Information
At the Heart of England you will find the beautiful countryside of Derbyshire and the country's first national park – the Peak District.
With hundreds of square miles of spectacular, unspoilt moorlands and hills, lush valleys, forests and reservoirs, the Peak District can offer every outdoor pastime from walking and climbing, to the gentler activities of painting, photography and just relaxing and watching the world going by.
Seek out the towns and villages hiding in the hills, such as the elegant spa town of Buxton, famous for its mineral water. Ashbourne is also famous for its water but you can't visit this market town without trying its gingerbread, in the same way that you can't visit Bakewell without trying its pudding.
Attractions
Great houses are scattered throughout the countryside. There's the Elizabethan brilliance of Hardwick Hall, the grandeur of Chatsworth, medieval Haddon Hall, Bolsover Castle and Kedleston Hall – to name but a few.
History
History is all around you here. Follow the National Heritage Corridor along the River Derwent, from the dams in the north, through lead mining land around Matlock to Belper, where the river was harnessed to power the first cotton mills, and Derby, site of Britain's first factory and still home to Royal Crown Derby Porcelain.
derbyshire tourist information
