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Bank Holiday weekend in the Peak District?

Are you in the Peak District for the Whitsun Bank Holiday weekend. There’s more going on than you’ll have time for!

Crich Tramway Village

crich tramway village
Go to the seaside at Crich Tramway Village

If you have come to Derbyshire (one of the most inland counties) but are missing the seaside then head to Crich Tramway Village. The village will be turned into a seaside resort with a beach deckchairs, buckets and spades, a fun fair and lots of lots of icecream! With temperatures set to rise for the weekend, it’s going to be a hit with all. Crich is also dog-friendly and accessible for the less able.

Buxton Pavilion Gardens

Despite the repair works currently going on, Buxton Pavilion Gardens will still be hosting its annual Bank Holiday Spring Spectacular. There’ll be stalls, food and drink, face painting, music, dancing and children’s entertainment

Monyash

If you fancy a smaller, more ‘country’ affair then head to Monyash on Monday for their village green market. Stalls and activities to raise money for several good causes.

Tissington Well Dressing

preparation of the well dressing
Preparing the well-dressing

Tissington village traditionally kicks off well-dressing season. Six wells around the village will be ‘dressed’ and blessed on 25th May. They will then remain in place for about a week afterward. We’d recommend taking time out to see this Derbyshire custom. Read more about well-dressing.

Hartington Festival of Talents

If having a go is more your thing then Hartington Festival of Talents is the place to go at the weekend; bell ring, clog dancing, cheese making, dry stone walling, patchwork, to name a few

Lyme – the Regency Years

Lyme Park as Pemberley

Lyme across the lake
The iconic view of Lyme

Lyme Park has become synonymous with Pemberley, the family home of The Darcys, as depicted in the BBCs adaption of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. As well as seeing for yourself that amazing view of the house across the lake, there is so much more to see and do at Lyme Park.

Thomas Legh

For 2017, the story of Lyme Park is being told through the eyes of Thomas Legh who lived at Lyme in the first half of the 19th century, the Regency period. Although born illegitimate, Thomas inherited the estate aged just 5.

The wealth he inherited allowed him to travel and he became one of the first Europeans to travel on the Nile. He visited many parts of the middle East and returned with lots of souvenirs of his travels.

He also used his wealth to comprehensively renovate and restore Lyme to what we see, largely, today

It appears that he was also a bit of romantic hero, saving the reputation of a local heiress by marrying her. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t end happily as she later died in childbirth.

dining table at lyme
The Dining Room

Lyme Park in 2017

With strong associations between Lyme Park and Jane Austen’s hero, Mr Darcy, it seems only right to mark the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death in 2017 and celebrate all things Regency!

ladies wearing regency costume
Dressing up in Regency costume

You are able to dress up in the costume of the time, tour the house and gardens and really imagine what it might have been like to live in that period of history.

During the summer holidays, Thomas Legh’s travels will be brought to life in Lego. There’ll be models of the places that he visited such as Petra and the Egyptian pyramids as well as space and Lego in the gardens to build your own creations.

Other activities

If you fancy a run or jog in beautiful parkland then Lyme have regular events where you can meet up with other like-minded individuals. There are also have a number of cycle routes that cross the park.

As well as the Lego during the summer, there is also a great children’s play area, a stream running through the park that they can splash in (take wellies) and a children’s trail available.

the long gallery at lyme
The Long Gallery

 

Lyme Park is just 20 miles from Hayloft and Byre Cottages, 16 miles from Cliffe Cottage and 30 miles from Jasmine Cottage.

National Trust website for more information

RHS Chatsworth 7-11 June 2017

2017 will be the year of the inaugural RHS Chatsworth flower show and there is a lot of local excitement about this new and prestigious event.

RHS Chatsworth June 2017Joseph Paxton was appointed head gardener at Chatsworth in 1826 by the 6th Duke of Devonshire. He proved to be the most innovative garden designer of that era and his influence on Chatsworth remains visible today.

Championing innovation is one of the themes that the RHS will be bringing to their new show to be hosted by Chatsworth from 2017.

Design revolutionaries and the unconventional will also be featured alongside traditional gardens at Chatsworth next June. The show ground will built either side of, and encompass, the river. There will be an interpretation of the Great Conservatory.

There will be design-led shopping opportunities, artisan food and many local businesses represented.

Not forgetting the younger visitors, there will be an outdoor classroom and the opportunity to have a go at well-dressing, a uniquely Derbyshire custom.

