April 26, 2021 • 19 mins
Some of the most beautiful countryside is located in The Peak District, England's first national park. If you like to hike, are into photography, desire to experience village life in England, or just walk through the most gorgeous gardens in all of Europe, The Peak District is the place to be.
[00:36] English National Parks
[02:16] Peak District-Land of the Shires
- Derbyshire
- Yorkshire
- Staffordshire
- Cheshire
- History
[05:30] Peak District Topography
- Dark peak - Kinder Scout, Mam Tor
- White peak
- Southwest peak
[07:46] Where to stay in the Peak District
- Camp
- Stay in a village - Bakewell, Castleton
- Stay in a larger city - Sheffield, Chesterfield, Manchester, Liverpool
[09:45] Blue John Caverns
[11:37] Chatsworth
- Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
- Gardens
[14:35] Must see list for The Peak District
- Castleton
- Peveril Castle
- Heights of Abraham
Dream. Learn. Plan. Prepare. Go to Guidester/Virtual-Vacation
Season 1: Episode 8
#travel #Europe #vacation #traveleurope #England #PeakDistrict #NationalPark #Chatsworth #Bluejohn #mineral #savagegarden #heightsofabraham #prideandprejudice #Ashfordinthewater #Castleton #Bakewell #bakewelltart #bluejohncavern #Derby #Sheffield #PeverilCastle #LymePark #photography #travel #europe #vacation #traveleurope #travelguide #tourguide
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Arnold (00:00):
You want a slice of rural England?
We're going to talk about that.
What does Pride and Prejudicehave to do with the Peak District?
Discover what mineral is found onlyin the Peak District of England.
Where should you stay whenyou go to the Peak District?
You'll get the answers to theseand more questions in this episode.
Travel to Europe is off limits forthe time being, but we can still keep
the flame of wanderlust alive throughthe Virtual Vacation with Guidester,
(00:22):
the weekly podcast, where host JackBaumann, founder of Guidester and travel
enthusiast, Arnold Stricker, dive intonew destinations, exploring their unique
history, culture and special vibe.
Now let's join our host, theGuidester himself, Jack Baumann.
In the United States we havea lot of national parks.
As I think about England, do theyhave the same kind of national
(00:42):
parks that we have over here?
Are people allowed to go to them?
Do they charge to get in them?
Jack (00:49):
Britain has 15 national parks, so their national parks are similar to ours.
A lot of them are free to use justlike ours, some of ours have fees to
use, but to my knowledge, they don't.
The one that comes to mind right off thebat is the Peak District National Park.
That's the one I definitelywant to delve into today.
The Peak District, not to be confused withthe Lake District, which is the probably
(01:10):
the most famous national park in Britain,or at least certainly one of them.
Arnold (01:13):
So they call their parks districts?
Jack (01:15):
No just the Peak District and the Lake District; I guess they probably
call it a district because these arebig and they encompass a lot of areas.
There's actually towns andvillages in these areas.
Yellowstone doesn't really have acity or town , you have some little
buildings and things for amenities . PeakDistrict and Lake District you have
living, breathing towns that have beenthere for centuries and centuries.
(01:36):
But those are the onlytwo districts that I know.
Other parks like Cairngorms inScotland, it is called Cairngorms.
The South Downs is anotherone in the south of England.
So I dunno these two just havethe designation of the district,
but it probably has to do withtheir diversity, their size.
The Lake District and the Peak Districtreally are two of the bigger ones and
the Lake District is the more famous one.
(01:58):
That's the one that WilliamWordsworth, famous English poet
got a lot of his inspiration from.
The Peak District was actually Britain'sfirst national park designated in 1951.
Arnold (02:11):
Let's get some location here.
I think most people knowwhere London's located.
Where is it in relationship to London?
Jack (02:16):
So it's North of London, about three hours.
The Peak District is in severalcounties: Derbyshire, Yorkshire;
and I'm putting on my English accenthere, so Derbyshire, Yorkshire,
Staffordshire, and Cheshire, most ofthe Peak District is in Derbyshire.
But there's quite a bit in Yorkshire anda little bit in these other counties.
It's 555 square miles in size so dependingon where you're coming from London, it'll
(02:37):
take you three to four hours, threehours to get to the Southern part; four
plus to get you to the Northern part.
It's an expansive area, justoutstanding beauty, breathtaking
views, bustling market towns, quaintvillages, giant historic houses.
It is reachable from London.
Arnold (02:52):
So was this something that the crown formed or was this
something parliament put togetheror how did this come about?
In the United States we have nationalparks are a designation by Congress.
How do they go aboutdoing this in England?
Jack (03:05):
It's similar.
So it was a designated by thegovernment in 1951, it was really
born out of a need for more greenspace for those living in the cities.
The 20th century saw growingappreciation of the outdoors and
the benefits of physical exercise.
This also is tied to World War I too.
You've got the aristocracy withthese thousands of acre estates, just
(03:25):
dominating these entire areas and thenyou've got the blue collar workers
that just went off to fought a war.
They fought a war, they came back andthey're stuffed back into these cities.
The three cities that encompass orsurround rather the Peak District
are Liverpool, Sheffield and Darby.
