The Royal Oak £15 peakpub.co.uk

» A stone’s throw from the A515 from Ashbourne to Buxton, yet The Royal Oak at Hurdlow (SK17 9QJ) has a sense of being in the middle of nowhere. It helps that the village is just a couple of houses and the pub. It’s the opposite of spit and sawdust, with fine food and great beer, and proper loos and showers for campists. There’s loads of space, though its location means it can be busy in summer; go in spring or autumn for quiet star-gazing nights and little traffic on the ace roads heading off in all directions.