3 days in the Peak District with older parents

This three-day plan is built around short hops and unhurried mornings. Most legs are modest. Didsbury Parsonage Trust is 4.7 miles from Quarry Bank Mill, The Smithy Pond is 5.6 miles from Hardwick Hall, and Bolsover Castle is just 3.4 miles on from Stainsby Mill. The one longer journey, 41.6 miles to Hardwick Hall, opens day 2, so the rest of that day stays close together. Both lunch stops, The Smithy Pond and World of Icing, hold 5/5 food hygiene ratings, which makes for one less thing to wonder about.

For a base, Buxton has cottages for different group sizes. The Savoy sleeps 2 and is 0.2 miles from Buxton station, Peak Mews sleeps 5 at 0.5 miles, and The Hideaway and Joseph Apartment each sleep 6. All four have EV charging nearby. If you're arriving by train, Edale is the nearest station to the Peak District.