Editing Peak District (section)

==Geography==
The Peak District forms the southern extremity of the Pennines.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Location and overview of the Peak District |url=http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/microsites/sopr/overview/location-and-overview-of-the-peak-district |website=Peak District National Park |access-date=5 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180805233640/http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/microsites/sopr/overview/location-and-overview-of-the-peak-district |archive-date=5 August 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Much of it is upland above {{convert|1000|ft|m|-2}}, its highest point being [[Kinder Scout]] at {{cvt|2087|ft|m}}.<ref name="Nuttall">{{Cite book |title=The Mountains of England & Wales – Volume 2: England |last1=Nuttall |first1=J. |last2=Nuttall |first2=A. |year=1990 |publisher=Cicerone |location=Milnthorpe |isbn=1-85284-037-4 |url=http://www.nuttalls.com/mountains/england.htm |access-date=23 August 2009 |archive-date=20 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120011300/https://www.nuttalls.com/mountains/england.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite its name, the landscape has fewer sharp peaks than rounded hills, [[plateau]]s, valleys, limestone [[Canyon|gorge]]s and gritstone [[escarpment]]s (the "edges").<ref name="Landscape">{{Cite web |url=http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/microsites/sopr/landscape |title=Landscape |publisher=Peak District National Park State of the Park |access-date=28 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914172129/http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/microsites/sopr/landscape |archive-date=14 September 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Gritstone Edges">{{Cite web |url=http://www.peakdistrictonline.co.uk/peak-district-gritstone-edges-c101334.html |title=Gritstone Edges |publisher=Peak District Online |access-date=28 June 2017 }}</ref> The mostly rural area is surrounded by conurbations and large urban areas, including [[Manchester]], [[Huddersfield]], [[Sheffield]], [[Derby]] and [[Stoke-on-Trent]].

The [[national park]] has formal boundaries. It covers most of the [[Dark Peak]] and [[White Peak]], but the wider Peak District is less well defined.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Peak District |url=https://www.heathrowshuttle.com/pages/peak-district |website=Heathrow Shuttle |access-date=13 February 2018 |archive-date=14 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214014636/https://www.heathrowshuttle.com/pages/peak-district |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Dark Peak is largely uninhabited [[moorland]] and gritstone escarpments in the northern Peak District and its eastern and western margins. It encloses the central and southern White Peak, which is where most settlements, farmland and limestone gorges are found.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Accommodation in Derbyshire and the Peak National Park |url=http://www.derbyshire-peakdistrict.co.uk/accommodation.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050305084254/http://www.derbyshire-peakdistrict.co.uk/accommodation.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-date=5 March 2005 |website=Discover Derbyshire and the Peak District |access-date=12 May 2018}}</ref><ref name="Character areas">{{Cite web |url=http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/learning-about/about-the-national-park/character-areas |publisher=Peak District.gov |title=Character areas |access-date=14 September 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914125324/http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/learning-about/about-the-national-park/character-areas |archive-date=14 September 2017 }}</ref> Three of [[Natural England]]'s [[National Character Area]]s (NCAs) cover parts of it. The Dark Peak NCA includes the northern and eastern parts of the Dark Peak and the White Peak NCA most of the White Peak. The western margins of the Dark Peak are in the South West Peak NCA, where farmland and pastured valleys are found with gritstone edges and moorland.<ref name="Character areas"/><ref name="South West Peak">{{Cite web |title=South West Peak |url=http://www.snh.org.uk/wwo/sharinggoodpractice/cci/cci/eastmidlands/053b.htm |website=Scottish Natural Heritage |access-date=12 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180513081158/http://www.snh.org.uk/wwo/sharinggoodpractice/cci/cci/eastmidlands/053b.htm |archive-date=13 May 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 

