What's on now:

Chatsworth What's on generally

Planning your visit

What's on in the gardens

Attractions

Celebrating Deborah Devonshire - 14 March to 31 October 2010

Chatsworth Country Fair Fri 3, Sat 4 and Sun 5 September

Autumn Plant Sale, Chatsworth, Sun 12 Sept 2010

Beyond Limits sculpture Exhibition, Chatsworth 13 Sept-31 Oct 2010

Afternoon tea in the Cavendish Rooms

 

Well dressings

Advance Warning:

Dates for 2011

Buxton Festival 9 - 27 July

 

What else to do?

There is so much choice. it can be bewildering.

When you get here you will find plenty of information in your holiday cottage.

You will also find a current copy of Derbyshire Life, and the local newspaper. These are both always full of useful information about what’s on.

A new venture for us - you will now also find a little Sony Netbook for your use, already programmed with a number of useful local websites on the Favourites Bar. This will mean you can research what to do, also book restaurants and the theatre online if you want to.

However, half the fun of going away is in the planning ahead, so look below for one or two tips and useful links:

It does even, occasionally, rain so if you are of the pessimistic sort, have alook at our rainy day suggestions

 

Local Info

Probably the best advice is to look up visitpeakdistrict for more information about the area, walks, attractions and current local events.

www.visitpeakdistrict.com

 

Another good tip is to look up Peak District Online's page Things to do in the Peak District

 

Yet another suggestion is the Cressbrook site Peak District Outdoors

 

Walking

For a useful list of walking, cycling and other local activities click here

Some local walks from the door....

www.bootsnbikes.co.uk

 

Some Peak District walks to choose from Peak District Online site

For information on guided walks in Derbyshire and the Peak District see Sally Mosley's Guided Walks website

 

Cycling

You will find masses of info and routes on the Peak District Online Cycling the Peak District page

and also Visit Peak District Cycling

 

Carsington Water

For information on Carsington Water....

www.carsingtonwater.com

 

Chatsworth

For information on Chatsworth House and the Chatsworth Farm Shop

www.chatsworth.org

 

Chatsworth is staging a special exhibition - all year - to mark the 90th birthday of the Dowager Duchess.

 

Local Food

Farmers' Markets

 

Local food and Drink produced in the Peak District

 

Chatsworth Farm Shop

 

 

Theatre and Cinema

Buxton Opera House?

What's on at Buxton Opera House?

 

 

The cinema?

What's on at the cinemas in Derby?

 

 

 

The famous bookshop Scarthins in Cromford

www.scarthinbooks.com

For the latest Farmer's market venues and dates...

www.peakdistrictfoods.co.uk

 

For information on Buxton Opera House click here to go to their web site

www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk

Buxton Opera House:What's on?

 

Annual Events over for 2010...

Ashbourne Shrovetide Football Tues 16 and Wed 17 Feb

About the Chatsworth Horse Trials 15-16 May

Tissington well Dressing 13-19 May

Buxton Festival 7-25 July

Bakewell Show Wed 4 - Thurs 5 August (with some horse events on Tues 3 Aug)

Gilbert and Sullivan Festival 31st July to 21st August

Manifold Show   Sat 14 August

Ashbourne Show Sat 21 August

Out and About

Wonderful walks in the Peak Park countryside, sightseeing, excellent Peak District food - there is so much to see, do and enjoy if you can tear yourself away from the relaxing peace and comfort of your holiday cottage

Other Nearby Big Houses, click on their links below for further information.

Haddon Hall

 

Hardwick Hall

 

Sudbury Hall

 

Kedleston Hall

 

Calke Abbey

 

Tissington Hall June 2010

Not counting the three somewhat more modest halls actually in Parwich (most villages only boast one!) the nearest to us is Tissington Hall, 2 miles on foot over the hills, or ten minutes by car if you like the thrill of fording the stream at Bradbourne Mill (don’t risk it if the water is above the 1’ mark on the white post) or twice as long going via the A515.

Tissington is a charming estate village, owned by the FitzHerbert family since Elizabethan times, and is well worth a visit. The hall and gardens are not open every day, but well worth a visit when they are; meanwhile you get a good view of the hall from the road. You can also buy charming knick knacks in the village, homemade candles at Annie’s, and meat from the Tissington butchers (see the food section!).

 

Smaller Houses, click on their links below for further information.

Eyam Hall ( ‘Plague Village’)

 

Tissington Hall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
'The Good Samaritan' - a Tissington well-dressing May 2009

A Tissington Well Dressing May 2009

It is hardly surprising that there are many beautiful GARDENS in this already beautiful area, some belonging to the big houses such as Chatsworth, Haddon, Renishaw Hall in the north and Melbourne Hall in the south of the county. Lea Gardens nearer home are a delight in the Azalea and Rhododendron season. Many nearby gardens are in the Derbyshire or Staffordshire National Garden Scheme yellow book (there is a copy in each barn). Derbyshire Life (there will always be a current copy in your barn) always supplies a list of those gardens open each month. There are masses of garden centres if you would like to buy a plant for your garden as a living memory of a happy holiday in Derbyshire.

Most of the local villages have Open Garden days in the summer. In 2011 wem would guess that Parwich’s will be on Sunday 26th June at the beginning of our Wakes Week: there are a lot of lovely gardens in the village, many quite hidden from the road and therefore full of surprises even for locals. Well dressings are another treat. They are almost unique to Derbyshire; throughout the summer there is usually one to be visited somewhere. Our nearest is Tissington, which is always on Ascension Day, usually towards the middle or end of May depending on the church calendar. (You will find a list of well dressing dates in your barn, or on www.visitpeakdistrict.com.)