Manchester's in there as well, but you hadthese three big cities that surround the
(03:46):
Peak District, which really at that pointwas totally owned by the aristocracy.
Arnold (03:50):
So is that a coal area?
Jack (03:51):
Yeah, there is a mining in this area, but really it's an area
of outstanding natural beauty.
So these are large estates owned bylanded gentry and they had livestock.
They really just had thousands of acresthat they would farm that they would till.
There is some industry in the area, butreally it was just like Chatsworth, is
very famous home of pride and prejudice.
(04:11):
We'll have to get into thatlater, but that's a cool one.
. This is thousands of acres, tensof thousands of acres owned by
one family, the Cavendish family.
Arnold (04:20):
Wow.
Jack (04:20):
How much land does one person need and so really this goes back to
the days of yore when the aristocracyin England was very powerful.
So in the turn of the century, thepeople and these blue collar workers
in these cities were looking atthis land and they just thought
it was wrong and they petitioned.
This really started in the turn of thecentury culminated in the 1920s but then
eventually got to 1950s and that's whenthey made the determination okay, we're
(04:43):
going to make this area national park.
But what these blue collar workers did isthey just started walking on to the land.
There's an episode that spanned yearswhere these, in Sheffield in Darby,
these big cities that are right onthe edges of now the national park,
then it was just these estates.
They just said, we're just goingto go and start walking onto
this land by the thousands.
And there's not much thearistocracy was able to do.
(05:07):
And there was pushback.
I'm quite sure people werearrested, probably beat.
But eventually the crown and thegovernment kind of relented, relented.
Exactly.
And they designated this area asthe first national park in Britain.
Arnold (05:19):
That's an interesting way to get a national park.
Jack (05:21):
I know it just going to start walking onto the land..
Arnold (05:23):
Yeah.
Maybe the animals in Yosemite outthere need to do the same thing.
Jack (05:27):
Exactly.
Take a page from England.
I find that a fascinating story.
Arnold (05:30):
So the topography you mentioned, it's very beautiful and
the lay of the land is picturesque.
Give us a little bit more,a description about that.
What are we looking at whenwe're driving to the park?
Jack (05:41):
That's a good question.
So it's, well-known for its Gritstoneplateaus, heather moorlands, it's
rock outcrops; the landscape's wildand remote and includes wooded areas
as well as a lot of small villagesand towns, big stately homes, as we
discussed, it's mostly natural beauty.
So there's a lot of rolling hills andthe wooded areas and the small villages.
(06:01):
There's three main landscapesthat it's broken up into.
So you have the dark peak, thewhite peak and the Southwest peak.
The dark peak is composed of more ruggedlandscapes ideal territory for visitors
looking for challenging walks and hikes.
This is where you'll get KinderScout, the largest peak in the
Peak District at about 2000 feet.
Mam Tor, which is unbelievable.
The views from the top ofMam Tor are spectacular.
(06:23):
The white peak is characterizedmore by limestone dales, meadows,
pastures, stonewalls, and a littlebit more diversity in the habitat.
Then the Southwest peak is similarto the dark peak with smaller
areas of moorland interlink withhedges and pastures and farmland.
So there is some diversity tothe Peak District, depending
on, what you find beautiful.
(06:43):
I liked the more dramatic landscape.
So for me, the Northern part, the Westernpart, the dark moor, the dark peak are
where I would spend my time, but itjust depends what you're looking for.
If you have time to see it all.
Arnold (06:53):
So do people from the surrounding towns go or do people come up from
London or where do the people comefrom that really utilize the park?
Jack (07:02):
It's really probably mostly domestic travelers, myself included, I've been
to the peak district several times.
When I was there, it was mostly Englishand Scottish that I would run into; some
Welsh mostly people that are in the area.
So people living in Sheffield,Chesterfield, Manchester, Liverpool,
Derby; so people in the Midlands region.
It's very common for British travelersin England, Scotland and Wales to
(07:23):
go to the Peak District for holiday.
We call it vacation.
They call it going on the holiday.
So British go on holiday there.
They definitely get someinternational travel.
I think the Peak District is the third,most visited national park in Britain,
but most of that is domestic travelers.
Again like Lake District andthe Cairngorms and Scotland and
other areas, you'll get Americantravelers in other Europeans.
But the Peak District, every time I'vebeen, it's mostly British that I run into.
Arnold (07:46):
So they camp out.
Do they stay at hotels or what do they do?
Jack (07:50):
You can camp; most people are staying in the villages.
So Bakewell is a city in theSouthern part of the Peak District.
Most people will stay ina place like Bakewell.
Bakewell is for the Peak District, a verysizeable town maybe five or 10,000 people.
That's really big for the Peak Districtand that's where people will base
themselves; will stay in a hotel,nice little BNB, they'll rent a car
and then use that to base themselves.
(08:11):
Other people will stay in a littlesmaller towns like Castleton.
I'm quite sure.
There's a percentage of people that'llcamp and that'll stay, but I think
most people are going to stay in oneof the little villages inside the
park or stay in one of the big citieslike Sheffield or Chesterfield.
Chesterfield's right on theEastern edges of the Peak District.
