Peak District

With its attractive scenery the Peak District has always been a recreational area for the people of the surrounding industrial areas: the conurbation of Southeast Lancashire centered around Manchester, the towns of Sheffield and Derby and the English pottery industry based at Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme.

The name is a misnomer in that it does not refer to steep mountain summits, but is derived from the area's location at the southern end of the Pennine range, the three highest hills in the area being called "The Peak".

People first started coming to the Peak District around the turn of the century in search of relaxation, an escape from their dirty and crowded towns and the chance to breathe in clean air and roam around at will. Their enthusiasm, however, was in many instances dampened by the fact that large tracts of the dramatic moorland scenery in Dark Peak were reserved by their owners for the rearing and hunting of Scottish grouse. It was not until after the Second World War that the idea of setting up national parks gained currency and in 1951 the Peak District was declared the country's first national park. Since then the area has been freely accessible, except for certain days during the shooting season. This facility is widely enjoyed and consequently at weekends there is heavy traffic on the roads through the park and in summer the pretty valleys are often swarming with visitors. Footpaths have been designated along the banks of the clear streams which flow through the valleys and these are as much an inducement to ramblers as the magnificent views which are to be had from the paths across the high moorland. At the same time, for those keen on mountain climbing there are weird rock formations in Dark Peak. The area is also popular with riding enthusiasts. The Peak District National Park, which extends over an area of 550sq.mi/1,425sq.km, consists of two quite different types of landscape. The northern part, with crags and hilltops rising to heights of over 2,000ft/610m, is made up of magma rocks and chalk surrounded by millstone-grit. This rugged region, which is also known as High Peak or Dark Peak, has typical cotton-grass moorland, heathland with scrub, and dark rocky outcrops. The southerly Low Peak or White Peak is limestone country, often with very curious rock formations, through which rivers have cut their way to form beautiful valleys or "dales". In between can be found lonely farmhouses built out of sandstone or limestone. Characteristic of the area are the stone walls, which began to be built in the 16th century when the arable fields were turned into grazing land, as it was thought that cattle-rearing would provide a better use of the barren land. Most of the stone walls were constructed in the 18th century, though in recent years they have been partially replaced by electric fences for reasons of economy. An even more recent development has been the recognition that traditional stone walls have a charm and aesthetic value of their own, and there has been a move to preserve them. Parts of the park are wooded, especially in the north, where reforestation has also been undertaken in many places. In addition, this part of the park contains the majority of the 50 or more reservoirs which have been established to provide for water needs of the surrounding industrial areas.

The only reminders of the mining industry, which at one time was the second most important economic activity, are some walled-in tunnels and pieces of jewelry made out of fluorspar, which has the nickname "Blue John". The exploitation of seams of lead began in Roman times, although the first written mention of mining is not found until a document dating from 1288. By the early modern period the deposits had been exhausted right down to the level of the water-table and it was necessary to look for newer, more profitable methods of extracting the ore. Drainage systems and steam engines revolutionized the process, but at the same time made the whole operation more expensive. By the turn of the century the deposits had begun to run out and in 1952 the last mine was shut down.

Three main roads traverse the area between Derby and Manchester. The first route (A 52 and A 523) skirts the western edge via Leek and Macclesfield, the second route (A 6) passes through Matlock and Buxton, while the third (A 52/A 512/A 6) goes via Ashbourne and Buxton.