THE BEST PLACES FOR FAMILIES TO STAY IN THE PEAK DISTRICT

Planning a family trip to THE PEAK DISTRICT and wondering where to stay with your children? The following list of our favourite places to stay with kids, reviewed in the order you’d encounter them on our Peak District itinerary, includes farmhouse B&Bs, country cottages in Lathkill Dale and a historic inn. Accommodation can fill up fast during school holidays, particularly if you’re looking for a family room, so make sure you book well in advance.

You can reserve all of our recommended places to stay in the Peak District through Booking.com; clicking on the hotels’ name below will take you directly to their booking page, where you can fill in your dates and secure your stay. To find out more about why we’ve partnered with Booking.com, see here.

There can’t be that many places that live up to their name as well as MOORLAND VIEW FARM B&B. This hundred-year-old farmhouse, elegantly built in traditional Staffordshire limestone, is set on a hill on the edge of the Peak District and commands gorgeous views across the surrounding fields to the rolling moorland to the south. Enjoying this picture-perfect countryside setting are a variety of comfortable en-suite rooms and a couple of stylishly converted self-catering cottages. Families can either opt for Heather, in the farmhouse itself, or Robin, a two-bedroom cottage; both sleep 4 people, the former in a double bed and bunk beds, the latter in a double and twins. Both are stylish but warm and comfy, and while rates for the farmhouse family room include a very good full English breakfast (vegetarian options available), the cottage’s extra living space is hard to resist – it comes with a living room, kitchen and dining area, bathroom, muddy-kid-friendly utility room and even its own garden, with a courtyard and outdoor seating. Pets are also allowed in the cottages, although a minimum stay is required (2 nights at the weekend, longer for a midweek break). If you want a break from self-catering, there’s a restaurant and a pub a mile or so down the road. Slightly further afield, the B&B is around 8 miles from Dovedale and 16 miles from Buxton and the start of the Monsal Trail; Alton Towers is just 5 miles away. No under-3s.

To reserve your stay at Moorland Farm B&B, click here

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Thoughtfully converted from an old farmhouse and barns, HADDON GROVE FARM COTTAGES are clustered beneath a copse of trees in the middle of Lathkill Dale, a rural spot 3 miles southwest of the riverside market town of Bakewell. The variety of 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-bedroom cottages available, sleeping from 4 to 10 people, means that this is also a great destination for a trip with the grandparents or wider family. The cottages have been done up in traditional English “country cottage” style (think wooden beams and floral bedspreads) and come with a lounge (most with a wood-burning stove), a bathroom and a kitchen equipped with dishwasher and microwave. They make a cosy base from which to explore the nearby attractions of the southern Peak District; Chatsworth House is around 7 miles to the east. Haddon Grove has its own indoor heated swimming pool, and there’s a games room with table tennis and a pool table. A children’s playground and Wendy house provide entertainment for younger children, and there are also plenty of books, games and DVDs on offer if the weather turns sour (all of the cottages have their own DVD player). The bike store and boot room, for storing muddy boots and wet walking gear, is also a nice touch – there’s good walking to be had directly from your doorstep, and the start of the Monsal Trail cycle path is just over 6 miles away. Although the cottages are all self-catering, you do have the option of ordering homemade pie and pea suppers for dinner, and there’s a lovely local gourmet deli that will do deliveries as well. Minimum stay of 3 nights.

