Peak District

The Peak District is an upland area mainly within the north-west Midlands of England. The region was recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (924 AD) as having been home to the Pecsaetan ("peak-dwellers") people. It lies primarily within Derbyshire, with parts extending into the neighbouring counties Cheshire, Staffordshire and Yorkshire, and effectively forms the southernmost section of the Pennine chain. A large part of the Peak District makes up the Peak District National Park which, designated in April 1951, is the first area in England to receive national park status.

The area has two main subdivisions. The Dark Peak forms an arc around the northern and western limits of the area, where the underlying limestone is underlain by Millstone Grit and the land consists mainly of bleak moorland plateaux. Conversely, the White Peak is characterised by more dramatic scenery, with numerous limestone gorges and valleys.