And that's a city, not a huge city likeManchester, Liverpool, but it really cool
(08:32):
quaint city and that'll have everythingyou need as far as shops and restaurants.
So that's what most people do isfind a city or town and base himself.
Arnold (08:38):
Gotcha.
Jack, what's this park known for?
Jack (08:42):
It's known for several things and, I'll just go through what it's
known for and why it's worth visiting.
As we mentioned, the stunning landscapes,open spaces, really the natural beauty
it's an amazing photographers dream.
Vast open landscapes and moors andcrags and rocks and things like that.
So the outdoor activities, along withthat, you're walking, you're hiking,
cycling, climbing, and other outdoorpursuits truly known for its history,
(09:05):
culture and events throughout theyear, especially known for its large
stately homes like Chatsworth, whichwe'll get into when we talk about some
of the best things to see here soon.
But Chatsworth and Lyme Parkare fantastic; stately homes in
the Peak District National Parkthat are well worth visiting.
So it's known for that historicaland cultural significance, the
(09:27):
quaint and picturesque villages.
Some of these villages, Arnoldare like, too much to take.
Ashford in the Water; it's a little stone,little tiny little village of the stone
bridge going over a quaint little stream.
You're surrounded by littleWoodlands and some rolling hills.
The village is literallyit just a couple streets.
Arnold (09:42):
You don't see any hobbits walking around?
Jack (09:45):
I'm not quite sure I haven't stopped everyone and asked them
if they're a Hobbit or not, butthey could be you really do get
a sense of where Tolkien was.
Tolkien was all over Britain andIreland, but this is definitely
one of those areas that feels veryLord of the Ringy; it's very cool.
Then it's also known for Blue John.
Do you know what a Blue John is?
It's a gemstone.
(10:05):
It's it's a blue and yellow gemstonethat's only found in this part of England.
Nowhere else in the entire worldcan you get this gemstone other
than the Blue John Caverns inthe Peak District National Park.
And I've been in that cavern andI've seen the mineral there, the
gemstone, and it's beautiful.
So a little side note: bleu jaune is French. (10:21):
undefined
It's French for...
Arnold (10:25):
Blue and yellow,
Jack (10:26):
It was discovered by French or mined by French and they called it bleu
jaune or bleu et jaune and the Englisharen't really great with their accents.
So over time, bleu jaune became bluejohn; that's where the name came from.
The English, just simplify and Englishare notorious for that, like Leichester.
We'd look at that word or that nameplace, and we'd say Leicester, Leicester.
Or Nottingham, Nottingham; theBritish, definitely have to simplify.
Arnold (10:50):
Like Mississippi and Mississippi.
Jack (10:52):
They take it to an extreme, they leave out many letters.
If you look, I bring up Leicester,cause it really is Leicester; they
leave out at least three letters,just Lester and it always tickles me.
But that's that's a indicator ofhow much time you spend in Britain
is if you can look at a place nameand pronounce it somewhat correctly.
Arnold (11:10):
Like the natives do.
Jack (11:11):
The natives do and a tip, the endings drop off and the shires are sure.
There's some hard and fast rules, but thenother times Leicester you just have to
know it's Leicester, but then other oneslike Oxford and Cambridge are the same.
So it makes it fun and interesting.
Arnold (11:24):
So what's this mineral used for?
Jack (11:27):
I don't know if it's used for anything.
I think it's just a verybeautiful gemstone and it's rare.
That's the thing is it's notfound in any place in the world
other than this area in England.
Arnold (11:37):
Wow.
Jack, you talked about Chatsworth,but what are some other must sees if
we go up there to that national park?
Jack (11:44):
It's a great question.
So if we may, I'll pause realquick on Chatsworth because
that needs a due diligence.
So Chatsworth House is home tothe Duke and Duchess of Devonshire
perhaps one of the greateststately homes in all of England.
So no small thing.
It's renowned for its architecturalbeauty, it's invaluable treasures
sculptures and it's historicaland cultural significance.
This is the place setting for theJane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
(12:07):
This is where the fictional PemberleyHouse, we think that Jane Austin had this
house in her mind when she was writingPride and Prejudice and Chatsworth
house itself is mentioned in the novel.
So it's very significant.
It's a grand estate, 83,000 acres.
So 83,000 acres that makes up about13% of the entire national park.
Arnold (12:30):
What?
Jack (12:31):
Oh yeah.
13% is made up by this one area,83,000 acres Chatsworth House.
So it could keep a curious mindoccupied for days; has over 25- 30
rooms to explore, grand stately rooms,unbelievable art gallery sculptures,
going back to ancient Greeks and Rome ina vast expanse of gardens and fountains.
(12:52):
They have an orangery wherethey grow oranges and they have
this gorgeous tiered fountain.
Add into all that, this obviouslygreat stately home and it's set
in this rolling hills countryside.
So the stately home itself is spectacular.
The gardens are amazing.
In fact, the gardens in England areprobably the best in all of Europe.
People don't always realize howmagnificent the gardens are in the
(13:15):
stately homes . So there's just alot to keep you busy at Chatsworth.
It really epitomizes in my opinion, thebest of the Peak District; the natural
beauty, the historical significance,and then that cultural connection.
