Family-friendly Things To Do in the Peak District
Perfect for outdoorsy families who love nothing better than an expedition over spectacular moorland to rocky limestone crags, the Peak District is just as much a haven for kids’ activities ranging from interactive museums to wildlife encounters galore. You can keep teens happy with high-octane rides in theme parks, and you’ll unearth plenty of heritage for parents to get their teeth into. In short, the national park has an impressive roster of attractions for young and old, and is sure to reward a visit with some special memories.
Read on for Pitchup’s pick of favourite family days out in the Peak District, ranging from walks suitable for kids of all ages to wet-weather distractions.
Family-friendly walks and cycle rides in the Peak District
As the start (or end, of course) point for the Pennine Way is at Edale, the Peak District is closely associated with walking; this rugged backbone of England has also spawned other long-distance hikes including the Derwent Valley Heritage Way and looped Peak Way Walk. While these are suitable for older kids, there are several less challenging multi-use trails in the national park that are suitable for all ages. Here are our top walking and cycling picks for families; for more challenging routes, check out our guide to hiking in the Peak District.
Dovedale
Length: 6 miles (9.65 km) circular trail
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 2-3 hours
Start: National Trust car park in Dovedale (free for members, pay and display otherwise)
This six-mile walk is hugely popular and the car parking at Dovedale is at a premium – you’re advised to get there early in the day. Heading through gorgeous woodland and past towering limestone pinnacles alongside the River Dove, the circular route also visits the picture-perfect village of Ilam, where there is a tea room for pit stops. From Ilam, you can make an enjoyable side trip up the landmark Thorpe Crag, which takes about an hour.
Good to know: If this route is too long, there are several shorter walks at Dovedale, including a short 20-minute trail that allows you to see the famous stepping stones.
Monsal Trail
Length: 8.5 miles (13.5 km) linear route
Difficulty: Easy
Time: Three hours
Start: Pay and display car parks at Bakewell and Tideswell Dale
Safe and traffic-free, the Monsal Trail follows the former Midland Railway line between Chee Dale and Bakewell; its level terrain makes a great introduction to cycling and walking for all the family. The route takes in a series of tunnels and viaducts, and can be neatly parcelled up into several shorter looped walks suitable for little legs. Highlights include Chee Dale Stepping Stones and Monsal Weir.
Good to know: There are plenty of picnic sites along the way, and the gentle gradients make the Monsal Trail ideal for pushchairs, wheelchairs and trampers (take a look at our accessible Peak District article for more info on accessible walking).
Tissington Trail
Length: 13 miles (21 km) linear route
Difficulty: Easy with one steep section
Time: About 5 hours
Start: Pay and display car parks at Ashbourne or Parsley Hay
The Tissington Trail largely follows former railway lines and is correspondingly flat; there is just one short, steep and rocky section that is quite demanding, which is fine if you’re on foot but trickier for novice bike riders to negotiate. There’s a mini information centre about the trail in Hartington Signal Box, and a picnic site at Tissington Station.
Good to know: If the kids need another refuelling stop en route, there are cafés at Parsley Hay and Hartington Station.
Cultural attractions
Like all the UK’s spectacular national parks, the Peak District is bursting with man-made heritage. Visiting a stately home or fascinating industrial museum with the kids gives them an introduction to centuries of history without overwhelming them with information. Read on for the top spots.
Castleton Show Caves
If you’re looking for a rainy-day activity in the Peak District, the caverns in Castleton village fit the bill perfectly. With four different underground complexes to choose from – all around 330 million years old – Treak Cliff Cavern is perhaps the best for families. Visitor numbers are limited (it’s best to book online in advance) and you can pick up activity sheets for younger children to use on self-guided audio tours of cathedral-like caves studded with exotically shaped stalagmites and stalactites and glistening deposits of Blue John ore. There’s a café and gift shop too.
Good to know: Other subterranean adventures await at Castleton’s Peak and Speedwell caverns, plus the Blue John Mine.
Chatsworth House
A visit to one of the UK’s most famous stately homes might not sound particularly enticing for young kids, but Chatsworth is far more than just a big house. Older kids may appreciate the self-guided tours of ornate apartments stuffed with priceless antiques, but pre-teens will undoubtedly prefer the craft workshops and gardening clubs aimed specifically at their age group, along with bird-watching sessions and the chance to meet-and-greet cuddly goats and rare Suffolk Punch horses in the farmyard. There’s an adventure playground with zipwires and sand pits too.