Outside the park, the wider Peak District extends from the gritstone moorlands of the [[South Pennines]] to the north, separated approximately by the [[River Tame, Greater Manchester|Tame Valley]], [[Standedge]] and [[Holme Valley]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/511867 |publisher=Natural England |title=NCA Profile: 36 Southern Pennines (NE323) |access-date=14 September 2017 |archive-date=27 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227093021/http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/511867 |url-status=live }}</ref> It continues south and roughly ends at the [[Weaver Hills]] near the [[River Churnet|Churnet Valley]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Walks in the Ancient Peak District |date=September 2005 |publisher=Robert Harris |page=143 |isbn=9781850588221 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gdeM_QLFjZsC&q=white+peak+weaver+hills&pg=PA143 |access-date=29 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Banks |first1=Francis Richard |title=English Villages |isbn=9787240005989 |page=175 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u2pnAAAAMAAJ&q=weaver+hills+southern+end+pennines |year=1963 |publisher=B.T. Batsford |access-date=15 March 2025 }}</ref> It often includes the area approximately between [[Disley]] and Sterndale Moor, encompassing [[Buxton]] and the [[Peak Dale]] corridor. It may also include some of the outer fringes and foothills, such as the Churnet<ref>{{cite book |first1=Martin |last1=Walters |first2=Bob |last2=Gibbons |title=Britain |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=220–221 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Q4fJsgiDZgC&q=churnet+valley+edge+of+peak+district&pg=PA220 |access-date=14 February 2018 |isbn=9780198504337 |year=2003 }}</ref> and [[River Derwent, Derbyshire|lower Derwent]] Valleys,<ref name="Slow Travel The Peak District">{{cite book |first=Helen |last=Moat |title=Slow Travel The Peak District |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Za2qCwAAQBAJ&q=peak+district+lower+derwent+valley&pg=PA201 |pages=200–203 |publisher=Bradt Travel Guides Ltd |access-date=5 October 2017 |isbn=9781784770075 |date=16 February 2016 }}</ref> and the area approximately between [[The Cloud (hill)|The Cloud]] and [[Mow Cop]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Emily |last=Hardy |title=Advertiser Notes and Queries |date=1882 |publisher=Swain and Company, Limited |page=22 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_GMuAAAAMAAJ&dq=is+the+area+between+the+cloud+and+mow+cop+considered+in+peak+district&pg=PA22 |access-date=23 March 2025 }}</ref> Conversely, while the rural west of the [[City of Sheffield]] falls in the park boundaries, the urban area of the city is usually excluded,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/sheffield-profile/introduction.html |title=City Profile Introduction |date=31 January 2013 |publisher=Sheffield City Council |access-date=23 March 2025 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019173822/https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/sheffield-profile/introduction.html |archive-date=19 October 2014 }}</ref> alongside the other surrounding large urban areas. The rest of the region is surrounded by lowlands,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Peak District |url=http://www.peakdistrictonline.co.uk/the-peak-district-c2672.html |publisher=Peak District Online |access-date=31 March 2018 |archive-date=1 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401075331/http://www.peakdistrictonline.co.uk/the-peak-district-c2672.html |url-status=live }}</ref> including the [[Cheshire Plain]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Byrde Baddeley |first1=Mountford John |title=The Peak District of Derbyshire and Neighbouring Counties |date=1884 |publisher=Dulau |isbn=9781019523247 |page=63 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QwwHAAAAQAAJ&dq=cheshire+plain+and+peak+district&pg=RA1-PA63 |access-date=21 March 2025 }}</ref> and [[Greater Manchester Built-up Area]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Manchester Conurbation - Description |url=https://nationalcharacterareas.co.uk/manchester-conurbation/description/ |website=Natural England |access-date=21 March 2025 |archive-date=21 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250321100754/https://nationalcharacterareas.co.uk/manchester-conurbation/description/ |url-status=live }}</ref> to the west. The [[South Yorkshire Coalfield|Derbyshire and Yorkshire Coalfields]] lie to the east<ref>{{cite web |title=Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire Coalfield - Description |url=https://nationalcharacterareas.co.uk/nottinghamshire-derbyshire-and-yorkshire-coalfield/description/ |website=Natural England |access-date=21 March 2025 |archive-date=21 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250321100753/https://nationalcharacterareas.co.uk/nottinghamshire-derbyshire-and-yorkshire-coalfield/description/ |url-status=live }}</ref> while the lowlands of the [[Midlands]] are to the south, near the north of the [[River Trent|Trent Valley]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Boraas |first1=Tracey |title=England |date=2003 |publisher=Bridgestone Books |isbn=9780736809375 |page=10 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d8rRsMwbJT8C&dq=peak+district+and+lowlands+of+the+midlands+to+the+south&pg=PA10 |access-date=21 March 2025}}</ref>