Arnold (13:25):
And which part of the park is that in?
Jack (13:27):
So that's the Southern part.
So it's very near Bakewell.
Literally a couple of miles from Bakewell.
So they're so close to Derbyand we would say Derby D E R B
Y, but it's pronounced DARBY.
So not far from Darby DARBY but veryclose to Bakewell, which is where
a lot of people base themselveswhen they visit the Peak District.
So some other ones are Lyme Park,which is another great stately home.
(13:47):
That's in the West, Northwestpart of the Peak District.
It's majestic and brings tolight the glory of Royal England.
It was originally a hunting lodgecreated originally in the 1400s
but transformed into a magnificentmansion that we see today.
So just like Chatsworth, it's anamazing stately home with extensive
gardens and a 1400 acre deer park.
(14:09):
Some of these deers have been in that areafor centuries and centuries, same deer.
So same family of deer that havebeen roaming that area for years.
And I believe Lime Park hasthe highest elevated garden of
any stately home in Britain.
So this is in that higher part, thedark peak, that we were talking about
earlier this is in that part of the PeakDistrict that's higher in elevation.
(14:30):
So you get this great spectacular viewfrom the top of Lyme Park as well.
A couple of others worth mentioningCastleton and Peveril Castle.
Castleton, it's a popular tourist villagein the heart of the Peak District.
Really renowned for its quintessentially,classic English character, wealth
of local history being a part of thewalking routes through the Peak District.
Peveril Castle goes back tothe days of Norman conquest.
(14:52):
So the 11th century, after theNorman conquest, they built a
castle overlooking Castleton.
Quaint little village in the middleof the Peak District that, that I
would recommend basing yourself.
The downside is you don't havethe amenities of Bakewell, or
Sheffield or Chesterfield or Derby.
If you want a slice of of ruralEngland, stay in Castleton.
Then of course, Blue Johncaverns that we mentioned, you
(15:15):
can go in and view the caverns.
They can take you down,there's a guided tour.
You can do a little shoppingfor the gemstone, the
semiprecious mineral afterwards.
So it's, that's a cool scene.
That's not far from Mam Tor.
Mam Tor is one of the higher peaks inthe Peak District that is spectacular.
The hike up there is great.
(15:35):
And then from the top of MamTor, you get sweeping views of
the whole area, and that's notfar from Blue John or Castleton.
Bakewell again, worth mentioning.
It's a cool little city nearChatsworth, great place to base
yourself and also a famous specialtyis called the Bakewell tart.
It's very famous in Britain,especially England it's a shortcrust
pastry case followed by strawberryjam hopped with almond sponge.
(15:59):
It's like a gooey tart kinda.
Okay.
So good.
It's tasty.
The Heights of Abraham,this is a really cool thing.
It's a 60 acre Woodland estatefirst opened in the public in
1787 as a "Savage Garden", whichwas just of like a wild garden.
Cable cars were added in 1984 tobring visitors up to the Hilltop park.
So it's this giant Hilltop park thatyou have to take a cable car to get to
(16:22):
and it's got facilities that includelike a photography gallery exhibition of
fossils found in the area, Victorianprospect tower, which were built by the
lead miners in the early 19th century.
There's playgrounds and picnicareas, terrace cafe, restaurant bar.
So it's great for families and even ifyou're not with your family, it's cool
and worth checking out for the views.
(16:42):
It's a different kind of thing.
The reason I go to the Peak District, asfar as the sightseeing, in addition to
the natural beauty, it's the villages;Castleton, Ashford in the Water.
Even the "cities", which are reallyjust big towns, the quaintness of
them, you, everyone has a littleriver and a little Stonebridge built
over it, and hobbits running around.
There really is a lot to see.
(17:03):
But the few that I listed herequalifies as the must sees.
Arnold (17:06):
From what you've talked about with the age of some of these areas,
with the multitude of cities, I canunderstand why the common folk would
say, hey, let us have a chance atreally enjoying this countryside.
I was really surprised initially, when yousaid that it took England, what, 1957 to
(17:28):
really recognize this as a national park.
Jack (17:31):
So 1951, but yeah, no, it took decades and that's common, when you
get a power struggle between sort ofthe haves and the have nots, and that's
what this was, it does take time toflush out and there definitely were a
lot of sort of flare ups and issues.
Again, quite sure peoplewere thrown in jail.
You have to understand too Britainwas just coming out of being
(17:52):
the most expansive and powerfulempire the world had ever seen.
So 1900 Britain, the UK, the UnitedKingdom was the largest empire the world
has ever seen bigger than the Han Dynastyin China, bigger than the Roman Empire
as far as just land and sea territory.
So fast forward to 1940,1945, they lost something like
(18:13):
half of their empire, right?
So they go from being the world'slargest empire to just smaller and
smaller than they lost Ireland inthe twenties; officially, I guess
it wasn't until the thirties orforties, but Ireland broke away.
Northern Ireland brokeaway, I think in 1921.
So you had this kind of breakdown, soBritain was keen to not give more away.
Then you have these blue collar workerswho just fought a World War; they
(18:36):
wanted more rights, they wantedmore land, but the aristocracy just
wasn't quite ready to give it up.
