WALKING
Whatever you want from a walking holiday – a challenging hike or a simple riverside stroll – then Derbyshire and the Peak district offers it all. Rockside Apartments are strategically located about a mile from Matlock town centre and give easy access to inspiring walks, and with a little planning you could soon be enjoying the most spectacular countryside.

For those of you who enjoy an imposing, and challenging landscape there is little to compare to the Dark Peak in the north of Derbyshire. Thousands of years of erosion have cut and carved the landscape leaving high vertical cliffs - the famous gritstone edges much loved by rock climbers of all ages and abilities. The plant life is largely a testament to man's ability to alter a landscape to suit his needs. The moors should be home to scrub birch woodland and rough grassland but much of the high moors is now dominated by heather, which in turn is food and shelter to the grouse. For the walker, the challenge lies in a walk over the peat that is smeared over the high moors.

The White Peak is a much more gentle and more welcoming landscape for walkers. It is home to the Derbyshire dales and is popular with many casual walkers and visitors to the county. In contrast to the Dark Peak, the White Peak, consists predominately of limestone hills and dales. The White Peak plateau is largely populated by sheep and cattle. The area is criss-crossed by footpaths, bridleways and tracks.

If you enjoy birds, wildflowers, mushrooms, birds or a combination of everything, a day spent in the White Peak is a rewarding experience. Some of the dales are home to year-round rivers and streams, others flood in times of heavy rain and others never flow. Walking in the White Peak is a wonderful experience. If you don’t want anything too taxing and fancy a short summer evening stroll or a longer day hike then with the hundreds of miles of paths available, you shouldn’t find it too hard to find something of interest.