The national park covers {{convert|555|sqmi|km2}},<ref name="Area">{{Cite web |url=http://www.peakdistrict-education.gov.uk/Fact%20Sheets/fz16pop.htm |title=The Peak District National Park – Fact Zone |publisher=PDNP Education |year=2000 |access-date=22 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100308043914/http://www.peakdistrict-education.gov.uk/Fact%20sheets/fz16pop.htm |archive-date=8 March 2010 }}</ref> including most of the region in Derbyshire and extends into Staffordshire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and South and West Yorkshire. Its northern limit is on a track near Deer Hill in [[Meltham]]; its southernmost point is on the [[A52 road]] near [[Ashbourne, Derbyshire|Ashbourne]]. The boundaries were drawn to exclude built-up and industrial areas; in particular Buxton and the quarries at the end of the Peak Dale corridor are surrounded on three sides by the park. [[Bakewell]] and many villages are in the national park, as is much of the rural west of Sheffield. In 2010 it became the fifth largest national park in England and Wales.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nationalparks.gov.uk/learningabout/factsandfigures.htm |title=National Park facts and figures |publisher=National Parks |year=2009 |access-date=13 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111052829/http://www.nationalparks.gov.uk/learningabout/factsandfigures.htm |archive-date=11 January 2012 }}</ref> In the UK, designation as a national park means that planning and other functions are provided by a national park authority, with additional restrictions that enhance protection from inappropriate development. Land within this national park as in others is in a mix of public and private ownership.

The [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]], a charity that conserves historic and natural landscapes, owns about 12 per cent of the land in the national park.<ref>''Handbook for Members and Visitors 2004'', [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|The National Trust]].</ref> Its three estates ([[High Peak Estate|High Peak]], [[White Peak Estate|White Peak]] and [[Longshaw Estate|Longshaw]]) include ecologically or geologically significant areas at [[Bleaklow]], [[Derwent Edge]], [[Hope Woodlands]], [[Kinder Scout]], the [[River Manifold|Manifold]] valley, [[Mam Tor]], [[Dovedale]], [[Milldale (Peak District)|Milldale]] and [[Winnats Pass]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-highpeakestate.htm |title=High Peak Estate |publisher=[[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|The National Trust]] |year=2009 |access-date=22 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426230500/http://nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-highpeakestate.htm |archive-date=26 April 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="South_Peak">{{Cite web |url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-ilampark |title=Ilam Park and South Peak Estate |publisher=[[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|The National Trust]] |year=2010 |access-date=26 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100715195938/http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-ilampark |archive-date=15 July 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-longshawestate.htm |title=Longshaw Estate |publisher=[[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|The National Trust]] |year=2009 |access-date=22 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090510093420/http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-longshawestate.htm |archive-date=10 May 2009 }}</ref> The park authority owns around 5 per cent; other major landowners include several water companies.<ref name="Landuse">{{Cite web |url=http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/learning-about/secondary-resources/factsheets |title=Peak District National Park Authority factsheets |publisher=Peak District National Park Authority |year=2012 |access-date=4 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140630152742/http://peakdistrict.gov.uk/learning-about/secondary-resources/factsheets |archive-date=30 June 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[Image:Near the High Peak - pano.jpg|800px|thumb|center|A [[High Peak Estate|High Peak]] panorama between [[Hayfield, Derbyshire|Hayfield]] and [[Chinley]]]]

===Settlements===
[[File:Towns of the Peak District.png|thumb|Towns around the Peak District (National Park shaded green)]]
Bakewell is the largest settlement and only town in the national park and the site of the National Park Authority offices. Its [[Bakewell Bridge|five-arched bridge]] over the River Wye dates from the 13th century.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.places-to-go.org.uk/Bakewell.htm |title=Bakewell |publisher=Places-to-go.org.uk |year=2003 |access-date=18 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224022217/http://www.places-to-go.org.uk/Bakewell.htm |archive-date=24 February 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Castleton is the centre of production of a semi-precious mineral, [[Blue John (mineral)|Blue John]]. [[Eyam]] village is known for a self-imposed quarantine during the [[Black Death in England|Black Death]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_plague/index.html |title=Mystery of the Black Death |publisher=[[Secrets of the Dead]] |access-date=18 June 2009 |archive-date=15 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315090710/http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_plague/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Edale]] is the southern end of the [[Pennine Way]], a 268-mile [[National Trails|national trail]] which traverses most of the Pennines and ends at [[Kirk Yetholm]] in the [[Anglo-Scottish border|Scottish border]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/pennine-way |title=Trail stats, Pennine Way |access-date=27 May 2019 |work=National Trails Homepage |publisher=[[The Countryside Agency]] |archive-date=1 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601062146/https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/pennine-way |url-status=live }}</ref> The park also contains the highest village in the United Kingdom, [[Flash, Staffordshire|Flash]], at {{convert|1519|ft|m|0}}.<ref>{{Cite news |title=The UK's highest mountain? It's not what you think |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/articles/uk-highest-places/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/articles/uk-highest-places/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |website=The Telegraph |date=9 October 2017 |access-date=8 October 2021 |last1=Smith |first1=Oliver}}{{cbignore }}</ref> Other villages in the park include [[Hathersage]], [[Hartington, Derbyshire|Hartington]], [[Ilam, Staffordshire|Ilam]] and [[Tideswell]].