So yeah, it did take a couple of decades.
Arnold (18:42):
That's definitely a must see when we go to England.
Jack (18:45):
The Peak District National park.
People will be impressed ifyou skip over the Lake district
which is absolutely we're seeing.
But if you go right to the Peak Districtand you spend a few days there and you
meet some locals; they will be impressed.
Arnold (18:56):
Let's go see the Peak District!
We are glad you decided tolisten to this episode of
Virtual Vacation with Guidester.
We know that there are hundredsof thousands of podcasts out
there, and we are glad that youhave chosen to listen to us.
Virtual Vacation with Guidesteris produced by Motif Media Group.
For Jack Baumann and Virtual Vacationwith Guidester, I'm Arnold Stricker.
You want a slice of rural England?
We're going to talk about that.
What does Pride and Prejudicehave to do with the Peak District?
Discover what mineral is found onlyin the Peak District of England.
Where should you stay whenyou go to the Peak District?
You'll get the answers to theseand more questions in this episode.
Travel to Europe is off limits forthe time being, but we can still keep
the flame of wanderlust alive throughthe Virtual Vacation with Guidester,
(00:22):
the weekly podcast, where host JackBaumann, founder of Guidester and travel
enthusiast, Arnold Stricker, dive intonew destinations, exploring their unique
history, culture and special vibe.
Now let's join our host, theGuidester himself, Jack Baumann.
In the United States we havea lot of national parks.
As I think about England, do theyhave the same kind of national
(00:42):
parks that we have over here?
Are people allowed to go to them?
Do they charge to get in them?
Jack (00:49):
Britain has 15 national parks, so their national parks are similar to ours.
A lot of them are free to use justlike ours, some of ours have fees to
use, but to my knowledge, they don't.
The one that comes to mind right off thebat is the Peak District National Park.
That's the one I definitelywant to delve into today.
The Peak District, not to be confused withthe Lake District, which is the probably
(01:10):
the most famous national park in Britain,or at least certainly one of them.
Arnold (01:13):
So they call their parks districts?
Jack (01:15):
No just the Peak District and the Lake District; I guess they probably
call it a district because these arebig and they encompass a lot of areas.
There's actually towns andvillages in these areas.
Yellowstone doesn't really have acity or town , you have some little
buildings and things for amenities . PeakDistrict and Lake District you have
living, breathing towns that have beenthere for centuries and centuries.
(01:36):
But those are the onlytwo districts that I know.
Other parks like Cairngorms inScotland, it is called Cairngorms.
The South Downs is anotherone in the south of England.
So I dunno these two just havethe designation of the district,
but it probably has to do withtheir diversity, their size.
The Lake District and the Peak Districtreally are two of the bigger ones and
the Lake District is the more famous one.
(01:58):
That's the one that WilliamWordsworth, famous English poet
got a lot of his inspiration from.
The Peak District was actually Britain'sfirst national park designated in 1951.
Arnold (02:11):
Let's get some location here.
I think most people knowwhere London's located.
Where is it in relationship to London?
Jack (02:16):
So it's North of London, about three hours.
The Peak District is in severalcounties: Derbyshire, Yorkshire;
and I'm putting on my English accenthere, so Derbyshire, Yorkshire,
Staffordshire, and Cheshire, most ofthe Peak District is in Derbyshire.
But there's quite a bit in Yorkshire anda little bit in these other counties.
It's 555 square miles in size so dependingon where you're coming from London, it'll
(02:37):
take you three to four hours, threehours to get to the Southern part; four
plus to get you to the Northern part.
It's an expansive area, justoutstanding beauty, breathtaking
views, bustling market towns, quaintvillages, giant historic houses.
It is reachable from London.
Arnold (02:52):
So was this something that the crown formed or was this
something parliament put togetheror how did this come about?
In the United States we have nationalparks are a designation by Congress.
How do they go aboutdoing this in England?
Jack (03:05):
It's similar.
So it was a designated by thegovernment in 1951, it was really
born out of a need for more greenspace for those living in the cities.
The 20th century saw growingappreciation of the outdoors and
the benefits of physical exercise.
This also is tied to World War I too.
You've got the aristocracy withthese thousands of acre estates, just
(03:25):
dominating these entire areas and thenyou've got the blue collar workers
that just went off to fought a war.
They fought a war, they came back andthey're stuffed back into these cities.
The three cities that encompass orsurround rather the Peak District
are Liverpool, Sheffield and Darby.
Manchester's in there as well, but you hadthese three big cities that surround the
(03:46):
Peak District, which really at that pointwas totally owned by the aristocracy.
Arnold (03:50):
So is that a coal area?
Jack (03:51):
Yeah, there is a mining in this area, but really it's an area
of outstanding natural beauty.
So these are large estates owned bylanded gentry and they had livestock.
They really just had thousands of acresthat they would farm that they would till.
There is some industry in the area, butreally it was just like Chatsworth, is
very famous home of pride and prejudice.
(04:11):
We'll have to get into thatlater, but that's a cool one.
. This is thousands of acres, tensof thousands of acres owned by
one family, the Cavendish family.
Arnold (04:20):
Wow.
