Large Holiday Cottages in the Peak District & Derbyshire

Large holiday cottages Peak District: which area suits your group?

The Peak District National Park splits neatly in two. Up north, the Dark Peak is gritstone edges and peat moorland, while further south the White Peak is limestone dales, dry stone walls and rolling hills dotted with stone villages. Here's the surprise: the biggest cottages in the Peak District area sit just outside the park, around Belper and Derby, where old farms and mill owners' homes have room for 16 to 20. Inside the national park, 10 to 14 is the usual size.

So decide what matters more: waking up on the moors, or the whole family together under one roof.

Bakewell and Chatsworth

Stay here if you want a bit of everything within ten minutes of the door. Bakewell has a Monday market and riverside walks along the River Wye, and the Chatsworth estate is about four miles away, with a farmyard and adventure playground for the family and 105 acres of garden for everyone else. Rutland House takes 12 in six bedrooms, about half a mile from the centre. See all our big cottages around Bakewell.

Buxton and the western moors

Buxton is Derbyshire's best-known spa town, with the Georgian Crescent, the Pavilion Gardens and an opera house that runs everything from panto to comedy. At around 300 metres it's one of England's highest towns, so the moors start where the streets stop. Moorecroft has room for 12 with a swimming pool and a cinema room. There are eight cottages in our Buxton collection.

Castleton, Edale and the Hope Valley

This is walkers' country. Climb Mam Tor from Castleton in an hour, follow the Great Ridge to Lose Hill, or head up Kinder Scout from Edale, one of the best walks in the park. Four show caves sit round the village too. Twitchill Farm Cottage near Hope is a spacious holiday home for 16 in eight bedrooms. Browse our group accommodation near Hope and Edale, or try Tideswell for a quieter base.

Matlock Bath and Carsington Water

Matlock Bath is a seaside resort that somehow ended up in a gorge, with fish and chips by the River Derwent, the Heights of Abraham cable car overhead (February half term to the end of October) and Gulliver's Kingdom for families with younger ones. Fifteen minutes away, Carsington Water has bike hire and eight miles of path round the reservoir. The Farmhouse at Carsington takes 12 with a pool, a games room and a secure garden, and it's pet friendly. Compare our Matlock cottages with the ones at Carsington.

Ashbourne and Dovedale

Ashbourne is the market town at the southern gateway, where the Tissington Trail begins, and Dovedale is ten minutes up the road. Two converted barn cottages at Bradbourne have private hot tubs: one takes 14, the other 12 and is pet friendly too. Just over the Staffordshire border, Throwley Moor Farmhouse has room for 13 above the Manifold. Alton Towers is about 25 minutes from Ashbourne, which settles things for the teenagers! Here's every big house near Ashbourne.

Belper, Derby and the National Forest

Got 18 or 20 people? Start here. Belper sits in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, where Clusters Chapel takes 20 in eight bedrooms with a sauna for a touch of luxury, and Turpins Cottage 18 in nine. Out in the countryside south of Derby, Stenson Hill Farm takes 20 and The Hill Coachouse 18, both with games rooms. For 18 or more, it's where you'll find the best large group accommodation in the Peak District area.

Matlock is ten miles up the A6, and you're close to Calke Abbey and the Kedleston Hall estate, and right by the M1 for a reunion from all over. Further south, Chestnut Lodge and Sycamore Lodge sit among the trees of the National Forest. Stay in Belper, Derby or Swadlincote.

The biggest Peak District holiday cottages we list

Every one here sleeps 12 or more.

Prices start from around £68 a night for the smaller places, and the middle of the range is about £213. Split three nights at that rate between 12 friends and the holiday let comes to roughly £53 each, before the food shop and a night of dining out.

What makes a big Derbyshire cottage work for 15 people?

A Peak District holiday cottage for a crowd needs more than spacious rooms and a long dining table.

• Parking: White Peak lanes are narrow and walled, and some farms only park two or three cars, so check each property listing and share lifts.
• The rain plan: 13 cottages have a hot tub, 10 a pool and 20 a games room. When cloud sits on Kinder, you'll be glad of them.
• Dogs: 40 take them. Sheep graze almost everywhere, so leads go on near livestock, especially at lambing time.
• Eating in: a pub table for 16 on a Saturday needs booking weeks ahead and taxis are rare in the villages, so check the kitchen and dining table seat everyone together when you're self catering.
• Cosy nights: 28 have a wood burner, and you'll light it even in May.

More across the UK: our group cottages with hot tubs and dog-friendly group cottages.

Peak District days out that work for a big group

Mam Tor and the Great Ridge

At 517 metres, Mam Tor has a paved path most of the way up, so slower walkers make the top and the views too. The fitter half carries on along the ridge to Lose Hill.

Cycling the Monsal Trail

This old railway line runs 8.5 miles from Bakewell to Blackwell Mill, through lit tunnels and over the Monsal Head viaduct. Hire bikes at Hassop Station, and the Monsal Trail is flat enough for walking or cycling with a nine year old and a grandad alike.

Dovedale stepping stones

The stones are half a mile from the National Trust car park, which fills early at weekends, so the walk from Ilam Park is the calmer start.

Chatsworth at Christmas

From 7 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 the house is dressed for Christmas, and the market runs on the estate until 13 December. For a family celebration, it's hard to beat.

Getting to the Peak District and when to go

• Hope Valley line: Sheffield to Manchester, stopping at Hathersage, Hope and Edale.
• Buxton line: from Manchester Piccadilly.
• Derwent Valley line: Derby to Belper, Cromford and Matlock.
• By road: the A6 links Buxton, Bakewell and Matlock, with the M1 down the eastern side.

Stay near a station and half the group can leave the car at home. May to September brings the well dressings, starting at Tissington on Ascension Day. Autumn is quieter, with the bracken turning copper on the hills. Book early, though: the large holiday cottages Peak District groups want for bank holidays and New Year go months ahead. When you're ready, compare Derbyshire with our UK destinations guide or browse every large holiday cottage across the UK.