Although I’ve been to Chatsworth House once before – a scary amount of years ago – I’ve never been to their Christmas event and my friend suggested that we should do so for our annual Christmas trip. This year’s theme was The Enchanted Garden, focusing on the beauty and magic of the country in winter which included some interesting projections of fairies throughout the house, as well as beautifully decorated rooms and lots of Christmas trees.
I recently decided to take a trip out to Chesterfield in Derbyshire to visit the Christmas Tree Festival at Chesterfield Parish Church, often also known as the Crooked Spire Church, for obvious reasons. I’ve never actually been to the town before even though it’s a direct 35 minute train ride from Nottingham but I’m very glad I made the trip. I’ll get on to the history of the church later, but firstly the Festival. It finished on the 30th of November and was free but there were donation buckets dotted around (I donated some money but also bought a few things in the gift shop).
Carsington Water, located between Wirksworth and Kniveton in Derbyshire, is a reservoir operated by Severn Trent Water. It’s definitely somewhere you could spend the whole day though we only went on a short walk around part of the grounds on this trip; there is a parking charge which you pay on the way out otherwise the site is free to visit. There were lots of trails towards the water we explored though do be mindful of important safety notices and don’t enter the water unless at a designated spot (the site has an Activity Centre with a watersports facility for sailing, canoeing etc. as well as for the hiring of bikes).
The Heights of Abraham in Matlock Bath has been on my to do list for a long time and I finally decided to go while we were having some sunny weather. As I travelled by train I was able to use my train ticket to get a 20% discount on the entrance price and the cable car station (yes, you can travel by cable car up to the Heights) is only a short walk away from Matlock Bath Railway Station.
Please note photos have been removed due to lack of hosting space.
Last month we headed to Calke Abbey in Derbyshire as the farm there was inviting people to come and see the newborn lambs from Calke’s rare breed of Portland sheep. We had been planning on going the previous weekend but had to postpone because of the snow, luckily this time it was dry and fairly warm and it was finally starting to look like spring. There were plenty of lambs and sheep outside and in the barn where we arrived just seconds after one of the lambs was born.
Please note photos have been removed due to lack of hosting space.
I’ve been to Hardwick Hall before, to visit the gardens and take in one of the walks around the grounds, but on this occasion we went into the hall itself. Bess of Hardwick created the hall in the 1500s and it was renowned for being more glass than wall, making it at the time a very expensive proposition.
Please note photos have been removed due to lack of hosting space.
Stanton Moor Edge is part of the Peak District in Derbyshire that is, as you can tell by its name, to the edge of Stanton Moor and under the care of the National Trust. Here you can find many natural sandstone rocks and see some fantastic views of the surrounding countryside as well as the intriguing Earl Grey Tower.
Please note photos have been removed due to lack of hosting space.
Stanton Moor is an area of the Peak District in Derbyshire not far from Matlock and site of the Nine Ladies Stone Circle, dating from the Bronze Age. The moor has been used for thousands of years for ceremonies, farming and quarrying.
Please note photos have been removed due to lack of hosting space.
Stainsby Mill is a 19th century flour mill, still in working order, which is in the care of the National Trust and we visited it on our way to Hardwick Hall which is nearby (and which will feature in a later post).
Please note photos have been removed due to lack of hosting space.
Derby Cathedral, or the Cathedral of All Saints, became a cathedral in 1927 with much of the current building dating from around 1725 and having been designed by James Gibbs, who also designed St Martin-in-the-Fields. There has been a church on the site however dating back to around 943.
Louise Jayne's Blog 