Jack (04:20):
How much land does one person need and so really this goes back to
the days of yore when the aristocracyin England was very powerful.
So in the turn of the century, thepeople and these blue collar workers
in these cities were looking atthis land and they just thought
it was wrong and they petitioned.
This really started in the turn of thecentury culminated in the 1920s but then
eventually got to 1950s and that's whenthey made the determination okay, we're
(04:43):
going to make this area national park.
But what these blue collar workers did isthey just started walking on to the land.
There's an episode that spanned yearswhere these, in Sheffield in Darby,
these big cities that are right onthe edges of now the national park,
then it was just these estates.
They just said, we're just goingto go and start walking onto
this land by the thousands.
And there's not much thearistocracy was able to do.
(05:07):
And there was pushback.
I'm quite sure people werearrested, probably beat.
But eventually the crown and thegovernment kind of relented, relented.
Exactly.
And they designated this area asthe first national park in Britain.
Arnold (05:19):
That's an interesting way to get a national park.
Jack (05:21):
I know it just going to start walking onto the land..
Arnold (05:23):
Yeah.
Maybe the animals in Yosemite outthere need to do the same thing.
Jack (05:27):
Exactly.
Take a page from England.
I find that a fascinating story.
Arnold (05:30):
So the topography you mentioned, it's very beautiful and
the lay of the land is picturesque.
Give us a little bit more,a description about that.
What are we looking at whenwe're driving to the park?
Jack (05:41):
That's a good question.
So it's, well-known for its Gritstoneplateaus, heather moorlands, it's
rock outcrops; the landscape's wildand remote and includes wooded areas
as well as a lot of small villagesand towns, big stately homes, as we
discussed, it's mostly natural beauty.
So there's a lot of rolling hills andthe wooded areas and the small villages.
(06:01):
There's three main landscapesthat it's broken up into.
So you have the dark peak, thewhite peak and the Southwest peak.
The dark peak is composed of more ruggedlandscapes ideal territory for visitors
looking for challenging walks and hikes.
This is where you'll get KinderScout, the largest peak in the
Peak District at about 2000 feet.
Mam Tor, which is unbelievable.
The views from the top ofMam Tor are spectacular.
(06:23):
The white peak is characterizedmore by limestone dales, meadows,
pastures, stonewalls, and a littlebit more diversity in the habitat.
Then the Southwest peak is similarto the dark peak with smaller
areas of moorland interlink withhedges and pastures and farmland.
So there is some diversity tothe Peak District, depending
on, what you find beautiful.
(06:43):
I liked the more dramatic landscape.
So for me, the Northern part, the Westernpart, the dark moor, the dark peak are
where I would spend my time, but itjust depends what you're looking for.
If you have time to see it all.
Arnold (06:53):
So do people from the surrounding towns go or do people come up from
London or where do the people comefrom that really utilize the park?
Jack (07:02):
It's really probably mostly domestic travelers, myself included, I've been
to the peak district several times.
When I was there, it was mostly Englishand Scottish that I would run into; some
Welsh mostly people that are in the area.
So people living in Sheffield,Chesterfield, Manchester, Liverpool,
Derby; so people in the Midlands region.
It's very common for British travelersin England, Scotland and Wales to
(07:23):
go to the Peak District for holiday.
We call it vacation.
They call it going on the holiday.
So British go on holiday there.
They definitely get someinternational travel.
I think the Peak District is the third,most visited national park in Britain,
but most of that is domestic travelers.
Again like Lake District andthe Cairngorms and Scotland and
other areas, you'll get Americantravelers in other Europeans.
But the Peak District, every time I'vebeen, it's mostly British that I run into.
Arnold (07:46):
So they camp out.
Do they stay at hotels or what do they do?
Jack (07:50):
You can camp; most people are staying in the villages.
So Bakewell is a city in theSouthern part of the Peak District.
Most people will stay ina place like Bakewell.
Bakewell is for the Peak District, a verysizeable town maybe five or 10,000 people.
That's really big for the Peak Districtand that's where people will base
themselves; will stay in a hotel,nice little BNB, they'll rent a car
and then use that to base themselves.
(08:11):
Other people will stay in a littlesmaller towns like Castleton.
I'm quite sure.
There's a percentage of people that'llcamp and that'll stay, but I think
most people are going to stay in oneof the little villages inside the
park or stay in one of the big citieslike Sheffield or Chesterfield.
Chesterfield's right on theEastern edges of the Peak District.
And that's a city, not a huge city likeManchester, Liverpool, but it really cool
(08:32):
quaint city and that'll have everythingyou need as far as shops and restaurants.
So that's what most people do isfind a city or town and base himself.
Arnold (08:38):
Gotcha.
Jack, what's this park known for?
Jack (08:42):
It's known for several things and, I'll just go through what it's
known for and why it's worth visiting.
As we mentioned, the stunning landscapes,open spaces, really the natural beauty
it's an amazing photographers dream.
Vast open landscapes and moors andcrags and rocks and things like that.
So the outdoor activities, along withthat, you're walking, you're hiking,
cycling, climbing, and other outdoorpursuits truly known for its history,
(09:05):
culture and events throughout theyear, especially known for its large
stately homes like Chatsworth, whichwe'll get into when we talk about some
of the best things to see here soon.
