Part of an Ancient Footpath known as 'The Portway', Allestree

The first visitors to the Peak District no doubt followed paths made by the animals they hunted. The first farmers, in the Neolithic, 5,000 years ago had a culture at least partly involving trade, and they probably established the first long distance routes, along which strangers to any one locality could pass. Their paths are now lost to us, although it has been claimed that the Portway is one of…