Peak District

If you haven’t settled on staying in Castleton, and would like a bit of social life, you could consider a weekend with HF Holidays at their Dovedale country house. HF is a member-owned cooperative that operates country
Houses all over the UK, as bases for walking and, on some holidays, activities such as bridge, chorus, writing, art, sightseeing by bus, yoga, etc. Non-member are welcome ( we have enjoyed several walking holidays with them). The stay is all-inclusive (room and meals) and both are high quality. The evening social activities are always fun. And if you choose to walk with them, they offer walks on 3 levels peach day, with an excellent guide to not only lead the way but provide informative talks about the history, culture, geology, etc. of the area. The camaraderie of the other guests on the walks—-most of them seniors—-is a highlight for us.

If you book the “unguided” walking holiday, you can still sigh up for one of the walks on one day(small fee), and use the other to explore on your own—Castleton is a popular choice from there.

https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/holidays-and-tours/3-night-peak-district-self-guided-walking-holiday?format=pdf&vid=737

The 3-night option is offered only on weekend in May, and some dates are already booked up, so the timing may not work for you. If so, perhaps a different location at another time would.

The real problem with such a question is that there are so many towns and villages to stay in. This forum likes Castleton, and with very good reason. But it is far from the only option.

Will you be driving, or using public transport? Do you have a rough kind of itinerary to give an idea of where may be best to stay?

Do you want the facilities of a larger town, or are you happy to be more self sufficient in a smaller village which may just have a pub and a small stores?

Each approach has it's pros and cons.

Finally do you have an idea of the kind of budget you are looking at?

In September, we hiked the north section of the White Peak Way. We started in Buxton and stayed in Tideswell, Castleton, Hathersage, Hope, Baslow and Bakewell. In most places we stayed in charming inns, some which had pubs attached. Many of them were very old, so you had to be prepared for sloping floors and other unique features. From either Baslow or Bakewell, you can easily visit Chatsworth Estate -- a lovely manor home that is well worth the visit.

I stayed in Castleton earlier this year for 5 nights and really liked my stay there. The village is perfect in that it's quite small, so easy to drive in and drive out of, yet large enough so that it has quite a few good hotels and pubs with rooms to let, and many good restaurants and cafes. It's in a good spot for hiking—in fact, I had a breathtaking view of Winnats Pass from my window, and there are a lot of hikers who stay there. You also have access to the Blue John caves and mines, which are nearby. I found it convenient to get to all my destinations in The Peak, although the area really isn't that large, so pretty much anyplace you stay will be fairly near most sights.

When I was there, I visited Bakeswell, Tideswell (to see St. John the Baptist Church), Eyam, Hathersage, Buxton, Hartington ( a really lovely and quaint village), Chatsworth House, which was amazing and hiked along Winnats Path, a limestone gorge with very steep cliffs and a narrow valley. As you drive through the pass, you are surrounded by towering limestone walls covered with green that rise dramatically on either side of you.

A lot depends on your preferences, too. Castleton, as I said, is a smallish town but with lots of conveniences. Bakewell and Buxton are both quite a bit larger, so you would have more selection if that's your preference. I like staying in smaller towns but that's me. I stayed at the Bull's Head pub in Castleton, which I really liked. Here is my review of it: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england-reviews/review-of-bull-s-head-pub-hotel-in-castleton-the-peak-district

One thing I loved about The Peak is that you will not find very many Americans there. Not that I don't love my countrywomen and men but it's nice to be among others, and most of the tourists in The Peak are from England and other parts of Europe. I don't think I ran into a single American in Castleton while I was there. Of course, it's a shame that most tourists from the US don't visit there, but it's definitely their loss.

"One thing I loved about The Peak is that you will not find very many Americans there."

I do try Mardee! The number of itineraries you see from your fellow countrymen that read London, Bath, Cotswolds, York or something similar is unbelievable. It gets a bit tedious after a while suggesting that there are other rural areas easily accessible that are at least as good of often better than the Cotswolds.

I would rate Chatsworth as rather more than a lovely Manor House - it's in my view the outstanding stately home in the whole of the UK. And way more impressive than Highclere, which is only famous because of being used for the exterior shots for Downton Abbey.

I will make the recommendation that you consider the less-known parts of the Peak District that lie within the county lines of Staffordshire and Cheshire. For the former, I would suggest staying in Leek, an attractive town with decent transport links. It is close to The Roaches - one of England's most spectacular rock formations - and Rudyard Lake. The Fountain Inn is an affordable pub B&B with a great selection of cask ale. As for the Cheshire part, you could consider doing the Gritstone Trail, which is absolutely spectacular. The town of Disley would give you a great place to stay as it is the start of the trail and would provide a variety of other walking opportunities. The Albert Hotel provides good accommodation but does not serve breakfast.

If you want to stay in Derbyshire, there are lots of great places like Buxton (The Queen's Head), Ashbourne (The George & Dragon), Bakewell (Queen's Arms or Castle Inn) or Baslow (The Wheatsheaf).

I don't recommend the Duke Of Wellington in Matlock. The missus and I had a dreadful stay there where we never felt welcome.

Whatever you decide, have a great time!!

I would rate Chatsworth as rather more than a lovely Manor House

Ha ha, John, I would wholeheartedly agree. In fact, I was a little surprised by that description. Chatsworth is absolutely wonderful and you could easily spend an entire day there seeing the inside and all the gorgeous gardens. It really is a wonder!

We stayed in Buxton as our base this past August for 5 days. We visited Bakewell by bus from there. We think that Bakewell or Castleton might have a bit more that interests us than Buxton but of course that was just our experience.

My daughter works at a small museum in Bakewell. Beautiful little town. Beloved spouse and I enjoyed the Peak District. Very picturesque.