The Peak District by Motorhome: Routes, Campsites, and Road Tips

The Peak District sits right on Yorkshire's doorstep, and for a peak district motorhome trip it is hard to find a destination that offers this much variety in such a compact area. From Pontefract, you can be in the heart of the Peaks in under an hour and a half. The national park covers 555 square miles of limestone dales, gritstone edges, rolling farmland, and wild moorland - and it is split broadly into two halves that feel like entirely different landscapes.

The White Peak, in the south, is the gentler side: pale limestone, green valleys, pretty villages built from honey-coloured stone, and wooded dales with rivers running through them. The Dark Peak, in the north, is wilder: dark gritstone moors, peat bogs, exposed edges, and some of the most dramatic hill walking in England. Both have excellent campsites, good pubs, and enough walking to keep any Peak District motorhome traveller busy for weeks. The trick with motorhome routes in the Peak District is knowing which roads to use and which to avoid.

Getting There and Driving Tips

From Pontefract, the quickest route into the Peak District is south on the M1 to Junction 29, then west on the A617 through Chesterfield toward the eastern edge of the park. For the White Peak and Bakewell, continue on the A619 and then the A6. For the Dark Peak and the northern moors, take the A57 from the M1 at Sheffield - this is the Snake Pass route, which despite its reputation is perfectly fine in a motorhome in dry conditions. It is a proper A-road with good surfaces and reasonable width throughout.

The roads to be cautious about are the narrow lanes through the limestone dales in the White Peak. Some of these - particularly around Dovedale, the Manifold Valley, and parts of Lathkill Dale - are single track with tight bends and high walls. They are manageable in a smaller motorhome if you take your time, but in anything over six metres I would stick to the A and B roads and walk into the dales from car parks on the main routes.

Winnats Pass near Castleton is one of the most photographed roads in the Peak District - a dramatic limestone gorge with steep sides. It is also narrow, steep (around 1 in 5 gradient), and challenging in a motorhome. If you are heading to Castleton, approach via the A623 and B6049 from the east instead. The views are better on foot anyway.

The A515 from Buxton to Ashbourne is a good spine road through the White Peak with wide verges and easy driving. The A6 from Bakewell to Buxton is the other main artery. Between them, the B5055 through Monyash is a pleasant cross-country road that handles motorhomes without difficulty.

White Peak: Bakewell and the Southern Dales

Bakewell is the unofficial capital of the Peak District and the obvious base for exploring the White Peak. The town itself is a solid market town with a proper Monday market, several good pubs (the Wheatsheaf and the Castle Inn both serve decent food), and the Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop on Bridge Street, where the argument about puddings versus tarts has been running for decades. Buy one and form your own opinion.

Greenhills Holiday Park on the edge of Bakewell is the most convenient campsite for the town - it has hardstanding pitches with electric hook-ups and is a ten-minute walk from the centre. Alternatively, Chatsworth Park Caravan Club site puts you right next to the Chatsworth Estate, one of the finest country houses in England. The parkland walks around Chatsworth are free and excellent, with deer roaming the estate and views across the Derwent Valley.

From Bakewell, the essential walk is Monsal Dale. Follow the Monsal Trail - a converted railway line - from Bakewell station to the Monsal Head viaduct, where the view down the dale is one of the classic Peak District panoramas. The walk is about three miles each way on a flat, surfaced path, making it accessible for most abilities. The Monsal Head Hotel pub at the top serves food with a view that justifies the prices.

Dovedale, south of Bakewell, is the most visited dale in the Peak District. The stepping stones at the entrance are the classic photo opportunity, and the walk up the dale along the River Dove - with its ash woods, limestone pinnacles, and quiet pools - is beautiful. Get there early on weekends; the car park fills fast in summer. In autumn, the ash and beech trees along the dale turn golden and the crowds thin out considerably.

Dark Peak: Edges and Moorland

The Dark Peak is a different proposition. This is walking country, plain and simple - high gritstone edges, exposed moorland, and some of the most challenging terrain in the Peak District. The classic walks here are Kinder Scout (the highest point in the Peak District at 636 metres, and the site of the famous Mass Trespass in 1932), the Derwent Edges (Stanage, Burbage, and Froggatt), and Bleaklow - which is exactly as welcoming as it sounds.

For a campsite base in the Dark Peak, North Lees on the edge of Stanage is excellent - a small, basic Camping and Caravanning Club site right beneath Stanage Edge. You can walk from your pitch to the top of the edge in twenty minutes and follow the gritstone escarpment for miles with Sheffield spread out below you to the east. The climbing is world-class too, if that is your thing.

Fieldhead campsite in Edale is the classic Dark Peak base. Edale sits at the foot of Kinder Scout and is the starting point of the Pennine Way - Britain's first and most famous long-distance footpath. The Rambler Inn and the Old Nag's Head are both good pubs that cater to walkers, and the village has a small but useful café and outdoor shop. From Fieldhead, you can walk up Grindsbrook Clough to the Kinder plateau, a demanding but rewarding route that takes you into genuinely wild landscape.

Peak District Motorhome Campsites Worth Knowing

Beyond the sites mentioned above, several other Peak District campsites for motorhome travellers in the Peak District work well for motorhomes:

Hayfield Camping and Caravanning Club Site - good for the western Dark Peak, within walking distance of Kinder Reservoir and the Sett Valley Trail. Quiet, well maintained, and with good facilities.

Blackshaw Moor Caravan Club Site - near Leek on the south-western edge, handy for the Roaches (excellent walking and climbing) and the Manifold Valley. Larger site with full facilities.

Longnor Wood Holiday Park - a small, peaceful site near the village of Longnor in the upper Dove valley. Good for couples wanting a quiet base with walking from the door.

Upper Booth Farm - a working farm campsite in the Edale valley, basic but atmospheric. No electric hook-ups, but the setting beside the River Noe is hard to beat.

Making the Most of It

The Peak District motorhome experience rewards repeated visits. You could spend a long weekend in the White Peak and barely scratch the surface, then come back a month later and explore the Dark Peak as if it were a different national park. The proximity to South Yorkshire makes it ideal for shorter breaks - even a two-night trip gives you a full day of walking and exploring.

The pubs are a genuine highlight. The Packhorse Inn at Little Longstone, the Barrel Inn at Bretton (the highest pub in Derbyshire), the Plough at Hathersage, and the Druid Inn at Birchover are all worth seeking out. Most serve real ale from local breweries - Thornbridge, Buxton Brewery, and Peak Ales are the ones to look for.

Bring walking boots, waterproofs, and a proper map - the OS Explorer OL1 (Dark Peak) and OL24 (White Peak) are essential. Phone signal is patchy to non-existent in many of the dales and on the higher ground. That is part of the appeal. Browse our fleet for motorhomes ideal for Peak District touring. For more, see our Dales walks guide.