CherT:
Just to say we live in the Derbyshire Dales. South Normanton isn't in the Peaks and its not somewhere you would go for a break - its a bit of a hole really (sorry). J 28 is an incredibly busy junction with queues morning and evening, and long term roadworks ensuring lots of standing traffic...
I live 1 mile South of the Peak district. Junction 28 is about 25 minutes away, so you're in the right area, but not on the doorstep. You need a good 30 minutes to get to chatsworth House or Haddon Hall from J28, but to get to the real good stuff you need to go into the High Peak district, which you're a good hour to hour and a half away.
Bakewell is probably a better base to stay, with great access to the Peak District, and plenty of pubs and places to eat locally in the evenings.
Hope it helps someone.
