Cat & Fiddle

The Cat & Fiddle sits at 1,602 feet, making it England's second-highest pub, and it's also a working distillery producing gin and vodka. You get the full experience here - a proper working distillery tour where you can watch the stills in action, learn how they're making spirit from scratch, then taste what they've created. The bar itself is wood-panelled and cosy, the kind of place where walkers naturally congregate after a long stretch across the moors.

It's worth the drive from Buxton, especially if you're staying at one of the nearby holiday parks like Peak Glamping Hideaway or Lime Tree Holiday Park. Families with teenagers will get more from it than young kids - there's actual content here beyond just "look at the shiny copper". Allow two to three hours if you're doing a tour and a meal. The views across the Peak District are genuinely excellent, though you're paying for them in wind that never quite stops.

Check their website for tour times and whether you need to book ahead - they're not always running sessions. It works brilliantly as a rainy-day stop during a park holiday, or as a midweek treat. The distillery shop sells their bottles, which make decent souvenirs if gin's your thing. Food is available, though it's pub fare rather than anything fancy.