High Peak: Moorlands, Mam Tor and Edale
Accommodation in High Peak
High Peak brings together expansive moorlands, striking ridges and the historic traces of Edale. High Peak includes the Kinder National Nature Reserve, the Vale of Edale and the Snake Moors through to the Derwent Edges. Mam Tor, the High Peak Estate and the history of Edale each offer a different focus. Visitors with varied interests can explore nature, geology and architectural history as separate themes, rather than reducing the region to a single attraction.
Moorland landscape and geological character
The High Peak Estate is a high-altitude estate at the beginning or end of the Pennines, characterised by dramatic scenery. Moorland access for walkers is open year-round without restriction; occasional closures for land management, announced locally, are an exception. If this landscape is your main focus, factor any announced exceptions into your plans.
Mam Tor is a steep-sided, sinuous ridge made up of alternating layers of sandstone and shale. It lies at the transition between the northern gritstone moors and the limestone plateau of Derbyshire. Two distinct geological landscapes therefore meet in a striking landform. Mam Tor is also home to a well-preserved, single-rampart hillfort and two round barrows. For travellers interested in landscape and cultural history, landform, rock and archaeological remains can all be found side by side here. The geology offers a clear way in for anyone who wants to understand not only the shape of a ridge, but also how it is formed.
Edale: culture and trails
Edale Parish Church is a Grade II listed building. It was completed in 1889 and has remained largely unchanged since then. Three stained-glass windows are by Ninian Comper. The interior also features heritage information panels and short videos about the region and the church’s history. If a trip brings several interests together, the contrast offers a simple point of reference: Mam Tor combines landform and archaeological remains, while Edale offers church architecture and regional history.
The Peak District GeoWalk includes a section from Edale to Birchen Clough Bridge. The first two-thirds of this section follow the same route as the start of the Pennine Way. This precise stretch helps you understand where the routes coincide without treating the GeoWalk and the Pennine Way as the same route.
Edale is served regularly by trains on the Hope Valley Line to Sheffield and Manchester. Check the timetable before travelling.
When looking for a holiday apartment, use these different themes as a guide: should your trip focus more on moorland and geology, the GeoWalk or Edale’s architectural history? Choose your accommodation’s location based on the places and themes you actually plan to explore.
Discover more destinations: Taddington, Unstone, Belper, Long Eaton, Chelmorton, Kirk Ireton, Hognaston, Castleton
For the wider travel overview: Derbyshire.
