Trippin: Weekend in the Peak District National Park

Going to the UK for the first time and my friend announcing that we are having a roadtrip to the Peak District National Park, gave me two thoughts. First where is that? And second: Did I just hit the jackpot? Surely I did. Getting from London to Peak District by car took us around 3 and a half hours, getting the same distance by train, would be almost equally long, including 2 changes, and maybe a bit more pennies. Renting a car is perfect option if you are 4 people.

The other wow factor was the view from our cottage – Foxholes Farm. You have the impression that you are alone in the middle of nowhere, but you are walking distance from a cafe, hotel cricket field and so on. The only not so interesting thing was that it is actually shared house, and you never know if you bother the neighbour, or the neighbour bothers you.

We had brunch at The Schoolrooms cafe, followed by a cake and it really felt like those early days english movies we watched in primary school. Then a little hike towards the St Nicholas’ Church, High Bradfield, and for me first time seeing people petting sheep. Views were even more incredible and even the rain felt pleasant.
In order to feel the local vibe we sat at Old horns inn for cider and cocktails.

The next day we started the tour through the villages, the names were amazing like Hope Valley, and the gray stone houses full of flowers even more. We stopped at Mam Tor for hike, and admiring the views, there are cafes all around the area, there is not enough parking on a sunny day, and if you think you can park anywhere, think twice, or you’ll find a present.

On the way back we stopped at Castleton, for burgers and icecream, somehow all the shops were the oldest of their kind in the village, and somehow you choose to believe them. You’ll get weak on the scenery too.

The highest point in Peak district is Kinder Scout at about 636metres, and having in mind there are many little trails you can pass by many of them in a day. We roughly had 36 hours here, and they were enough for peaking the area, but long weekend should be even better for the national park.