For a taster of what’s to come at this exciting new annual event for The Peak District;

Tickets are available now at rhs.org.uk/chatsworth

“Be part of something amazing”

Chatsworth is 10 miles away from Hayloft and Byre Cottages, 9 miles from Jasmine Cottage in Winster and 15 miles from Cliffe Cottage in Castleton

It’s not all about old trams

“It’s not all about old trams”
That was the introduction on a recent visit to Crich Tramway Village. And they are right. Whilst there is a lot to see if you are engineering minded there is also lots to see and do if you are not!

History and background

Crich Tramway Village tram
The tramways had been declining for decades but enthusiasts around the country had made sure that at least some trams were kept from the scrap yards. But what to do with all these old trams accumulating around the country?
Crich Tramway Village came about after a chance encounter by a tram enthusiast at the site of a disused limestone quarry in the heart of Derbyshire. The quarry, owned by the Stephenson family (of “Stephenson’s Rocket” fame) had its own narrow gauge track that had been used to transport quarried limestone to Ambergate for onward transportation. With the demise of the quarry shortly after the second world war, the family sold the track to a company in Wales. One of the engineers who came to dismantle the track saw the potential, a mile of track was saved at Crich and the Village was born.

So what is at Crich?

The Red Lion pub at Crich Tramway Village

  • A mile of track that a few of the operational trams trundle up and down, giving the visitors a glimpse of what travelling around by tram might have been like in their heyday
  • A fleet of 70 trams, of which 30 are operational
  • Internationally renown workshops that you can overlook. See trams being rebuilt and serviced
  • Exhibition areas
  • Half a mile of woodland walk (no trams at all) complete with fantastical wooden sculpturesCrich Tramway Village woodland walk
  • A new adventure playground and indoor soft play area
  • The opportunity to have a pie and pint lunch in the Red Lion pub, a tea room and ice cream parlour

Crich is both dog and family friendly. They also have one tram that is fully accessible by wheelchair.

Crich Tramway Village workshopWatch out for special events during the 2016 season including a full week of 1940s nostalgia in August.

Crich Tramway website

A Walk in the Park

walkintheparkDespite the continual stream of storms that seem to be lashing our shores at the moment we are looking forward to the summer. The Peak District National Park have, for the first time, organised a fund raiser to support the maintenance of the traffic free trails that criss-cross the National Park.

The trails

There are 34 miles on 4 distinct trails in the National Park; Monsal Trail; Tissington Trail; High Peak Trail; and Thornhill Trail.
The four separate trails were all former railway lines so all provide excellent recreational and accessible routes through the countryside for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. There are some breathtaking views from parts of the trails, tunnels that bypass the hills and numerous information points that show the history, geology and natural history of the trails.

Each metre of trail costs £5 to maintain. Maintaining the structures, bridges and tunnels along the trail is an additional cost, another £2.5m over the next six years! With decreasing central government funding the National Park Authority have organised a fabulous weekend fund raiser.

walkintheparkOn weekend of the 19-21 August there will be lots of fun family friendly activities taking place in Bakewell. On Saturday 20 August there will a choice of three great evening walks which you can register to take part in. The registration fee and any sponsorship that you raise will be used in the maintenance of these much-loved trails

 

Eyam Hall at Christmas

Visiting Eyam Hall at Christmas is a truly lovely experience.  A Jacobean style manor built and lived in by the Wright family for nine generations.  After the owners decision to retire some years ago the National Trust have leased and run this fascinating property.

Entrance Hall

Eyam is famous for its role in the late 17th-century plague where the villagers quarantined themselves in order to stop the deadly disease spreading. The Hall was built just a few years later so you’ll find no mention of the plague at the Hall. The Hall has been adapted, modernised and renovated over the years to accommodate the families needs. The underlying spirit of the Hall remains undiminished however, and it requires little imagination to transport yourself back across the years.

Dining Room

Some of the Hall’s residents and visitors could not resist leaving their marks by way of etching poetry on the window panes. I’m not sure what we should make of such “graffiti” today!

On a guided tour you will hear the stories of the etchings, how the Hall almost left the family and how, by chance, it came back to the correct lineage. You will see a fabulous collection of furniture, family portraits and artefacts, all of which seem to have a story attached.

Kitchen

The Hall is open from 2nd December until the 20th December and is beautifully decorated with Christmas decorations from different eras. The Hall will then be closed for winter maintenance and re-opened in mid-February 2016

Visit the Eyam Hall website here