Peak District or Scottish Highlands?

The Peak District is in the middle of England, far from the sea, so the nearest thing to a swim is Hathersage's heated outdoor pool or a dip in a river in the limestone dales. The Highlands at least have the sand: Morar, Arisaig, Achmelvich and Sandwood Bay are among the most beautiful beaches in Europe.

The Highland sea stays cold all summer, though, so beach days there mean picnics, rock pools and a quick, bracing dip, often in a wetsuit. Neither region is a place for long hours in the water.

Both regions eat mostly in pubs and hotel bars, but the Highlands have better produce to plan a trip around. There are langoustines, scallops and oysters on the quays at Oban, Ullapool and Portree, venison from the hills, and whisky tastings at the distilleries.

The Peak District's pleasures are smaller and homelier: a pub dinner with local ale after a walk, Bakewell pudding, Hartington cheese and the farm shops around Chatsworth. In both regions, a village evening may offer only one or two places to eat, so book ahead on summer weekends.

The Peak District fits more sights into a short drive. Chatsworth's art collection and parkland, medieval Haddon Hall, Buxton's Crescent, Eyam's plague story and Arkwright's mills at Cromford make several days of varied sightseeing, and the villages dress their wells with flower pictures in summer.

The Highlands have powerful sites, among them Culloden, Urquhart Castle above Loch Ness and Eilean Donan, but they lie far apart, and Inverness has no historic centre to spend time in. Much of the history there, from Glencoe to the abandoned Clearance townships, is read in the landscape rather than seen in buildings.

Neither region is a place for a night out, and in both the evening usually ends in a pub by the fire. The Highlands have a little more going on, with late bars by the river in Inverness and walkers' pubs in Fort William, Aviemore and Portree, often with a folk session. The Peak's few later bars are in Buxton and Matlock, and anyone who wants more heads to Sheffield or Manchester.

Both are superb walking country, but the Highlands are on another scale. Ben Nevis, Glencoe, the Cuillin on Skye, Torridon and the Cairngorm plateau are real mountains. The region adds sea kayaking, mountain biking, winter skiing and wildlife the Peak cannot match: eagles, otters, dolphins off Chanonry Point and whales off the west coast.

The Peak District is hill country below 640m, but very good hill country, with Kinder Scout's moorland, gritstone edges such as Stanage that draw climbers, and the green limestone dales. Its walks are shorter and easier to reach, and the flat railway trails suit cyclists of any ability.

The Peak District sits between big cities, which gives it far more variety. Manchester and Sheffield are an easy train ride away, Derby, Nottingham and the Potteries are close, and Hardwick Hall, Bolsover Castle and Kedleston Hall lie just outside the park.

Highland outings are more scenic but slower. You can take the ferry from Oban to Mull and Iona, the steam train over the Glenfinnan Viaduct, a tour of the Speyside distilleries or a long run to Skye. Single-track roads stretch every journey, and the places you reach are small towns rather than cities.

The Peak District makes family days far simpler. Castleton's caverns, the cable car up to the Heights of Abraham, Crich's trams and Chatsworth's farmyard and adventure playground are all within short drives, with Alton Towers close by to the south.

The Highlands suit outdoor families best, with the Aviemore area's wildlife park and reindeer herd, the Glenfinnan steam train and rock pools on the west coast. Long drives, midges and rain make it harder work with small children.

Neither is easy without a car, but in the Peak District it is possible. The Hope Valley line stops at Edale, Hope and Hathersage, and branch lines run to Buxton and Matlock, so a walk can start from the station platform. The downside is crowded roads and full car parks at Castleton and Bakewell on sunny weekends.

In the Highlands, scenic railways reach Fort William, Mallaig and Kyle of Lochalsh, but not the trailheads or beaches. Much of the west and north runs on single-track roads with passing places, and island ferries need booking in summer.

Shopping is a small part of either trip, and neither has fashion or luxury shops. The difference is in what you bring home. In the Peak there is Blue John jewellery from Castleton, antiques in Ashbourne and Leek, and climbing gear in Hathersage. In the Highlands there is tweed, knitwear and tartan, whisky from the distillery, and pottery from craft studios on Skye.

The Peak District is the cheaper of the two, though neither is a bargain. Its hills are free to walk, hostels and campsites are spread across the park, and short distances keep fuel costs down. Entry to the stately homes and caves soon adds up for a family.

The Highlands cost more in season, because rooms on Skye, around Glencoe and along the northern coastal route are scarce and sell out early, and car hire, fuel and remote shops push the bill up. Bothies and campsites help, and spring and autumn are noticeably cheaper.

The two offer about the same amount, but in different forms. The Peak's stage is Buxton, with Frank Matcham's Edwardian Opera House and a July festival of opera and classical music, plus folk sessions in village pubs and summer concerts at the great houses.

Highland music is traditional and lives in pubs and village halls: fiddle and pipe sessions, ceilidhs where visitors learn the reels, Gaelic song in the west and pipe bands at summer Highland games. The theatre in Inverness hosts touring drama and dance, but classical music is rare.

The Peak District has a real spa tradition built on Buxton's warm mineral springs. There is a thermal spa in the Georgian Crescent, free spring water at St Ann's Well and country-house spas across the dales, and the stone villages are restful midweek.

The Highlands offer a different kind of rest: a remote cottage, long summer evenings and near silence, with cold dips in lochs and the sea for those who enjoy them. Spa treatments are limited to a handful of country-house hotels.