Monsal Trail

The Monsal Trail is a proper walking route following an old railway line through the White Peak, and it's one of the best stretches of limestone scenery Derbyshire has to offer. You're walking on a converted Victorian railway bed - the line closed in 1968 - so it's dead flat and smooth underfoot, which sounds dull until you realise you're gliding past quarries, viaducts, and gorge views that would take twice the effort to reach any other way.

The route runs for eight and a half miles between Chee Dale and Blackwell Mill, though you don't have to do the whole thing. Most people pick a section - the bit around Monsal Head is the showstopper, where you get the famous view of the Monsal Dale Viaduct framed against the valley. It's genuinely striking, not oversold. The trail itself is free and open year-round, which is brilliant.

For families with younger kids or anyone who can't face a proper peak baggers' day, this is ideal. Pushchairs manage most of it, though you'll have some tight spots. Walkers will appreciate the easy miles and chance to cover distance without constant uphill graft. History buffs get the industrial heritage angle - the viaduct, the old stations, the quarrying scars. Allow two to three hours if you're taking photos and stopping to breathe.

Stay at Dale Farm Rural Campsite just outside Bakewell - it's close enough for an early start - and the trail becomes your morning or afternoon outing before heading back to civilisation for a pint. Works perfectly as part of a wider Peak District exploring trip.