Brosterfield Farm

If you’re keen to learn a bit about Peak District history, start with the infamous ‘plague village’ of Eyam (five minutes’ drive), where you can see macabre plague-related dioramas in the small museum, have a wander up to Riley’s Graves, marked by seven tombstones protected by dry-stone walls, and take afternoon tea in cute tearooms. At the other end of the wealth spectrum from Eyam, impressive Chatsworth House (20 minutes) is set in Capability Brown-designed parkland and has a fantastic art collection in its opulent galleries and state rooms. (Mostly) medieval Haddon Hall (25 minutes) is another splendid spot for peering into the past; it’s open for tours of its vaulted banqueting hall and formal Elizabethan gardens. When you’d rather explore on foot, the Monsal Trail (10 minutes) offers spectacular views over Monsal Dale and the viaduct at Monsal Head. At Chee Dale (20 minutes), you can follow the River Wye through its limestone gorge, or if you fancy something a bit more hardcore, hire canoes, dinghies and sailboards from Carsington Water Visitor Centre (40 minutes). Happier on dry land? They rent out bikes too, so you can circumnavigate the lake.