Peak Wildlife Park

If you’re local to Leek and haven’t been to Peak Wildlife Park yet, sort it out. The animal encounters are genuinely up close — red pandas and wallabies aren’t behind thick glass making you feel like you’re watching telly. Keeper talks are worth timing your visit around, they actually know their stuff and the kids stay interested. There’s a decent café when you need a break, plenty of picnic tables and benches if you’ve brought your own food, and enough open grass and walking paths to stretch your legs between enclosures. It’s kept tidy too, which sounds like a low bar but you’d be surprised how many parks this size can’t manage it.