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Even the Peak District's name conceals a mystery. Forget the obvious: a visitor expecting towering peaks will be disappointed, as the name comes from the Pecsaetan tribe who once lived here. But there’s a twist: the Anglo-Saxon means “settlers of the Pec”…and that word pec has the same root as our peak, the dialect pike and the Pyrenean pic. So, ultimately, the Peak District is named after its peaks, after all. The Peak District is broadly defined by the conurbations at its corners: Manchester, Sheffield, Derby and Stoke. Within this rectangle, the National Park forms a rough oval of around 550 square miles. The area is traditionally divided into the Dark Peak – peat moorland edged by gritstone, with rugged villages in the valleys — and the softer White Peak - upland pastures defined by drystone walls, divided by gorges and limestone villages. The eastern and western moors are similar to the Dark Peak, but have their own subtly distinctive characters. The Peak District was occupied by humans long before the Pecsaetans and in each era man has left his mark, from prehistoric standing stones and rock art, through the folk legends, crosses and churches of the Middle Ages, to post-medieval follies and puzzling relics of the extraction of lime and lead. The varied geology of the area throws up natural curiosities too: its dark gritstone has wind-sculpted tors and edges, while its gleaming limestone hides caves and subterranean rivers. This handy pocket size book will take you on short circular walks to the ten most fascinating, odd or strange places in the Peak District. Prepare to be amazed and surprised. -
This handy pocket size book will take you on short circular walks to the ten finest views and viewpoints in the Peak District. Views are why many of us venture into the hills and countryside in the first place. Nothing beats a sweeping view from a moorland edge or hill, or an arching panorama over a pleasant valley. Sometimes it’s just the simple pleasure of the patterns of light and shade, the textures and colours of the woodland or the flowing beauty of the stream we’re walking beside. But typically there’s a feeling that you’ve earned a great view through sheer effort – even if the easiest approach had been taken to reach it. Perhaps that’s why so many of the great Peak District views are atop minor summits, at moorland edges, or overlooking deep valleys. -
This popular pocket size book will take you on ten short circular walks to the finest lakeside paths in the Lake District. Lakeland’s characteristic lakes and meres are a legacy of the last Ice Age when vast ice sheets scoured out deep U-shaped valleys and upland combes. Today, sixteen main lakes and scores of smaller tarns punctuate the National Park. They include England’s longest lake (Windermere: 10½ miles long), and its deepest lake (Wast Water: 243 feet deep). Only Windermere, Derwent Water, Coniston Water and Ullswater have regular steamer and ferry services, yet every lake features dramatic waterside walks that will stay in your memory forever. -
The Peak District abounds with cafes and tea shops offering fabulous, freshly brewed coffee and a mouthwatering variety of speciality teas. This pocket-size guide picks carefully selected cafés across the Peak District — in locations ranging from former stations to community cafés, National Trust properties to hillside farms, and bakeries on town streets to tearooms tucked down alleyways. All of them offer a great choice of often home-baked or locally sourced produce, and a pleasant place to relax after a refreshing walk. This handy pocket size book will take you on short circular walks to the ten friendliest and most fantastic cafes and tea shops in the Peak District. -
Discover the very best of the dramatic Snowdonia National Park, in North Wales. These ten themed walks will take you to the best and most iconic places across Snowdonia, from the mighty Aber Falls in the north, to Cadair Idris, in the south. Famous for its lofty mountains and open hills, Snowdonia is characterised, too, by dramatic upland lakes and tarns enfolded within glacial troughs and valleys, and short, steep rivers tumbling to the sea. Discover vast empty beaches, friendly pubs and stunning views, hidden lakes and awesome waterfalls, challenging hills and mighty mountains. Every one is a walk to enjoy and savour on the day, and to remember long afterwards. -
The Yorkshire Dales' Finest Views
Many memories of walks in the Dales are distilled into the fine views one experiences, and it would be a mistake to assume that great views necessarily entail sustained climbs up to the top of the nearest fells. As Wordsworth would have it, one might be ‘surprised by joy’ when coming out of a belt of woodland into fields, or onto the edge of a limestone outcrop, or discovering a hidden valley. Finding a contouring path with a panorama of the bucolic dale below slowly unfolding is so rewarding, as is contemplating the changes of light as the shadows of clouds play upon the wide open moorlands so characteristic of the Yorkshire Dales. The underlying geology, mainly of gritstone and limestone, give rise to different farming practices and other land use which, in turn, provide different vistas and experiences for the walker. Classic Dales’ scenery of limestone pavements, scars and screes features strongly as do the atmospheric limestone gorges formed by glacial action. The two main upland glacial lakes in the Dales and their associated wetlands also feature, as do some lovely riverside strolls through flower-rich meadows. These walks reflect the variety of scenery in the landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales. They are also an invaluable guide to the best views and locations for the keen photographer. Enjoy!
