Five Acres Farm Campsite

Who needs to organise a hol all the way over in South America when you can linger beside the llamas at Five Acres Farm Campsite in Derbyshire? This park full of furry, friendly animals may not be within spitting distance of treks to Macchu Picchu, but it does have Peak District paths for hikes and cycle rides on the Monsal Trail starting from a five-minute drive away.

The views are also nothing short of lush: the site is surrounded by wide open fields, and walks can be had without needing to get in the car towards the nearest settlement of Wardlow and up to Hay Cop (20 minutes on foot) for a look over the local landscape.

If you’d rather dig into dessert than dawdle, the tarts and puddings of countrywide renown are at Bakewell, the only market town in the Peak District and a 15-minute drive from the site. Not too stuffed to think about stocking up on supplies after sampling the wares? Food stores are here too and other urban areas worth a wander for chocolate-box houses and cutesy craft shops include Tideswell, Castleton, Bamford and Chatsworth, all within 20 minutes.

Plenty other activities can be had in these towns too: Tideswell’s got the impressive St John the Baptist Church to have a gander at; Castleton’s known for its caverns where the famed Blue John stone is mined, and Bamford has three different dams to trek around. Chatsworth, meanwhile, is home to swanky stately mansion Chatsworth House – yep, that one mentioned in Pride and Prejudice and regularly voted Britain's top country house.