Here's why the Peak District is the perfect place for an autumn break

The latest accolades for this area of outstanding natural beauty include second in the Top 10 Rural UK Walks (survey by Premier Inn) and seventh place in the Top 10 Best Places for a Staycation with Your Dog (survey by Millets).

Pretty market towns, spectacular walks and beautiful scenery make Derbyshire the perfect county for an autumn break.

With a carefully selected wine list and exceptional food which has been recognised by Michelin, The George at Alstonefield is a 400-year old coach house featuring neat rooms of old beams, gleaming quarry tiles and a crackling log fire. The star of the show is the nine-course Tasting Menu, showcasing glorious seasonal autumn ingredients, plus their monthly Supper Clubs celebrate wonderful local produce. Of the ingredients that go into the meals, 95% are sourced within a 15-mile radius - including rare breeds of meat - or from The George’s own organic kitchen garden. Eggs are freshly laid by their own hens and their bees pollinate the veg garden and supply them with honey.

If you’re a nature lover looking for a woodland retreat, check out Wildhive at Callow Hall, featuring treehouses and ‘hives’, styled by Firmdale Hotels’ designer Isabella Worsley, binoculars for nature lovers, and boxes of food and drink can be delivered to your door. At The Tawny Hotel in rural Staffordshire, there are 70 acres of woodland and lakeside gardens to explore, plus you can bathe outside and stargaze on your own private decking.

Enjoy a trip to the independently-owned White Peak Distillery, which has created the region’s first single malt, plus there are tours and tasting experiences on offer in this unique distillery, housed in an Edwardian-era wire works at Ambergate. Tours will take you through the whisky making process from start to finish, and you’ll taste various samples including new make spirit and an ageing spirit samples, straight from the cask.

Rugged and beautiful scenery make The Roaches a magnet for both climbers and hikers and was recently awarded a Top 10 place in a list of best places for wild adventures compiled by Mini. This Peak District gem offers incredibly scenic hikes, featuring the steep gritstone ridge, home to mythical mermaids and 15 metre natural gritstone clefts, plus there’s 'Ramshaw Rocks' famous for the 'Winking Man' rock formation and 'Hen Cloud' offering stunning panoramic views. On a clear day allows you to see much of Cheshire, Winter Hill in Lancashire and even Snowdon in Wales!

Walk the waterways of the Chesterfield Canal, which runs for 46 miles from the River Trent to the middle of Chesterfield, linking Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire and Derbyshire. Recognised as one of the most beautiful and varied waterways in England, there’s even a festival dedicated to it – the Chesterfield Canal Walking Festival where keen walkers of all abilities can join group walks through tranquil countryside, known as The Cuckoo Way. It features an underground canal at Hollingwood and ends up at the £310m Waterside development in Chesterfield.