download this walk route: Lower Manifold Valley
A breathtaking 2 1/2 mile walk over the popular Victorian tourist destinations of Ilam and Dovedale. Download this walk route the parkland of Ilam Park and the famed limestone countryside of the Dovedale valley.
Download this walk route: Ilam Park to Dovedale
A challenging and exhilarating 7 1/2 mile walk at the start of the Pennine Way, that leads you up to the windswept plateau of Kinder Scout.
Download this walk route: Pennine Way
Hidden history and wildlife await you on this 2 1/4 mile walk through Longshaw.
Download this walk route: Burbage Brook
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