In my short time on planet earth, I’ve been extremely lucky in that I have managed to traverse the world and see some of its most scenic and beautiful wonders – from tropical rain forests in Costa Rica to sprawling deserts in Africa to hiking the Andes in Peru. Yet I still marvel at the beautiful countryside that is just a 30-minute drive from my home town.
The UK has a range of different “areas of outstanding natural beauty” across the nation, with 46 of them marked as conservation areas. While the Peak District does get some recognition for its beauty, as a whole it is wholly overlooked due to its close proximity to the nearby cities of Derby, Nottingham, Sheffield and Manchester.
So what is stopping people from getting outside and enjoying this absolutely phenomenal part of the world? Well, in my experience, often people just don’t know where to go, or just don’t have the knowledge or privilege to be taking a trip out to this amazing part of the UK.
Growing up, I lived in an inner-city council estate, where the people around me had barely ever ventured out to the countryside, through no fault of their own. They just didn’t know what was out there and didn’t think to explore.
I was lucky in that my family loved the outdoors and despite us living under the shadow of the city centre we were always making trips out to visit some of the more unexplored parts of the countryside.
So when I started going to university in Sheffield, I found myself just a walk away from the superb and underrated Peak District. In the early days of university I often overlooked how lucky we just were to be so close to places like Bamford Edge or the Rivelyn plunge pool.
So in my later years of study I found that my friends and I often made a point of getting out as much as we could to certain pockets of Mother Nature that were so easily accessible to us. One of our favourites was the Rivelyn plunge pool, which was a vista hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and what made it even better was that it could be found just a ten-minute drive away from our accommodation.
So while I don’t think that the Peak District gets a bad rep, I do think that even though it’s so close to all the previously listed major cities, that people just don’t appreciate it enough. I do understand that there are some accessibility issues and that a car does help in travelling to these places.
There are also plenty of walks, hikes and viewing spots that are accessible to everyone from all walks of life, as well as some of the easy travel links that are often underused by those who don’t know about them, such as the train to Edale or buses from Derby and Sheffield that take you right into the heart of it.
Some of my favourite spots that I have explored over the years include but aren’t limited to:
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Padley Gorge which is home to an ancient woodland and flowing river which can be easily accessed from the nearby train station of Grindleford.
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The Nine Ladies a famous stone circle that sits upon Stanton Moor, surrounded by heather and mossy woodlands. This Peak District gem is also a very popular spot for Pagan traditions and solstice celebrations, which means it can get quite busy sometimes.
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Derwent Reservoir is a monolithic and, quite frankly, stunning walk that will dazzle you with its vast woodlands and ever-flowing reservoir.
The list goes on, but if there is one piece of advice I could give anyone, it is that there is little excuse for the people of the East Midlands to not go and enjoy the incredible setting that is the Peak District just as I have.
If you aren’t already convinced by my views then you can take a look at some of the pictures me and my friends have collected over the years of our adventures and outings into the Peak District.