Hogshaw Nature Reserve

The walk into Hogshaw is steep enough to make you work for it, which is precisely why the reserve feels properly quiet compared to the honeypots around Buxton. You're looking at a limestone quarry that's been left to nature - cliffs of pale stone rising up, with scrub and wildflowers doing their thing on the slopes. It's the kind of place where you'll see common lizards if you're lucky and stand still long enough, plus the usual suspects: rabbits, buzzards circling overhead.

Walkers will find it worth the effort. The views across the Peak District open up nicely once you've climbed, and the geology is genuinely interesting if you're into that sort of thing - the rock faces tell you something about how this landscape was carved out. Allow an hour or so for a proper mooch around, longer if you're photographing or just want to sit on a rock and watch.

It's free to visit, which helps. The reserve works well as a morning or afternoon slot alongside the bigger parks nearby - Beech Croft Farm is only four miles away if you're based there, and Peak Glamping Hideaway not much further. Neither would take you far from other Peak District walks, so you could easily combine this with something less demanding if you're holidaying with mixed fitness levels. The path can be muddy in wet weather, so decent boots are sensible. Go midweek if you can - the car park is small and it does get visitors from Buxton.