Beautiful Peak District village 'ruined' by rogue parking and endless traffic

The tiny village of Castleton, Derbyshire, occupies a prime spot in a beautiful winding landscape. Tucked away in the rolling hills of the Peak District National Park, the village of under 1000 people is almost perfectly situated between Manchester and Sheffield.

Beyond the winding streets adorned with the classic grey stone-clad houses that area known for, and cosy local pubs to shelter from the often wet weather, another feature is causing no end of problems for the surrounding area. "Castleton is in the Hope Valley which has an area called Edale which is popular for walkers," explained Dr Adele Doran, a principal lecturer in tourism at Sheffield Hallam University.

"There's a very popular walk [starting in Castleton] that is essentially like a horseshoe along the highest point of the Peak District. But through the middle of that [route] is a road," he told the Express. "Rather than walking to the top people park on the hill so they [avoid the incline]. It's quite troublesome because they are parking their cars on the verges [at the side of the road]."

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During quieter periods, the occasional car parked on the edge isn't a major issue, but when there's good weather during holiday season, an already narrow road becomes even tighter. As vehicles slow down to navigate their way through, locals have found to their dismay how a steady flow of traffic can quickly become gridlocked.

This also makes Castleton's prime location between cities something of a curse. Dr Doran stated, "It's something that's been happening for a number of years. But the volume of vehicles now [has made the problem much worse]".

He added, "I just think since post-Covid more people are on holiday domestically and people are drawn to these honeypot areas.

"The Peak District is a quite a good example because it's surrounded by so many large cities and really struggles with visitor numbers. As well as Manchester you've got Stoke-on-Trent, Leeds, Sheffield, Derby, even different places like Bolton and Hull [are relatively close].

"There can be queues of traffic up the roads. I believe on the last bank holiday, emergency services could not even get through because there were just cars parked willy-nilly."

During the April Bank Holiday weekend, the route to Castleton became infamous on TikTok due to the massive queues of cars stretching far into the distance.

Dr Doran also highlighted other issues caused by the rogue parking. "There's erosion on the verges [which affects natural] habitats, but also cars get stuck because sometimes the roads are a little bit high and there are dips at the side.

"Some people will park that way for access reasons, they might be disabled or have a mobility issue so parking closer is more suitable. [But] I think for a lot of people it might just be that they want to pull over and get out the car, look at the view and drive off."

Addressing the parking chaos, Dr Doran noted the complexity of the situation due to the location's protected status, which makes constructing a car park an unfeasible option. He highlighted that the issue is partly due to individuals trying to dodge parking fees.

"They can't just build a car park in these wild remote areas."