But Chatsworth and Lyme Parkare fantastic; stately homes in
the Peak District National Parkthat are well worth visiting.
So it's known for that historicaland cultural significance, the
(09:27):
quaint and picturesque villages.
Some of these villages, Arnoldare like, too much to take.
Ashford in the Water; it's a little stone,little tiny little village of the stone
bridge going over a quaint little stream.
You're surrounded by littleWoodlands and some rolling hills.
The village is literallyit just a couple streets.
Arnold (09:42):
You don't see any hobbits walking around?
Jack (09:45):
I'm not quite sure I haven't stopped everyone and asked them
if they're a Hobbit or not, butthey could be you really do get
a sense of where Tolkien was.
Tolkien was all over Britain andIreland, but this is definitely
one of those areas that feels veryLord of the Ringy; it's very cool.
Then it's also known for Blue John.
Do you know what a Blue John is?
It's a gemstone.
(10:05):
It's it's a blue and yellow gemstonethat's only found in this part of England.
Nowhere else in the entire worldcan you get this gemstone other
than the Blue John Caverns inthe Peak District National Park.
And I've been in that cavern andI've seen the mineral there, the
gemstone, and it's beautiful.
So a little side note: bleu jaune is French. (10:21):
undefined
It's French for...
Arnold (10:25):
Blue and yellow,
Jack (10:26):
It was discovered by French or mined by French and they called it bleu
jaune or bleu et jaune and the Englisharen't really great with their accents.
So over time, bleu jaune became bluejohn; that's where the name came from.
The English, just simplify and Englishare notorious for that, like Leichester.
We'd look at that word or that nameplace, and we'd say Leicester, Leicester.
Or Nottingham, Nottingham; theBritish, definitely have to simplify.
Arnold (10:50):
Like Mississippi and Mississippi.
Jack (10:52):
They take it to an extreme, they leave out many letters.
If you look, I bring up Leicester,cause it really is Leicester; they
leave out at least three letters,just Lester and it always tickles me.
But that's that's a indicator ofhow much time you spend in Britain
is if you can look at a place nameand pronounce it somewhat correctly.
Arnold (11:10):
Like the natives do.
Jack (11:11):
The natives do and a tip, the endings drop off and the shires are sure.
There's some hard and fast rules, but thenother times Leicester you just have to
know it's Leicester, but then other oneslike Oxford and Cambridge are the same.
So it makes it fun and interesting.
Arnold (11:24):
So what's this mineral used for?
Jack (11:27):
I don't know if it's used for anything.
I think it's just a verybeautiful gemstone and it's rare.
That's the thing is it's notfound in any place in the world
other than this area in England.
Arnold (11:37):
Wow.
Jack, you talked about Chatsworth,but what are some other must sees if
we go up there to that national park?
Jack (11:44):
It's a great question.
So if we may, I'll pause realquick on Chatsworth because
that needs a due diligence.
So Chatsworth House is home tothe Duke and Duchess of Devonshire
perhaps one of the greateststately homes in all of England.
So no small thing.
It's renowned for its architecturalbeauty, it's invaluable treasures
sculptures and it's historicaland cultural significance.
This is the place setting for theJane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
(12:07):
This is where the fictional PemberleyHouse, we think that Jane Austin had this
house in her mind when she was writingPride and Prejudice and Chatsworth
house itself is mentioned in the novel.
So it's very significant.
It's a grand estate, 83,000 acres.
So 83,000 acres that makes up about13% of the entire national park.
Arnold (12:30):
What?
Jack (12:31):
Oh yeah.
13% is made up by this one area,83,000 acres Chatsworth House.
So it could keep a curious mindoccupied for days; has over 25- 30
rooms to explore, grand stately rooms,unbelievable art gallery sculptures,
going back to ancient Greeks and Rome ina vast expanse of gardens and fountains.
(12:52):
They have an orangery wherethey grow oranges and they have
this gorgeous tiered fountain.
Add into all that, this obviouslygreat stately home and it's set
in this rolling hills countryside.
So the stately home itself is spectacular.
The gardens are amazing.
In fact, the gardens in England areprobably the best in all of Europe.
People don't always realize howmagnificent the gardens are in the
(13:15):
stately homes . So there's just alot to keep you busy at Chatsworth.
It really epitomizes in my opinion, thebest of the Peak District; the natural
beauty, the historical significance,and then that cultural connection.
Arnold (13:25):
And which part of the park is that in?
Jack (13:27):
So that's the Southern part.
So it's very near Bakewell.
Literally a couple of miles from Bakewell.
So they're so close to Derbyand we would say Derby D E R B
Y, but it's pronounced DARBY.
So not far from Darby DARBY but veryclose to Bakewell, which is where
a lot of people base themselveswhen they visit the Peak District.
So some other ones are Lyme Park,which is another great stately home.
(13:47):
That's in the West, Northwestpart of the Peak District.
It's majestic and brings tolight the glory of Royal England.
It was originally a hunting lodgecreated originally in the 1400s
but transformed into a magnificentmansion that we see today.
So just like Chatsworth, it's anamazing stately home with extensive
gardens and a 1400 acre deer park.
