Peak District Plan

Peak District-Wide

From the purple heather moors and ‘featherbed’ bogs of Kinder and Bleaklow to the verdant woodlands, sparkling rivers and dramatic limestone cliffs of Dove Dale, the Peak District has long been recognised as a special place. From Jacob’s ladder to lapwing, dipper to mountain hare, wildlife is very much a part of the landscape in the Peak District. It is an integral part of the ‘Peak District experience’ for residents and visitors, young and old, the expert and the curious alike. We are fortunate that on our doorstep we have such a diverse mosaic of landscapes supporting a wealth of plants and animals, some of which can be found in few other places in the world.

Lying at the southern tip of the Pennines, the Peak District is at the crossroads where the uplands of north-west Britain meet the lowlands of the south-east. It is also one of the most accessible areas of upland Britain, with over 20 million people living within an hour’s drive, giving people a unique opportunity to enjoy the upland landscapes and the extraordinary wealth of associated wildlife.

Part of the Peak District’s attraction is its diversity, the product of its distinctive climate, geology and topography overlain by centuries of land management by people. There is probably no part of the area which remains uninfluenced by human activity and most habitats are the product of traditional farming and other land management.

The Peak District essentially comprises three distinct areas each with its own characteristic landscape and wildlife – the Carboniferous limestone area of the White Peak, and the gritstone and shale areas of the Dark Peak and South West Peak.