Derbyshire needs your vote
In this love letter to Derbyshire, Oliver Astley says the nation owes Derbyshire a debt of gratitude as he makes the case for the county to be named the UK’s Favourite Place
DERBY and Derbyshire are gifts to the world that keep on giving and there is no better place to live in the UK. A city centre with lots of hidden gems comfortably nestled close to some of the nation’s most beautiful countryside.
What more could you ask for? You’ve got city living a short drive or slightly less short bike ride to the Peak District.
So great is Derby and the surrounding county that locals have been discussing setting up an independent city state dubbed The People’s Republic of Derbados.
Independence from the UK, it’s thought, would allow Derby and surrounds to flourish, blooming with ideas, culture, art and all manner of innovation.
It could forge a new Renaissance, like the one in medieval Florence only better, with modern sanitation and strong wi-fi. You may scoff but the city has an unrivalled track record of innovation.
Every public park in every city in the world owes a debt to Derby which had the first, with Derby Arboretum opening in 1840. You’re welcome.
Derbyshire is home to Thorntons, which produces the chocolates you love and the Nestlé factory that produces enough coffee for four million cups a day, without which much of the world would grind to a halt.
And just outside the city is the factory that makes the Toyota Corolla E210, as of 2020, the world’s best selling car.
Indeed, Derby was home to the world’s first factory and later the cradle of the Industrial Revolution and along the pretty banks of the River Derwent can be seen beautiful brick mill buildings punctuating the greenery as visitors head north into Derbyshire.
Derbyshire has a large number of stately homes, including Chatsworth, the stately home that makes most other stately homes look like ill-maintained semis.
In fact, Derbyshire has the highest concentration of stately homes in the UK and there’s a reason for that. It’s because most of it is so gorgeous.
The Peak District National Park is an area of outstanding natural beauty to rival any location in the world.
Scotland has impressive hills and mountains but a far lower concentration of tea shops and Derbyshire is the home of Bakewell tart, the delicacy invented in the picturesque town of, well, yes, you guessed it, Bakewell. In many ways the Peak District is also superior to the Alps, both French and Swiss.
It’s much cheaper for a start and much better for walking or hiking because hills are more manageable than those whopping great mountains so you can take your nan.
And try getting a decent cup of tea and a cob in Chamonix.
Okay, fair play, we are landlocked but still have some great places to swim around Derbyshire as we’re slap bang in the middle of the country so you can get pretty much anywhere without too much trouble.
And remember, if you do fancy holidaying abroad, it’s largely thanks to Derby’s engineers at Rolls-Royce and other firms that the aircraft taking you on holiday does not plummet to the ground. Once again, you’re welcome.
Yes, the more you know and understand about Derby and Derbyshire, the more you will come to love the whole area and the better you know the place, the more you’ll love it.
We even have one of the UK’s finest Japanese restaurants if you know where to look, just one of our many hidden gems.
Yes, Derby and Derbyshire are gifts to the world that keep on giving.
Scotland has impressive hills and mountains but a far lower concentration of tea shops!