Nature Fix: Peak District, Cotswolds?
 

Hi all,

I am helping my 22-year old plan another outdoor-sy vacation for her college graduation. She is going to London for a few days (she's been there several times) then wants to do some walking/hiking. She visited Berner Oberland and the Alpe di Siusi and was head over heels at the charm, beauty, friendly people and hiking.

I am looking for recommendations in England for 2-3 places. I was going to send her to the Cotswolds. Any thoughts on the best town to stay in for young people?

She asked me about the Peak District but I don't know anything about it.

Any other ideas?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

When is the trip? I LOVE the Cotswolds and used to live near there . . . but for a 22 yo wanting to hike etc my first thoughts would be one of two or three different regions of Scotland, the Peak District, or the south coast (Dorset/Hampshire or thereabouts)

How long does she have?

Sections of what would be my pick, the South West Coast Path - https://www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk/

Or the Welsh version - https://www.walescoastpath.gov.uk/?lang=en

Hadrian's Wall Path - https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_G...ans-wall-path/

Pennine Way - https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_G...s/pennine-way/

For the Peak District - https://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/visi...o-visit/trails

There are companies that will arrange accommodation and to have your belongings moved from place to place.

Thanks both! She is going the first two weeks of August and staying with a friend from college who lives outside London.

They have a car and have decided to go to Peak District National Park. Now… where to stay… where to hike… This park is huge!

They will want to book ASAP if not sooner. August is the busiest month by far. I'd first look somewhere in the Bamford/Hope Valley and Bakewell areas

Thanks Janisj! They are looking for a B&B or Airbnb now. Are there sheep and cows and such? That Lauterbrunnen Valley and Alpe di Suisi are both so bucolic.

We found a link to area B&Bs. Does this look legitimate?

https://www.visitpeakdistrict.com/ac...ndb491&rtfa=on

How about the Lake District? For hiking and nature with beautiful views that would be hard to beat. My daughter and son-in-law, who did Cairo to Cape Town in their Land Rover, love hiking in the Lake District.

sheep, tick
cow, tick (small tick as they prefer flatter land, but a good reason to carry a stick)
kerlews, tick
ticks, tick (small tick)

Or come to Yorkshire
I assume she knows about the public footpath system https://footpathmap.co.uk/
And the long distance ones https://ldwa.org.uk/ldp/public/ldp_public_home.php
The hostel https://www.yha.org.uk/

Anyone attempting to experience nature in The Oeak District needs to be prepared to share it. To the extent where I wouldn’t bother. in FEBRUARY this year on a Sunday , we arranged a reunion with school friends - at 10:30am the queue into the Peak District was incomprehensible. It too, an hour to find a parking space in the Derwent Valley and I was pipped when I tried to slow down to park on the double yellow lines to phone my friends.

I’d agree with Bilbo - head for North Yorkshire , part of thr Lakes or Dumfries and Galloway.

Though it is possible to escape the crowds it isn't easy, and the Peaks can be dangerous with lots of mine shafts, unexpected bogs, and dodgy weather. Squeezed in between major conurbations it is the to to place for many who live in them.

What about the Brecon Beacons? Quieter than the Peaks, the Lakes or the Cotswolds in August. Definitely quieter than the main part of Snowdonia, though the southern side around Machynlleth is a bit quieter.
Or the South Downs? Not as wild but still lovely, or the Ridgeway or even part of the coastal path.
With a few days they could walk Hadrians Wall but again it could be busy. There are plenty of farms and villages along that offering B&B accommodation. There is also the Coast to Coast path: https://ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show...8Wainwright%29 That website is a useful resource in any case.

Also https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2...sary-ten-years with some more suggestions below the article.

So plenty of ideas and options, she and her friends just have to decide!

Hi, Irice.
I can't speak to the crowds in August (I usually go in Sept.), and it's been 3 years since I've been able to go hiking in England b/c of covid, but I LOVE the Peak District (first) and Cotswolds (second) for its scenery/hiking. (Walking, as they say in England.) All personal preference for scenery, though.

I'd tell your daughter to consider the charming village of Bakewell. From there, the women could easily mix walks with visits to Haddon Hall, Chatsworth, and Eyam (the plague village; it's very moving. They should walk out to the boundary stone). A very easy walk from Bakewell is the Monsal trail. I say easy as it's traffic free and flat, following an old railway track, so requires little navigation skills, as opposed to hiking in countryside. Might be a nice walk/bike ride toward the end of their stay, after they've got the challenging walks out of the way. For the "real" walks, I'd suggest they look at walks around the Hope Valley, Stanage Edge and Edale, too. Also, if they don't want to burden the area (and themselves) with driving, I've done my trips here and around with public transportation.

