Cornwall or Peak District?

Here the gap is total. Cornwall has the whole range within one county, from the surf at Fistral and Watergate Bay to the turquoise water of Porthcurno and the sheltered coves around Falmouth. The Atlantic stays cool enough that a wetsuit helps.

The Peak District has no coast at all, and its reservoirs are cold, deep and not meant for swimming. Hathersage's heated open-air pool and a dip in a dale river are as close as it gets, so anyone who wants sand should go to Cornwall.

Cornwall eats better, mainly because of the sea. Fish from Newlyn, Padstow's reputation for seafood and serious kitchens in St Ives, Porthleven and Falmouth give it a top end the Peak cannot match. Pasties, cream teas and Camel Valley sparkling wine cover the simpler side.

Food in the Peak District means country pubs: hearty plates after a walk, regional real ale, Bakewell pudding, Hartington cheese and good farm shops around Chatsworth. It is satisfying, but in the smaller villages the evening choice can come down to one or two pubs.

There is little between them for sights, but they tell different stories. Cornwall's are scattered along the shore: St Michael's Mount on its tidal island, Tintagel's clifftop ruins, the mining engine houses near Botallack, and the modern art of Tate St Ives and Barbara Hepworth's sculpture garden.

The Peak District leans towards grand houses and the beginnings of industry, with Chatsworth's art collection, medieval Haddon Hall and Arkwright's mills at Cromford. Village stories such as Eyam's plague quarantine and the summer well dressings add to it. Choose Cornwall for art and coastal landmarks, and the Peak for country houses and local history.

Neither is a place for late nights, but Cornwall has an outlet the Peak lacks. Through the summer Newquay fills its bars and a few clubs with surfers and groups, and Falmouth's students keep a smaller scene going.

In the Peak District, evenings end in a low-beamed pub among walkers. Only a handful of bars in Buxton and Matlock stay open a little later, so a real night out means the hour's trip to Sheffield or Manchester.

Both are superb for the outdoors, and the difference is sea against hills. Cornwall's landscape is its coastline: the South West Coast Path around Penwith and the Lizard, surfing at Newquay, Bude and Sennen, coasteering, and seals and basking sharks offshore.

The Peak District looks inland and upward. It has Kinder Scout's moorland plateau, gritstone edges like Stanage that draw climbers, green limestone dales and caves for potholing. Both have easy, flat cycling, on the Camel Trail in Cornwall and on the old railway trails in the Peak.

The Peak District has the more varied days out, thanks to where it sits. Manchester and Sheffield are close by train, Derby, Nottingham and the Potteries are within reach, and Hardwick Hall, Bolsover Castle and Kedleston Hall stand just outside the park.

Day trips in Cornwall mostly mean visiting its other harbour towns, from Mousehole and Port Isaac to Fowey and St Mawes. Each is charming, but they are much alike. The standout is the crossing from Penzance to the Isles of Scilly.

Both suit families well, but the days look different. Cornwall is the bucket-and-spade choice: rock pools, bodyboarding in lifeguarded shallows and calm beaches such as Gyllyngvase, with the Eden Project and the seal sanctuary at Gweek for wet days.

The Peak District suits active children, with show caves at Castleton, the cable car at Matlock Bath, vintage trams at Crich and traffic-free trails, and Alton Towers a short drive away. In both, rain and the need for a car are the main drawbacks.

Neither is easy without a car, and both have narrow lanes that jam on busy days. The difference is in the railways. Cornwall's branch lines serve resort towns such as St Ives, Falmouth and Newquay, so you can stay car-free if you base yourself in one of them.

The Peak's Hope Valley line suits walkers better, because paths start right from the platforms at Edale and Hathersage. In both regions, buses are thin outside the main towns.

Cornwall has more to browse, mostly art and craft. St Ives is full of galleries, potteries and studios, Penzance's Chapel Street and Fowey have independent shops, and Newquay sells surf gear.

Shopping in the Peak District is more practical: outdoor kit in Hathersage, Blue John jewellery in Castleton, antiques in Ashbourne and Leek, and farm shops for food to take home.

Neither is a cheap vacation, and Cornwall is the dearer of the two in summer. Cottages and hotels in coastal towns such as St Ives and Padstow are expensive over the school break and the best book out early, while seafood dinners, parking charges and attraction tickets keep adding to the bill. Spring and autumn are noticeably kinder on the wallet.

The Peak District costs a little less. Its cottages and inns are still in demand on summer weekends and in the school breaks, but the hills are free to walk, and youth hostels, bunkhouses and campsites across the park offer a cheaper way to stay. The main extra cost is entry to stately homes and show caves, which mounts up for a family visiting several.

Both are thin on regular performances, and each has one standout. Cornwall's is the Minack Theatre, an open-air stage cut into the cliffs above Porthcurno with plays and concerts through the summer. Padstow's May Day and a surf and music festival near Newquay add to it.

The Peak District's centre is Buxton, whose Frank Matcham Opera House has shows all year and whose July festival brings opera and classical music. The Peak is the better bet for a classical programme, and Cornwall for a performance in a dramatic setting.

The Peak District has the edge for a restful stay. Buxton has thermal springs, a spa in its Georgian Crescent and free spring water at St Ann's Well, and there are country-house spas and quiet villages midweek.

Cornwall has spa hotels above the beaches at Watergate Bay and St Mawes, and wood-fired saunas followed by cold sea swims. Its calm is real in spring and autumn, but the summer peak takes much of it away.