ROSEMARY AND SAGE
A quarterly round up of what’s trending: Dream Escape’s Head of Guiding, Rosie Peattie and resident fount of knowledge, Sally Strange, both Blue Badge Guides, have been out and about, and here are some of their highlights...
Dream Escape's Head of Guiding, Rosie Peattie and resident fount of knowledge Sally Strange, both Blue Badge Guides, recommend some fantastic experiences ◆
EXPLORING STATELY HOMES IN THE PEAK DISTRICT AND DERBYSHIRE
Some of England's most prestigious stately homes are in the beautiful Peak District and Derbyshire. The jewel in the crown is unquestionably Chatsworth House, home to The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. But there is also the greatest prodigy house in England, Hardwick Hall, and Haddon Hall just a few miles down the road.
Did you know? A local rhyming couplet, ‘Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall', refers to the architectural wonder of this property, when glass was the most expensive of commodities in England.◆
ESCAPING TO THE NEWT'S GREAT GARDEN IN SOMERSET
Renowned as a country house hotel and estate in Somerset, The Newt's latest offering, ‘The Great Garden Escape' is a chance to experience their garden in all its many forms, their cuisine and their cyder. We loved taking expert-led walking tours through the woods, the Victorian fragrance garden, and the cottage garden inspired by Gertrude Jekyll. We also got to enjoy The Beezantium, a place to marvel at the working life of the bee. And just in case we felt a little nostalgic upon leaving, we were sent home with a packet of seeds with which to plant our very own arcadia.
Did you know? The Newt grow 70 different varieties of bittersweet and Somerset apples across their 65-acre orchard, which is planted in a ‘traditional' style, similar to that enjoyed in the Georgian era by early custodians of the estate.◆
Sally Strange, Blue Badge Guide sally@dreamescape.co.uk
CASTLE-SPOTTING IN SCOTLAND
A summer of visiting Scottish castles, palaces and stately homes with family and friends was just the ticket this year. Scotland really does offer a fantastic array of activities for children at all of the properties we visited as well. My grandchildren and I have a shortlist of many favourites: Floors Castle and Traquair House in the Borders; Balmoral Castle, Crathes Castle and Craigievar Castle in Royal Deeside/Highlands; and Falkland Palace in Fife; to name but a few. You don't necessarily need to be a lover of 16th-century architecture to appreciate a visit, either. Anyone with a passing interest in history, royalty, beautiful gardens, or even ghosts (Craigievar Castle is said to be haunted by the ghost of a fiddler who drowned in the castle well) will get a kick out of castles in Scotland.
Did you know? Floors Castle is the largest inhabited home in Scotland, and Traquair House is the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland
◆ Rosie Peattie, Head of Guiding and Blue Badge Guide rosie@dreamescape.co.uk