The Peak District September 2021

We stopped at the Bank View Café en route for a cream tea and I can highly recommend it, it is a favourite amongst cyclists looking for refreshments.

We stayed at the Charlesworth Lodges in Glossop and it was an ideal base to explore the area. We stayed in a 2 bedroom lodge with private hot tub. It was on a site that only had a handful of lodges so it was really peaceful. The lodges back onto the woods in private grounds and the lodge had everything you needed for a self catering stay and furnished to a really nice standard.

From the lodge there is a town within walking distance with a couple of shops and a pub, so you really need a car to visit the nearby towns and mountains.

One of the first walks we did was up to the top of Mam Tor, this is not a difficult walk up and they have laid the pathway for the last part with stones to get you to the Summit, not very steep as its quite flat at the top. The view is amazing at the top, 360 degree view of the Peaks, really stunning.

Nearby was the town of Matlock bath you can find the Heights of Abraham Cable Car here – the cable car takes you to a Hilltop park, which has cavern tours, walking trails, fossil exhibitions and a cafe. Well worth a visit.

We also spent a few hours cycling around Derwent and Ladybower Dams. It felt great to be on a bike again, especially with no traffic. Great scenery and plenty of walking trails too in the area. We just hired bikes from the bike centre on site and there is a trail around the lake to follow.

Castleton was another village we went to, this was a pretty village to wander around, we had a cream tea after we walked through and up Winnats Pass which is the opposite side to Mam Tor, more dramatic views and little caves, the Pass itself is awesome to drive through and again the scenery is breath taking.

We popped into Bakewell town and visited the tea room at the famous Bakewell Pudding Shop. Lots of choices of cake and of course Bakewell Pudding.

Buxton was not too far of a drive away and as it was our last day and a bit drizzly we visited the park which is large and lots to explore. There was a band playing in the Bandstand, there is a train that winds its way through the park.

Buxton is large and there is a bit to do here, it has lots of Tea Rooms, Buxtons Mineral baths and we went into the buxton pudding emporium where you can purchase home made cheeses, jams, pickles, teas, honey, etc and then have a cream tea or cake in the small tea room.

We were in the Peaks for 7 days but really there is so much to do you could easily spend a couple of weeks there. It is certainly a destination I will go back to. We had a fabulous week with the weather, somehow we picked the best week for the sunshine, which made it even better!