Peak District National Park

Peak District National Park, in northern England, established in 1951 and the oldest national park in Britain. It covers an area of about 1,438 sq km (555 sq mi) in which lie the White Peak, a plateau of carboniferous limestone, and, to its west, north, and east, the Dark Peak. This highland area, which rises over 609 m (2,000 ft) above sea level at Kinder Scout and Bleaklow, is covered by a layer of sandstone, known locally as gritstone or millstone grit. The character of both parts of the Peak District is largely the result of human settlement, beginning at least 250,000 years ago. Early deer-hunters and farmers cleared the Dark Peak of trees; the Romans began the lead-mining in the area, which continued up to the 1870s; and sheep-farming has been a major activity since the Middle Ages.

The Peak District, like other British national parks, is mainly privately owned, but public access to 197 sq km (76 sq mi) of the Dark Peak was secured by the park authorities in the 1950s, following organized mass trespasses on Kinder Scout and other sites during the 1930s. The Park also protects the traditions of the White Peak, including the maintenance of the dry stone walls dividing its fields and pastures and the ancient custom of well dressing, the decoration of wells with pictures made of flowers. The park is renowned for its scenery and is particularly popular with walkers because of its numerous public footpaths, including some long distance trails such as the Pennine Way. Tourism is an important industry, and the park is one of the most heavily visited in the world.