Wild Peaks

A journey through Britain’s first National Park on its 75th anniversary

On a spring day in 1932, 400 disgruntled ramblers embarked on a 'mass trespass' of Kinder Scout, a plateau in the Peak District in northern England. Their aim? To establish a right to roam across the rugged landscape, against the wishes of wealthy landowners.

The hikers were seeking respite from the smoky industrial centres of Manchester and Sheffield – and eventually, after skirmishes that April day, they got what they wanted. In 1951, the Peak District National Park was established, Britain’s first, paving the way for free countryside access for all by law.

With the 75th anniversary looming, how has this dramatic landscape, home to striking tabletops of rock, expanses of peat, farms and villages, fared since? The Peak District may be overlooked by those flocking to the Lake District National Park (formed soon after) and its summits may not soar quite as high, yet it retains much of Britain’s finest and most mysterious scenery.

What goes on in this 'howling wilderness' with 'the most desolate, wild and abandoned country in all of England,' as described by Daniel Defoe three centuries ago? One way to find out is to hit the trails on a long, modern-day ramble to celebrate this symbolic home of hiking.

From old mines, to forgotten railways, opulent estates (Chatsworth, Haddon), myths and legends, Roman remains, literary links, high ridges and eerie moors, a hidden world spanning Derbyshire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Staffordshire, West and South Yorkshire awaits. Peak Times provides a 21st-century peek at the peaks, seen from its winding paths… no need to trespass now.