Edale was the first Peak District area I knew. Initially with a post card, then for my first trip. The picture was exquisite. Not the big hills of the Lake District, but different curves with their own beauty. You have to approach the Peaks differently for photography, and light is particularly important.
I prefer bigger hills for walking but like Peak District photography. You have to understand the qualities of where you photograph. What its possibilities are, and are not. Compiling a Peak District book made me understand this, after years of walking and photographing the Lake District and Snowdonia.
The Peak District is an attraction for Manchester, Sheffield, and Nottingham. It was an important walking area when those cities were unpleasantly industrial. Hills, fresh air, and the outdoors are always important. We escape now from technological society, with the same ideas about peace, exercise, and nature.
The seasons, as always, are important. For walking in the Peak District, I like summer. For photography, I have favourite woodland areas in autumn and where you find snowy views in winter.