The towns of [[Glossop]], [[Chapel-en-le-Frith]], [[Buxton]], [[Macclesfield]], [[Leek, Staffordshire|Leek]], Ashbourne, [[Matlock, Derbyshire|Matlock]] and [[Chesterfield, Derbyshire|Chesterfield]] are on the national park's fringes. The [[spa town]] of Buxton was built up by the [[Duke of Devonshire|Dukes of Devonshire]] as a genteel health resort in the 18th century<ref name="Visit Buxton">{{Cite web |url=http://www.visitbuxton.co.uk/ |title=Visit Buxton |publisher=VisitBuxton.co.uk |year=2007 |access-date=18 June 2009 |archive-date=1 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101104224/https://www.visitbuxton.co.uk/ |url-status=live }}</ref> while the [[spa]] at [[Matlock Bath]], in the River Derwent valley, was popularised in Victorian times. [[Hayfield, Derbyshire|Hayfield]] is at the foot of Kinder Scout, the area's highest summit. Other towns and villages fringing the park include [[Whaley Bridge]], [[Hadfield, Derbyshire|Hadfield]], [[Tintwistle]], [[Darley Dale]] and [[Wirksworth]] in Derbyshire, [[Stocksbridge]] in South Yorkshire and [[Marsden, West Yorkshire|Marsden]] and [[Holmfirth]] in West Yorkshire.

===Rivers, reservoirs and canals===
[[File:Rivers of the Peak District.png|alt=|thumb|Rivers around the Peak District]]
Several rivers have sources on the moorland plateaux of the Dark Peak and the high ridges of the White Peak. Many rivers in the Dark Peak and outer fringes were dammed to create reservoirs for supplying drinking water. Streams were dammed to provide headwater for [[watermill|water driven mills]]; [[weir]]s were built for the same purpose. The reservoirs of the [[Longdendale Chain]] were completed in February 1877 to provide compensation water, ensuring a continuous flow in the [[River Etherow]], which was essential for local industry and provided drinking water for Manchester.<ref name="Quayle"/> In a report for the [[Manchester City Council|Manchester Corporation]], [[John Frederick Bateman]] wrote in 1846:

{{Blockquote|Within ten or twelve miles of Manchester, and six or seven miles from the existing reservoirs at Gorton, there is this tract of mountain land abounding with springs of the purest quality. Its physical and geological features offer such peculiar features for the collection, storage and supply of water for the use of the towns in the plains below that I am surprised that they have been overlooked.
|John Frederick Bateman<ref name="Quayle">{{Cite book |last=Quayle |first=Tom |title=Manchester's Water: The Reservoirs in the Hills |year=2006 |publisher=[[Tempus Publishing]] |location=Stroud |isbn=0-7524-3198-6 |page=15}}</ref>
}}

The western Peak District is drained by the Etherow, the [[River Goyt|Goyt]] and the [[River Tame, Greater Manchester|Tame]], all tributaries of the [[River Mersey]]. The north-east is drained by tributaries of the [[River Don, South Yorkshire|River Don]]. Of the tributaries of the [[River Trent]] draining south and east, the [[River Derwent, Derbyshire|River Derwent]] is the most prominent. It rises on Bleaklow just east of [[Glossop]] and flows through the [[Upper Derwent Valley]], where it is constrained by the [[Howden Reservoir|Howden]], [[Derwent Reservoir (Derbyshire)|Derwent]] and [[Ladybower reservoir]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bevan |first=Bill |title=The Upper Derwent: 10,000 Years in a Peak District Valley |year=2004 |publisher=[[Tempus Publishing]] |location=Stroud |isbn=0-7524-2903-5 |pages=141–159 }}</ref> The reservoirs of the Upper Derwent Valley were built from the early to mid-20th century to supply drinking water to the [[East Midlands]] and South Yorkshire.

