Top 10 things to do in Derbyshire
Derbyshire holds the southern Peak District, with limestone dales, caves, historic houses and old mill towns. It suits walkers, families and anyone who likes a good country house.
- 1
Chatsworth House
📍 Near BakewellHouse, gardensOne of England’s great stately homes, with a vast garden and parkland, home to the Dukes of Devonshire.
- 2
Peak District National Park
📍 Peak DistrictWalks, sceneryEngland’s first national park, with moors, edges and limestone dales.
- 3
Heights of Abraham
📍 Matlock BathFamilies, viewsA hillside park above the Derwent reached by cable car, with caverns and viewpoints.
- 4
Haddon Hall
📍 Near BakewellHouse, historyA well-preserved medieval and Tudor manor house with terraced gardens by the River Wye.
- 5
Peak Cavern
📍 CastletonCaves, walksA huge natural cave known as the Devil’s Arse, below Peveril Castle, with other show caves nearby.
- 6
Hardwick Hall
📍 Near ChesterfieldHouse, historyA showpiece Elizabethan house, famed for its large windows and its tapestries.
- 7
Kedleston Hall
📍 Near DerbyHouse, gardensA grand Neoclassical house in parkland, with a museum of Indian objects.
- 8
Crich Tramway Village
📍 CrichFamilies, tramsA museum village with vintage trams you can ride, on a hilltop.
- 9
Dovedale
📍 Near AshbourneWalks, natureA beautiful limestone valley with stepping stones and Thorpe Cloud, on the Derbyshire–Staffordshire border.
- 10
Bakewell
📍 BakewellTown, foodA market town on the River Wye, famous for its puddings and tarts.
Where to base yourself
Last checked: October 2026.