Envy them their trip!

I’d add to the list The Éden Valley in Cumbria and The Forest of Bowland in Lancashire, the latter has some beautiful, peaceful walks and some of the best pub food in England - a very active food scene , including the food hall in a Clitheroe.

Clitheroe also has the best wine shop in the North of England, but that is another story

D Byrnes - it’s better than most of our local ones in Saint Emilion , they have moved into a warehouse at the bottom of the hill.

one of the best in The U.K.

Okay, so if they have a car then that makes life so much easier! If they like to walk then there are some great options for seeing the Cotswolds and also some other great sites in the UK. How I would do it, is I would drive from London to Woodhenge - yep you heard me, its about a 90 minute drive out of London depending on where you are! See this great site, and then take the 2.5 mile walk to Stonehenge and walk the perimeter of it, you can also stop in the café at Stonehenge without paying for a ticket.

Then once done, I would drive to Bourton on the Water in the Cotswolds (approx 1 hour 20 mins drive) - its a great place to visit and stay. I am not so good on the peak district, but I know Cotswolds and south very well and Bourton is stunning with some amazing walking routes. Hope the below might also help.

https://bourtoninfo.com/
https://stonehengevisit.co.uk/walks

Some people might not be happy with the driving, but if I know young people they dont tend to mind if the destination is worth it.

Yes the Cotswolds are lovely as is Bourton-on-the-Water, but in August Bourton will be a total zoo.

As mentioned above, places like the Lake District, Peak District, Cotswolds are very VERY popular and with the pent up demand this year its likely they will be more so. I personally wouldn't go near the Lake District in a 'normal' August.

If the girls can't find accommodations in/around Bakewell then the suggestions re Wales, parts of Yorkshire, Cumbria, South Downs, etc are good. But wherever they decide the need to book sooner rather than later.

<<Clitheroe also has the best wine shop in the North of England, but that is another story>>

Completely off topic Bilbo but have you ever been to the Constantine post office down near the Helford on your trips to Cornwall? The best selection of whiskies and premiers crus this side of Bristol. We discovered it completely by chance when we moved down here and and rented a house just down the road from the Post office. Oh the temptation to pop in and buy a bottle of something nice to drink with lunch on the way home from dropping the kids off at school which was further up the hill.

A new target, never normally go west of Falmouth, but hey...

you’re missing out on so much, Ardnamurchan lighthouse and Sanna beach are stunning :-)

I've been in January in a rain storm

Brave man!

Lol

Such amazing tips here! I soooo appreciate you all. I found this article in The Guardian that talks about Limestone Way specifically a section south of Bakewell. It sounds lovely.

​​​​​​https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2...ancient-tracks

My kids cannot decide between Bakewell, Tideswell and Youlgraeve to stay! Bakewell is a little more expensive for accommodations. Tideswell has a darling place called The George ad Youlgraeve has its sister inn called Farmyard.

But perhaps there are more pubs in Bakewell and it would be a more fun village at night for 22-year-olds. Any thoughts?

Thank you!

Any of the three would be fine but Bakewell is by far the largest of the three (maybe 5,000 pop.) and would have more to do and more places to eat/drink. But it is also more 'famous' and would be more crowded. Tideswell does have nearly 2,000 population so it isn't a teensy village and would be fine for a couple of young adults for a few days if the accommodations are their favorite.

Youlgraeve is smaller and might be too quiet IMO.

I'd vote Bakewell as I'd appreciated the conveniences there. (I've lived a long time in a city and being able to get a Costa Coffee or Starbucks in the morning adds to my holiday pleasure.) The other two locales seem too quiet unless the women plan to just sleep and shower there, and spend most of their days in the country and do little at night. Also, if they plan on touring the countryside, they may be too knackered to do much in the evening, so having quick access to a restaurant or pub,with some hope of seeing people near their age, seems more likely in Bakewell. Have they shared with you what they hope to do in the Peaks? I'm curious as I'll be there in September (finally!).

As your daughter has been to London several times, wanted to mention that if the women are interested in theater, there's a cool immersive theater experience in London from PunchDrunk called The Burnt City. https://onecartridgeplace.com/theburntcity/
I'm really excited to see this. I've been to other performances of theirs, and it's really interesting. Also, if they've read Circe or Song of Achilles or are into Greco-Roman mythology, this could be fun for them.

Curious to hear more!