Peak Pods

The five-mile walk that starts just beyond the gate of Broadmeadow Farm and runs north through Lathkill Dale to Monyash has long been considered one of the most scenic routes in the entire Peak District National Park. Not only are the views spectacular, but the route also boasts one of the quaintest old English starting points imaginable – the tiny village of Alport on the banks of the river Lathkill. It’s here, edging the collection of limestone-rubble cottages, that Peak Pods is found – a year-round site with an unbeatable location.

The camping meadow in question is raised slightly above the rest of the village surrounded by sheep-grazed fields. It hosts just three wool-insulated glamping pods; crafted from larch wood on the outside with a light, pine interior. Inside there is a built in double bed, en suite shower room and toilet, plus a very well equipped kitchen area that has everything you’ll need, minus the food itself. Not that food’s a problem. There’s an excellent butchers five minutes away in Bakewell, plus the innovative Thornbridge Brewery, whose grains feed Broadmeadow's own herd of cattle.

A small splinter of woodland runs alongside the pods where children get lost each afternoon building their own pods out of branches. It’s a good reminder that, despite the luxuries inside each pod, they still offer a great outdoor experience. Campfires in particular add to the ambience, with wood available from farm owners Mark and Nicola. Both come from families that have farmed this area for centuries and they know it all like the backs of their hands. They’re more than happy to show people around the farm too – with their 400 cattle and 500 sheep, it's a proper working one. Time your stay for springtime and you're likely to see new born gambolling lambs!

Down the road, the village itself doesn’t have a pub but after you’ve pottered around the old bridges and admired the 18th century corn mill, you can continue on to Youlgreave where there are three to make up for it. Along the way you’ll pass through ‘artists corner’, a haunt of painters and poets who can sometimes be found contemplating the gurgling waters of the Lathkill as it flows down a scenic series of waterfalls to meet the River Bradford below. Proof, if ever needed, that there really is picture-perfect scenery on the doorstep of this campsite.