The [[River Noe|rivers Noe]] and the [[River Wye, Derbyshire|Wye]] are tributaries.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.peakdistrictonline.co.uk/content.php?categoryId=1593 |title=River Derwent |publisher=Peak District Online |year=2009 |access-date=1 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127030700/http://www.peakdistrictonline.co.uk/content.php?categoryId=1593 |archive-date=27 November 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[River Manifold]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cressbrook.co.uk/features/manifold.php |title=The Manifold is a sister river to the Dove |work=Peak District Information |publisher=Cressbrook Multimedia |year=2008 |access-date=1 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511192326/http://www.cressbrook.co.uk/features/manifold.php |archive-date=11 May 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and [[River Dove, Central England|River Dove]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cressbrook.co.uk/features/dove.php |title=The Dove is the major river of the South Peak |work=Peak District Information |publisher=Cressbrook Multimedia |year=2008 |access-date=1 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509075028/http://www.cressbrook.co.uk/features/dove.php |archive-date=9 May 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> in the south-west, whose sources are on [[Axe Edge Moor]], flow into the Trent. The [[River Dane]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cressbrook.co.uk/features/dane.php |title=The Dane flows west into Cheshire |work=Peak District Information |publisher=Cressbrook Multimedia |year=2008 |access-date=1 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027151036/http://www.cressbrook.co.uk/features/dane.php |archive-date=27 October 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> flows into the [[River Weaver]] in Cheshire.

[[Image:Bugsworth 058079.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The Bugsworth Basin on the Peak Forest Canal]]
There are no canals in the national park, although the [[Standedge Tunnels]] on the [[Huddersfield Narrow Canal]] run underneath the extreme north of it. Outside the park, waters from the Dark Peak feed the [[Macclesfield Canal|Macclesfield]], [[Ashton Canal|Ashton]], and Huddersfield Narrow Canals and waters from the White Peak fed the [[Cromford Canal]]. The [[Peak Forest Canal]] brought [[Lime (material)|lime]] from the quarries at [[Dove Holes]] for the construction industry. It terminated at [[Bugsworth Basin]] and the journey was completed using the [[Peak Forest Tramway]].

The Cromford Canal, from [[Cromford]] to the [[Erewash Canal]], served lead mines at [[Wirksworth]] and [[Sir Richard Arkwright]]'s cotton mills. The [[Caldon Canal]] from [[Froghall]] was built to transport limestone from quarries at Cauldon Low for the iron industry and flints for the pottery industry.<ref name="Caldon Canal">{{Cite web |title=Caldon Canal |url=https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-network/caldon-canal |website=Canal River Trust |access-date=1 October 2017 |archive-date=17 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617014452/https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-network/caldon-canal |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Climate===
Most of the area is over {{convert|1000|ft|m|-2}} above sea level,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.peakdistrictinformation.com/features/kinder.php |title=Kinder Scout – the highest gritstone peak in the Peak District |publisher=Peak District Information |year=2008 |access-date=21 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722195737/http://www.peakdistrictinformation.com/features/kinder.php |archive-date=22 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> in the centre of the country at a latitude of 53°N, bringing relatively high annual rainfall averaging {{convert|40.35|in|mm}} in 1999. The Dark Peak tends to receive more rainfall than the White Peak, as it is higher. The higher rainfall does not affect the temperature, which averages the same as the rest of England and Wales at {{cvt|10.3|°C|°F}}.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.peakdistrict-nationalpark.info/place/rivers/climate.html |title=Peak District Climate |publisher=Peak District National Park |year=2003 |access-date=13 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523234641/http://www.peakdistrict-nationalpark.info/place/rivers/climate.html |archive-date=23 May 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the 1970s, the Dark Peak regularly had more than 70 days of snowfall. Since then the number has fallen. The hills still see long periods of continuous snow cover in some winters. Snow in mid-December 2009 on some hill summits created some snow patches that lasted until May 2010. In the same winter, the A635 (Saddleworth Moor) and A57 (Snake Pass) were closed due to snow for almost a month. Frost cover is seen for 20–30 per cent of the winter on moorland in the Dark Peak and 10 per cent in the White Peak.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thepeakdistrict.info/fast/html/peak_district_general_informat.html |title=About the Peak District&nbsp;... |publisher=ThePeakDistrict.info |year=2007 |access-date=23 May 2009 |archive-date=26 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426010916/http://www.thepeakdistrict.info/fast/html/peak_district_general_informat.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Moorland Indicators of Climate Change Initiative was set up in 2008 to collect data in the area. Students investigated the interaction between people and the moorlands and their effect on climate change, to discover whether the moorlands are a net [[carbon sink]] or source, based on the fact that Britain's upland areas contain a major global carbon store in the form of [[peat]]. Human interaction in terms of direct erosion and fire, with the effects of global warming, are the main variables they considered.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/learning-about/learning-projects/climatechangeproject |title=Moorland Indicators of Climate Change Initiative 2012 |publisher=Peak District |year=2012 |access-date=3 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122183958/http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/learning-about/learning-projects/climatechangeproject |archive-date=22 January 2012}}</ref>