To reserve your stay at Haddon Grove Farm Cottages, click here

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The Peak District is a traditional stomping ground for the YOUTH HOSTEL ASSOCIATION (YHA), and there are now ten separate properties spread across the national park. In many ways, they’re the perfect choice for an active family holiday: well located; geared up for enjoying the great outdoors; and with a range of good-value rooms, especially for larger families. In the southern part of the Peak District, roughly half way between Dovedale and Buxton and a few miles further on to Chatsworth House, YHA HARTINGTON HALL occupies an imposing 17th-century manor house. Private rooms sleep up to 6 people, in various combinations of doubles, singles and bunkbeds; some are completely en suite, others have en-suite bathrooms with private toilets just outside the door. Most rooms have plenty of radiators, handy if you’re having to dry-off bundles wet walking gear. If you want to wake to the sound of sheep baa’ing in the surrounding fields, opt for one of the canvas bell tents or Landpods. There are two of the former (sleeping up to 5 people), side by side on Hartington’s front lawn, so book early, and three of the latter, a compact wheel-less wagon that sleeps up to 4 people on two double bunk beds and comes with its own picnic bench and fire-pit BBQ (the first night’s kindling is provided). Tents and Landpods share a couple of communal showers and toilets in the courtyard out the back of the hall. Breakfast (bacon baps) and simple lunches of pasties and sausage rolls are on offer at the café, plus pizzas and a special of the day for evening meals; more options are available a 200-yard walk away in Hartington itself, an amenable little village that is impressively home to three separate stores and a couple of pubs. In the northern half of the park, ideally located for Treak Cliff Cavern and Stanage Edge, YHA CASTLETON LOSEHILL HALL is a similarly historic property, this time a Victorian Gothic mansion. Modern, private rooms here also sleep up to 6 people, in various combinations, and there’s also a licensed bar and café. The hostel is just outside the lovely village of Castleton and well set for the area’s range of fine walks – the superb Great Ridge Walk, which scales Mam Tor on a loop from the village centre, goes right past the back gate.

To reserve your stay at YHA Hartington Hall, click here

To reserve your stay at YHA Castleton Losehill Hall, click here

For more images of YHA Hartington Hall, see Booking.com

For more images of YHA Castleton Losehill Hall, see Booking.com

Charming Castleton makes an excellent base for day-trips into the northern half of the Peak District, and EASTRY COTTAGE is perfectly located, just off Market Place in the heart of the village. The mid-terrace property is over 300 years old and has plenty of character to show for it, including a comfy, quirky sitting room and dining area, and wooden beams in one of the upstairs bedrooms; Eastry sleeps 4 people in a double bedroom and a twin. There’s also a compact kitchen – with an electric oven and hob, microwave, fridge/freezer and washing machine (milk, eggs and tea bags are provided on arrival) – and a family bathroom. A travel cot and highchair are available if needed. Outside, you can watch walkers heading off into the hills from the small front garden or admire the views of distant Mam Tor from the raised patio at the rear. An assortment of books, games and DVDs are provided, but you’ll be spending most of your daytime in the great outdoors, hiking along the Great Ridge Walk or exploring one of the caverns that Castleton is famous for; Eastry also lies within a few metres of the footpath to Cavedale – the sign is virtually opposite the front door. There are plenty of dinner options just a short walk from the cottage, most temptingly the handmade Neapolitan beauties baked daily at Dough Truck Pizza on Market Place, as well as a couple of good pubs. There’s roadside parking at front of the cottage, although it’s on a first-come, first-served basis, so might not always be available.

To reserve your stay at Eastry Cottage, click here

For more images of Eastry Cottage, see Booking.com

Set in the pretty village of Longshaw, further west along the Hope Valley from Castleton and just 3 miles outside Hathersage, INNKEEPER’S LODGE is a comfy 18th-century inn offering great-value accommodation. The lodge is part of the Innkeeper’s Collection of hotels, which all occupy historic buildings alongside a local pub or restaurant (in this case, The Fox House), which means you won’t have far to walk for your evening meal – the pub does excellent food and has a good range of cask ales. All of the bedrooms (there are 9 in total) are decorated in traditional style, with the spacious Family Room consisting of a king-size bed, a seating area with flat-screen TV and sofa bed that sleeps up to 2 children, and an en-suite bathroom with power shower. Innkeeper’s has a welcoming atmosphere, and the staff are very friendly and accommodating, especially with children; it also helps that check out isn’t until noon. The lodge is actually set within the Longshaw estate, so there are some good walks right out the front door, although the beautiful hike along the granite plateau of Stanage Edge is less than 5 miles up the road. In the other direction, the “Plague Village” of Eyam is 5.5 miles along the B6521, while Chatsworth House is only slightly further afield. Rates at the lodge include a continental breakfast; a full English is available but costs extra.

To reserve your stay at Innkeeper’s Lodge, click here

For more images of Innkeeper’s Lodge, see Booking.com