The Peak District National Park covers 555 square miles in the Midlands and the North of England, spread across parts of Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire. There’s easy road access from the surrounding cities of Derby, Stoke-on-Trent, Liverpool and Sheffield; from Bristol and Birmingham via the M5, M6 and then the A515 (and from Cardiff, too, additionally via the M50); and from London via the M1, the A50 and then the A515. From further north and Scotland, you’ll be arriving in the Peak District via the M6, or the A1 and the M1. Journey times vary, of course, but rough times to the village of Ashbourne (which is near where our itinerary starts) are: 1 hour 15 minutes from Birmingham; 2 hours 30 minutes from Bristol; 3 hours from Cardiff; 5 hours 15 minutes from Edinburgh; 1 hour 50 minutes from Liverpool; 3 hours 20 minutes from London; 1 hours 40 minutes from Manchester; and 3 hours from Newcastle.

From Dublin, you’ll need to either fly to Manchester or Liverpool with Ryanair or Aer Lingus or catch a ferry with Irish Ferries to Holyhead, on Anglesey [3 or 4 sailings daily | 3 hours 25 minutes], from where it’s just under 3 hours’ drive to Ashbourne near Dovedale. From Belfast, you’ll need to fly to Manchester, Leeds or Liverpool with easyJet or Aer Lingus or catch a ferry with Stena Line to Liverpool [2 sailings daily | 6 hours] and drive from there.

Several main A roads cut through the Peak District, from one side to the other, connecting towns on the peripheries such as Manchester, Sheffield, Macclesfield and Barnsley. Our itinerary zigzags through the park from south to north, taking in these roads where relevant to cut down on journey times. Parking is in a mix of privately-owned car parks (Dovedale), National Trust car parks (Mam Tor) and National Park Authority car parks (Stanage Edge); some are free but most cost from around £1.50 for up to 1 hour through to £4.75 for all-day parking.

The walks along the Great Ridge and up Stanage Edge will be easier if you wear good (ankle-supporting) walking boots and suitable clothing – the path along the ridge especially is quite exposed, so a fleece is also useful, as is a hat (a cap for the sun in summer, a woolly hat at other times for the wind). Take a day-sack, so you can carry enough food and water (allow half a litre per person for every hour of hiking you’ll be doing), and pack a waterproof jacket and waterproof trousers, for the good old British weather (wet-weather gear will also be useful for cycling the Monsal Trail). Both walks are easy to follow, but if you wanted a map that covers the area, you can buy the OS Explorer Map OL1 (The Peak District: Dark Peak Area) [£8.99].