Peak District

Those unfamiliar to the Peak District might assume it is a region of pointed mountains. In fact, the highest land is found on the almost flat plateaux in the north. The name probably comes from the Old English 'peac', meaning hill. The 'Dark Peak' in the northern Peak District is a terrain of gritstone bedrock, high, open moorland, distinctive crags or 'edges', and resistant rocky tors eroded into remarkable shapes in places. In contrast, the White Peak of the southern Peak District is characterised by greyish white limestone, attractive river valleys such as the Lathkill and the Dove, underground caverns and drystone walls.