England Guide
The West Midlands and the Peak District
The Peak District
In 1951, the Peak District, at the southern tip of the Pennine range, became Britain's first National Park 
01629/816 200, 
www.peakdistrict.gov.uk ). Wedged between Derby, Manchester and Sheffield, it is effectively the backyard for the fifteen million people who live within an hour's drive of its boundaries, though somehow it accommodates the huge influx with minimum fuss.
Landscapes in the Peak District come in two forms: the brooding high moorland tops of Dark Peak, fifteen miles east of central Manchester, take their name from the underlying gritstone, known as millstone grit for its former use – a function commemorated in the millstones demarcating the park boundary. Windswept, mist-shrouded and inhospitable, the flat tops of these peaks are nevertheless a firm favourite with walkers on the Pennine Way, which meanders north from the tiny village of Edale to the Scottish border; more forgiving, the southern limestone hills of the White Peak have been eroded into deep forested dales populated by small stone villages and often threaded by walking trails. The limestone is riddled with complex cave systems near the region's largest centre, Buxton, a charming former spa town just outside the park's boundaries and the best base for exploring the region. The Peak District also holds one of the country's most distinctive manorial piles, Chatsworth House, just outside modest Baslow.
The Pennine Way
The 268-mile-long Pennine Way ( www.nationaltrail.co.uk ) was the country's first long-distance footpath, officially opened in 1965. It stretches north from the boggy plateau of the Peak District's Kinder Scout, near Edale village, through the Yorkshire Dales and Teesdale, crossing Hadrian's Wall and the Northumberland National Park, before entering Scotland to fizzle out at the village of Kirk Yetholm.
Now one of the most popular walks in the country, either taken in sections or completed in two to three weeks, depending on your level of fitness and experience, the Pennine Way is a challenge in the best of weather, since it passes through some of the wildest countryside in England. You must certainly be properly equipped and able to use a map and compass. The National Trail Guides Pennine Way: South and Pennine Way: North, are essential, though some still prefer to stick to Wainwright's Pennine Way Companion. Information centres along the route – like the one at Edale village – stock a selection of guides and associated trail leaflets and can offer advice.
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