Ashbourne

Stone-built Georgian frontages line the market square where Thursday mornings still buzz with proper old-fashioned trade. Ashbourne sits bang in the middle of Derbyshire's finest walking country, a proper market town that hasn't lost its soul to chain stores and coffee shops. The narrow streets climb away from the Henmore Brook, past independent shops that actually sell useful things.

This is serious walking territory. The Tissington Trail runs right past town - a lovely flat former railway line that's perfect for families on bikes. More adventurous types head straight for Dovedale, just three miles south, where the stepping stones across the River Dove have been Instagram famous since long before Instagram existed. The limestone gorge gets packed at weekends, mind you.

Sudbury Hall makes for a grand day out with the kids. The National Trust property doubles as The Children's Country House, with Victorian servants' quarters that bring history alive without being preachy about it. Less crowded but equally impressive, Vernons Folly offers cracking views across the Dove valley - though it's a bit of a trek to reach it.

Ashbourne's famous for its annual Shrovetide football match, a medieval free-for-all that turns the whole town into a pitch. The rest of the year, it's mercifully quieter. St Oswald's Church has one of the finest spires in Derbyshire, while the old coaching inns still serve decent food.

Staying at one of the nearby holiday parks puts you within easy reach of both the Peak District proper and Staffordshire's gentler countryside. Woodland walks like Webb's Plantation and the Upper Doveridge Woods offer peaceful alternatives to the busier Dovedale crowds.