Chapel-en-le-Frith is a small town  on the edge of the Peak District near the border with Cheshire, and only 21 miles from the city of Manchester. It makes a great base from which to explore the area from one of the self catering holiday cottages on offer here.  Dubbed ‘The Capital Of The Peak District’, Chapel-en-le-Frith was established by the Normans in the 12th century, originally as a hunting lodge within the Forest of High Peak. This led to the French-derived name of Chapel-en-le-Frith (‘Chapel in the forest clearing’). A curfew bell has been rung in the town since 1070, and on Shrove Tuesday a Pudding Bell is rung at eleven in the morning to remind housewives to prepare their batter. There is a market place, cobbled and raised above the High Street, which is still used every Thursday to host the local market. To the north of Chapel-en-le-Frith lie the heather-covered Dark Peak highlands - Chinley Churn and South Head with, a little further off, Derbyshire’s highest mountain, Kinder Scout, which looms above the whole area. To the south of Chapel-en-le-Frith is the gentler and more pastoral White Peak, consisting largely of limestone grasslands with spectacular bluffs and the occasional gorge. Ideal for exploring from one of the self catering holiday cottages in the area.