(14:09):
Some of these deers have been in that areafor centuries and centuries, same deer.
So same family of deer that havebeen roaming that area for years.
And I believe Lime Park hasthe highest elevated garden of
any stately home in Britain.
So this is in that higher part, thedark peak, that we were talking about
earlier this is in that part of the PeakDistrict that's higher in elevation.
(14:30):
So you get this great spectacular viewfrom the top of Lyme Park as well.
A couple of others worth mentioningCastleton and Peveril Castle.
Castleton, it's a popular tourist villagein the heart of the Peak District.
Really renowned for its quintessentially,classic English character, wealth
of local history being a part of thewalking routes through the Peak District.
Peveril Castle goes back tothe days of Norman conquest.
(14:52):
So the 11th century, after theNorman conquest, they built a
castle overlooking Castleton.
Quaint little village in the middleof the Peak District that, that I
would recommend basing yourself.
The downside is you don't havethe amenities of Bakewell, or
Sheffield or Chesterfield or Derby.
If you want a slice of of ruralEngland, stay in Castleton.
Then of course, Blue Johncaverns that we mentioned, you
(15:15):
can go in and view the caverns.
They can take you down,there's a guided tour.
You can do a little shoppingfor the gemstone, the
semiprecious mineral afterwards.
So it's, that's a cool scene.
That's not far from Mam Tor.
Mam Tor is one of the higher peaks inthe Peak District that is spectacular.
The hike up there is great.
(15:35):
And then from the top of MamTor, you get sweeping views of
the whole area, and that's notfar from Blue John or Castleton.
Bakewell again, worth mentioning.
It's a cool little city nearChatsworth, great place to base
yourself and also a famous specialtyis called the Bakewell tart.
It's very famous in Britain,especially England it's a shortcrust
pastry case followed by strawberryjam hopped with almond sponge.
(15:59):
It's like a gooey tart kinda.
Okay.
So good.
It's tasty.
The Heights of Abraham,this is a really cool thing.
It's a 60 acre Woodland estatefirst opened in the public in
1787 as a "Savage Garden", whichwas just of like a wild garden.
Cable cars were added in 1984 tobring visitors up to the Hilltop park.
So it's this giant Hilltop park thatyou have to take a cable car to get to
(16:22):
and it's got facilities that includelike a photography gallery exhibition of
fossils found in the area, Victorianprospect tower, which were built by the
lead miners in the early 19th century.
There's playgrounds and picnicareas, terrace cafe, restaurant bar.
So it's great for families and even ifyou're not with your family, it's cool
and worth checking out for the views.
(16:42):
It's a different kind of thing.
The reason I go to the Peak District, asfar as the sightseeing, in addition to
the natural beauty, it's the villages;Castleton, Ashford in the Water.
Even the "cities", which are reallyjust big towns, the quaintness of
them, you, everyone has a littleriver and a little Stonebridge built
over it, and hobbits running around.
There really is a lot to see.
(17:03):
But the few that I listed herequalifies as the must sees.
Arnold (17:06):
From what you've talked about with the age of some of these areas,
with the multitude of cities, I canunderstand why the common folk would
say, hey, let us have a chance atreally enjoying this countryside.
I was really surprised initially, when yousaid that it took England, what, 1957 to
(17:28):
really recognize this as a national park.
Jack (17:31):
So 1951, but yeah, no, it took decades and that's common, when you
get a power struggle between sort ofthe haves and the have nots, and that's
what this was, it does take time toflush out and there definitely were a
lot of sort of flare ups and issues.
Again, quite sure peoplewere thrown in jail.
You have to understand too Britainwas just coming out of being
(17:52):
the most expansive and powerfulempire the world had ever seen.
So 1900 Britain, the UK, the UnitedKingdom was the largest empire the world
has ever seen bigger than the Han Dynastyin China, bigger than the Roman Empire
as far as just land and sea territory.
So fast forward to 1940,1945, they lost something like
(18:13):
half of their empire, right?
So they go from being the world'slargest empire to just smaller and
smaller than they lost Ireland inthe twenties; officially, I guess
it wasn't until the thirties orforties, but Ireland broke away.
Northern Ireland brokeaway, I think in 1921.
So you had this kind of breakdown, soBritain was keen to not give more away.
Then you have these blue collar workerswho just fought a World War; they
(18:36):
wanted more rights, they wantedmore land, but the aristocracy just
wasn't quite ready to give it up.
So yeah, it did take a couple of decades.
Arnold (18:42):
That's definitely a must see when we go to England.
Jack (18:45):
The Peak District National park.
People will be impressed ifyou skip over the Lake district
which is absolutely we're seeing.
But if you go right to the Peak Districtand you spend a few days there and you
meet some locals; they will be impressed.
Arnold (18:56):
Let's go see the Peak District!
We are glad you decided tolisten to this episode of
Virtual Vacation with Guidester.
We know that there are hundredsof thousands of podcasts out
there, and we are glad that youhave chosen to listen to us.
Virtual Vacation with Guidesteris produced by Motif Media Group.
For Jack Baumann and Virtual Vacationwith Guidester, I'm Arnold Stricker.
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