Chesterfield - Photo by Edward Rokita

Scene of one of the biggest outdoor markets in the country, bustling Chesterfield was first granted a charter in 1204 by King John. An important attraction is its famous crooked spire on St Mary and All Saints Church. Legend has it that this crookedness was either the work of the Devil or possibly lightning. The truth is far more mundane - the 228ft wooden spire, which leans by more than nine feet, is covered in no less than 32 tons of lead. The great railway pioneer George Stephenson spent his final years in Chesterfield and is commemorated in the Stephenson Memorial Hall.