 In 1951 the Peak District became Britain’s first National Park. The majority of the land is still privately owned - much of it by farmers - but the National Trust and the water companies also own large areas of the Park.  In 1954 the Peak National Park established the National Park Warden Service formed to deal with issues arising from public use.  In medieval and early modern times the land was mainly agricultural, as it still is today — with sheep farming, rather than arable, the main activity in these upland holdings.  From the sixteenth century onwards the mineral wealth of the Peak District became significant. Not only lead, but also coal, copper,zinc, iron, manganese and silver have all been mined there.  Large reservoirs such as Woodhead and Howden were built from the late 19th century onward to supply the growing urban areas surrounding the Peak District. This often meant flooding large areas of farmland.  The first roads in the Peak were constructed by the Romans.

 The Peak District was Britain's first national park, established in April 1951  Around 38,000 people live in the Park in 125 parishes  Visitors from all over the world come to the Park  The National Park covers 1,438 km2 (555 sq. miles) with over 2,500 km of public rights of way  The main economic activities are tourism, manufacturing, farming and quarrying  There are 50,929 ha moorland  There are 2,899 listed buildings

 Hill walking and hiking - A network of public footpaths and long-distance trails (over 3000 km in total), as well as large open-access areas, are available for hill walking and hiking.  Mountain biking  Horse riding -Some of the long-distance trails, such as the Tissingtone Trail, re- use former railway lines; they are used by horse riders  Cycling  Water sports - Some of the area's large reservoirs (for example, Carsington water) have become centres for water sports e.g. sailing, canoeing and fishing.  Air sports (hang gliding and paragliding)  Bird watching  Caving  Orienteering  The Mining Museum at Matlock Bath

 Historic buildings include Chatsworth House, seat of the Dukes of Devonshire. This house doubled as Pemberly in the 1995 BBC television version of Pride and Prejudice  The spa town of Buxton was developed by the Dukes of Devonshire as a genteel health resort in the eighteenth century; now the largest town in the Peak District, it has an opera house with a theatre, and a museum and art gallery.  Poole's Cavern is a 2 million year old, natural limestone cave situated in the beautiful woodland of Buxton Country Park.  Bakewell is the largest settlement; its five-arched bridge over the River Wye dates from the 13th century

Activity% Walking over 2 miles52 Visit villages / Market towns47 Restaurant / Cafe47 Touring around40 Pub39 Picnicking32 Walking under 2 miles32 Shopping31 Visit attractions30 Mountain biking9 Visit events / festivals7 Cycling6 Climbing activities5

 Between 16.2 and 20 million visits are made by car to the Peak District National Park every year and another 1.5 million visits made by public transport.  87% of visits to the Park are made by car. The most popular honeypot areas attract large numbers of visitors resulting in overcrowded car parks, blocked roads, and overstretched local facilities  Heavy use of some routes has caused major erosion, especially on Moorlands where damage is exacerbated by loose peat, high rainfall and wind.  Climbing can result in the decline of many moorland edge species such as mosses, lichens and cliff-nesting birds eg. ring ouzels.  Gift shops and cafes that cater for the needs of tourists are often more profitable than shops selling everyday goods for local people (eg butchers or bakers). In some villages where tourist shops are in the majority and few shops cater for the local people, the local community may feel ‘pushed out’ by tourists.

 The Peak District Sustainable Tourism Strategy was developed in 2000 by the Peak District Rural Development Partnership. The aims of the strategy are: To increase visitor spend and maximise the local benefits of that spend To encourage visitors to stay longer To encourage visits throughout the year To attract new visitors (with potential spending power) where appropriate To reduce dependency on the car when visiting the area To deliver for local people and not just visitors To conserve the landscape, including the towns and villages, and their special qualities To enhance visitor enjoyment and understanding of the market towns and rural areas To ensure that the traditional enjoyment of the Peak District will be more accessible to a wider range of people To encourage best use of existing resources