The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
into a sickly tart with a cherry on top. Treat yourself to the real thing: a jam-filled pastry with an almond filling, at The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop (01629 812193; bakewell puddingshop.co.uk) or one of its rivals.
You’ll inevitably feel the need to walk off that number of calories. Fortunately, Bakewell is full of outdoor shops: Rohan, Brocklehursts and stylish Orvis, which will kit you out for a ramble or a scramble in the Peak District National Park which starts on the doorstep.
If you’re looking for something a little more low-key, Bakewell itself will give you a workout. One of Britain’s loveliest old market towns, it has picture-book houses built of honey-coloured stone that climb away from the river to the Old House Museum (oldhouse museum.org.uk; £5 for adults, £2.50 for children 5-16), an Elizabethan gentleman’s residence that tells the town’s history through room sets which you can wander around
for a good hour or so.
WHAT DELIGHT! WHAT FELICITY!
If you’re keen to find out why Elizabeth Bennet preferred the company of rocks and mountains to young men, hop on an electric bicycle and ride the Monsal Trail. Monsal Trail Cycle Hire (monsaltrail.co.uk; £22 for four hours) at Hassop Station has the latest Raleigh model that will power you along the old Midland Railway line from Bakewell to Wyedale at 15mph with only a little help from your legs.
The 10-mile trail runs along spectacular viaducts, eerie tunnels and limestone cuttings filled with wildflowers and birdsong. Storyboards tell of Georgian mill owners who recruited child labour from London orphanages to work 16-hour days in the riverside cotton factories.
Once you’re feeling confident, hit “turbo” and climb effortlessly up a steep hill on the A6 for a bird’s-eye view over the Wye valley while barely breaking a sweat. Cruise back down to meet the trail again at Millers Dale.
IS IT ALL 18TH-CENTURY STUFFINESS?
Over the hill lies Chatsworth House: a bold statement by the wealthy Dukes of Devonshire. But this isn’t just another stately home filled with fusty old things. Aside from Antonio Canova’s The Sleeping Endymion, modern works of art pull you up at every turn, from Damien Hirst’s St Bartholomew to a giant pink stiletto in the garden. The audio guide is a must to get the picture here, as is the buggy tour of the showstopping gardens. If you’ve enough puff, walk up past the farmyard to the Hunting Tower for a panoramic view over a hopefully sunlit moor and dale (chatsworth.org; £23 for adults; £14.50 for children 4-16).
If you are an avid fan of English history, you can discover the origins of phrases such as “upper crust” and “on the dole”, plus many more in the room commentaries of Haddon Hall, the family home of Lord Edward Manners.
This jewel of a fortified manor was shut up for almost 300 years and you can tangibly feel the pulse of history in its medieval banqueting hall, Tudor kitchen and Long Gallery.
So it comes as no surprise that Haddon has often stolen the limelight in period blockbusters, from
Elizabeth and The Other Boleyn Girl to Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice. Its The Chatsworth Estate runs a summer schedule of walks, workshops and tours which need prebooking: chatsworth.org/ events. See visitpeak district.com or download the Peak Explorer app. terraced gardens are equally ancient and newly planted by Chelsea darling, Arne Maynard. The exquisite scent of roses and herbs makes it the perfect place to while away a warm summer’s afternoon (haddonhall.co.uk; £15.75 for adults, children under 16 free).
TALKING OF HERBS, WHAT’S FOR DINNER?
The Hassop Station Café runs a good kitchen with sandwiches, sharing platters, jacket potatoes and stews (hassopstation.co.uk/cafe; from £4.95).
For a special dinner, it’s a tough choice between Fischer’s, which has held a Michelin star for two generations (fischersbaslowhall.co.uk; £64.50 for two courses) and The Peacock at Rowsley, which offers modern British cooking at its best in an Elizabethan inn (thepeacockatrowsley. com; mains from £28). On the way home drop into the award-winning Chatsworth Farm Shop in Pilsley to taste the estate’s produce. Derbyshire’s
floral Well Dressings are said to date back to Roman times
TOO FULL TO GO ON
You’re spoilt for choice around Chatsworth when it comes to places to sleep off all that local produce. The Devonshire Arms is a handy base in the quiet village of Pilsley. Rooms are very comfortable with modern bathrooms, a good traditional pub menu and friendly helpful staff (telegraph.co.uk/tt-the-devonshirearms; double rooms from £99 including breakfast). Alternatively, trade up to Fischer’s Baslow Hall (telegraph.co.uk/tt-Fischers-BaslowHall; doubles from £260 including breakfast) or The Peacock in Rowsley (telegraph.co.uk/tt-the-peacock-atrowsley-hotel; doubles from £205 including breakfast). Prefer to self-cater? Try a renovated estate cottage (chatsworth cottages.co.uk; from £309 for a three-night stay in summer; sleeps two–12).