Essential Hotels > England > Derbyshire > Buxton > Attractions > The Peak District

The Peak District was the first of Britain's national parks, covering 540 spectacular square miles. Nowhere will you find such a wide variety of scenery, diverse wildlife and wealth of cultural heritage. Be it a short break, or longer holiday, a visit to the Peak District National Park will allow you to explore some of England's most spectacular scenery and the most charming, picturesque towns and villages in the UK. Activities can be found to cater for all tastes, ages and interests, from action adventures to family holidays.

From the time of the first railways into the area the Peak district has been a Mecca for walkers and those wishing to discover its hidden secrets. The Peak District offers a depth of cultural heritage that stretches back through thousands of years of history, from the pre-historic right through to the present day. A record of Britain is etched into the landscape: stone circles, burial mounds, hill forts, Roman remains, Saxon churches, medieval castles and evidence from the industrial revolution can all be found, telling their stories of the past. The National Park is scattered with the remains of ancient people. The origin of the word “peak” is thought to originate from Pecsaetan, the name of the 7th century hill tribes who settled here. There are no real peaks in the area.

There are also several traditions still to be seen in the Peak District. For example, at most of the crossings into the Park there are millstones standing on stone plinths at the side of the road. These are used as boundary markers by the Park Authority, which has also adopted the millstone symbol as its logo. Another thing to look out for is the pagan custom of well-dressing, which is almost exclusively seen in the limestone areas of the county. This practice, as the name suggests, is the decoration of natural water sources. In the past, the well or spring was of utmost importance to the local people. If they dried up the whole community would be at risk.

The ancient tradition of well-dressing was revived at Tissington in the 14th century. Tissington largely avoided significant infection from the Black Death, while other villages in the area were decimated as the plague swept through the country in the mid 1300s. It was thought that this was at least in part due to the perceived protective purity of the Tissington wells. These days many villages join in the colourful festivities using custom-made frames, even though many have not dressed an actual well in centuries!