hiking
The Peak District is a traditional destination for hikers and it has an important place in the early history of the British walking and rights-of-way movement.
A number of long-distance walking routes are wholly or partly within the Peak District:
The Pennine Way (http://www.thepennineway....) 251 miles begins at Edale and passes through the northern section of the Park on its journey to the Scottish border.
The Pennine Bridleway (http://www.nationaltrail....) partially complete; 208 miles has a similar route to the Pennine Way; the Peak section runs from Carsington Reservoir to Hayfield.
The Limestone Way (http://www.walkingpages.c...) 50 miles traverses the White Peak from Castleton to Matlock, Ashbourne and Rocester.
The Gritstone Trail (http://www.cheshire.gov.u...) 35 miles runs from Lyme Park to Kidsgrove, along the western edge of the Park.
The Midshires Way (http://www.ramblers.org.u...) 225 miles starts in Stockport and runs southeastwards across the Peak District to Wirksworth then southwards through the East Midlands to Buckinghamshire.
The central section of the Trans-Pennine Trail (http://www.transpenninetr...) 200 miles crosses the Dark Peak via Longdendale Woodhead Pass.
Keen walkers should invest in the Ordnance Survey 1:25000 Explorer sheets OL1 "The Peak District – Dark Peak area" and/or OL24 "The Peak District – White Peak area". Between them these two sheets cover most of the National Park area and show public rights-of-way and Access Land of which there is much in the Dark Peak. Most outdoor shops stock these and other maps, and there are large numbers of guidebooks with walking routes.
potholing
Potholes are limited to the limestone White Peak and are concentrated around Castleton, Buxton, Matlock and Eyam. There are show caves in Castleton, Buxton and Matlock Bath; the more committed should make contact with the Derbyshire Caving Association (http://www.thedca.org.uk/). Many caves are associated with old lead mines and are not for the inexperienced.