Good to know: You can download two family-friendly trail maps with lots of free ideas for entertaining the kids in the grounds of Chatsworth House.
Peak District Lead Mining Museum
The Peak District was an important centre for lead mining between Roman times and the eventual collapse of the industry in the 1980s. The Peak District Lead Mining Museum gives you the chance to relive the job of a Derbyshire miner with an hour-long guided tour of Temple Mine, which opened in the 1920s. Just be aware that temperatures are low and conditions wet underground, so warm clothes and stout shoes are advised, especially for the kids. Hard hats are doled out at the beginning of the tour, and you can expect some scrambling through low, narrow tunnels.
Kids can also go panning for gold, dress up as Victorian miners and learn about local geology in the adjacent museum displaying fossils, minerals and mining equipment.
Good to know: There’s more regional industrial history to be found in Derwent Valley Mills, a World Heritage Site set in a series of 18th-century textile mills just outside the national park.
Outdoor Peak District attractions for families
The following are all on the very edge of or just outside the confines of the national park, but they all still warrant inclusion in Pitchup’s list of big-hitting family things to do in the Peak District.
Alton Towers
The daddy of all UK theme parks is 20 minutes’ drive from Ashbourne in Peak District; from the waterpark to CBeebies Land, live musical shows to the golf course, every visitor of every age should find plenty to enjoy at Alton Towers. And who knows? Thrill rides like the notorious Nemesis Reborn and The Smiler – with its world-beating 14 inversions – may even make the most recalcitrant of teenagers smile.
Good to know: Seasonal events take place all year round, with Halloween and Santa’s visit at Christmas particular hits among the kids.
Gulliver’s Kingdom
Designed especially for children aged between two and 13, Gulliver’s Kingdom easily keeps families happily busy for a day, what with the dinosaur trails, log flumes, barrel rides and a cycle monorail that circumnavigates the park. The Toyland zone is dedicated to the under-fives, while there are pirate-ship rides and climbing courses for older kids.
Good to know: Baby-changing rooms and microwaves for warming bottles can be found on site, as well as a coffee shop and three fast-food stops.
Heights of Abraham
Cable car rides, guided tours of cave systems and an amble around the Willow Sculpture Trail are a few of the family attractions at the Heights of Abraham; you can also climb to the top of the 19th-century Victoria Prospect Tower for awesome views across the countryside. Family facilities include four eating options, all overlooking gorgeous countryside, adventure playgrounds and activity sheets to fill in on the butterfly trail.
Good to know: If you’re visiting between late November and Christmas, a twinking Winter Lights Trail illuminates the park after dark.
Matlock Farm Park
Matlock Farm Park is a smashing place for introducing younger children to an early love of animals, with pony rides, alpaca trekking and furry rabbits to cuddle, as well as handling sessions and the chance to meet giant but gentle Shire horses. Kids can also sing along to hit songs from ‘Frozen’, bounce around on the UK’s largest jumping pillow and run off energy in the play parks while you nurse a coffee in the Garden Room Café.
Good to know: You can support the work of Matlock Farm Park by buying sponsorship packages and looking after Highland cattle, goats or donkeys for a year.
Peak Wildlife Park
With its emphasis on conservation and sustainability of rare species, Peak Wildlife Park also aims to educate visitors young and old on the challenges natural life faces in the wild. It’s all done in a very lowkey fashion without any sermonising; families can walk with lemurs, penguins and wallabies, get up close to red squirrels and enjoy the antics of penguins in their pool.
Good to know: all the animals are housed in expansive enclosures designed to replicate their native habitats as closely as possible.
The Peak District’s spectacular moorland scenery studded with cycling and walking routes, and its wealth of outdoor or cultural attractions, theme parks and wildlife centres make it a great choice for an exciting, fun-filled family holiday. Whether you love walking, cycling, exploring historic houses or learning about endangered wildlife, there’s plenty here to keep children of all ages entertained.
Before you book your Peak District break, however, take some time to work out what sort of camping accommodation will suit your family best. Are you happy to rough it with few facilities amid stunning landscapes, or will the kids need a little more space – in a yurt for instance – to keep them happy? If you’re a bit apprehensive about holidaying outdoors with young kids, our handy guide to camping with the family should put your mind at rest. Finally, ‘family’ also means the family pets, and there are many dog-friendly campsites in the Peak District National Park.