 

Arkwright Mill - the Induistrial Revolution started right next door to our lovely rural part of the woprld!

Arkwright Mill

If you are hankering after something possibly slightly more historic, people having been living in the Peak District for over 12,000 years, give or take a century or two, leaving tantalizing snippets of evidence – rock paintings at Creswell Crags an hour away, and much nearer home the stone circles at Arbor Low and the ‘Nine Ladies’ at Stanton Moor, near Birchover. Later the Romans were around, and amongst other things developed lead mining which reached its peak in the mid 18C, with Wirksworth at the centre. In the hillsides between us and Brassington there are still many tell-tale humps and hollows where lead workings used to be. Cromford, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution (where history lessons about Arkwright, Hargreaves etc suddenly come alive) is less than 15 minutes’ drive away. There are also plenty of MUSEUMS: industrial, trains, trams, mining, and an interesting stone centre near Wirksworth.

If SHOPPING is an important part of a holiday, there is plenty of scope, from the ANTIQUE SHOPS of Bakewell and Ashbourne (there are always fascinating things in the window of Spurrier-Smith’s magnificent treasure trove in Ashbourne) to the factory outlet shops in Belper, Matlock Bath and Rowsley. There are ART GALLERIES in nearly every town – the St John Street Art Gallery in Ashbourne has a constantly changing display of sculptures and pictures, including often those of Parwich’s Lewis Noble and Ruby Hickmott, both of whom have painted pictures now hanging in Douglas’s Barn… One can spend hours (we have) trawling the shelves in Scarthins’ second hand BOOKSHOP in Cromford shopping, stopping off every so often for a delicious snack in their tiny restaurant. Brierlow Bookshop - one of the largest discount bookstores in the country apparently - on the way (A515) to Buxton is a mecca for book lovers.

Janet Gosling, landlady of the Sycamore, our local pub, now runs a small shop in what used to be the dining room, so we can all buy necessities locally. We also have newspapers delivered so if you let us know in advance we can ensure your favourite paper is here in time for you to read over a leisurely breakfast before you start your day. Milk is still delivered (every other day) and see below for other good shopping tips. Don't forget that we always provide the basic store cupboard necessities. You shouldn’t need a supermarket, but if you must, there is a Marks and Spencer's food store, a Waitrose 'convenience store' and a Sainsbury’s in Ashbourne and a Waitrose in Buxton. The Waitrose 'convenience store' in Ashbourne is perfect for stocking up little extras, not so good for bulk buying!

If you want to make life as easy as possible, with some forward planning, Waitrose www.waitrosedeliver.com will deliver here, DE6 1QB, free of charge if you spend over £50. If you place an order to arrive early Friday afternoon we can put it all away for you in your barn before you arrive. Please let us know in advance.

You can also order organic veg, fruit, meat and dairy products - and more - from the local Riverford Stockley (the Cheshire section of the famous Riverford Farm organic set up. They deliver here on Fridays mornings; we can take your order in, keep it refrigerated and put it in your barn to await your arrival as we do for Waitrose orders. First choose online what you would like,  but one-off orders need to be made by telephone to the Hopgoods, 0121 661 6446. Explain you are staying here at Orchard Farm and would like your food delivered with ours on the Thursday before you arrive. You can pay by card over the phone, or send a cheque.

Most towns have a weekly market and Farmers’ Markets are held regularly. Probably the best known locally is Bakewell on the last Saturday of the month; we have been asked to let you know that Wirksworth Farmers' Market is held outside the Memorial Hall in the centre of town on the first Saturday of every month with 'a wonderful array of fresh produce, crafts and music and other events on that day'. It starts about 9am and goes on until about 2pm. We will try it ourselves soon. Meanwhile, for a comprehensive list of all the markets and local food shops, look at Derbyshire UK Guide to Derbyshire and the Peak District. It is worth noting that the George at Alstonefield now has a well-stocked farm shop behind the pub (it would be easy to miss it, but a great shame!).

There are many specialist FOOD SHOPS in the area, including the Chatsworth Farm Shop mentioned earlier. Ashbourne, proud to be a ‘Fairtrade town’ has several: H. Smith on Compton is a wonderfully old-fashioned grocer’s, with a delicatessen section and some very super wines. Patrick and Brooksbank, situated in the market place, is another delicatessen, they have a wonderful supply of exotic cheeses, pates, pastas and chocolates, and a tempting supply of homemade frozen meals, perfect if you don’t feel like cooking after a busy day out. In Bakewell there are various Bakewell Pudding shops, all claiming to produce the one and only authentic pudding.

There are two excellent butchers in Ashbourne – Peaches in the Market Place, and Nigel’s down Compton; the White Peak Butchers in Tissington is a not-to-be-missed delight. Their bacon is wonderful: it really fries – rather than stewing in a scummy liquid. Many of our guests walk over the hills to buy their bacon for a breakfast treat. Thery are open 8-5 Tuesday to Friday and 8-4 on Saturdays. If you find yourself near Stoney Middleton you simply must try some meat from John Hancock’s butchers. John is a local farmer, and sells his own meat. His farm is immaculate, his animals beautifully looked after and his meat delicious. If you go to Eyam, the 'plague village' you will see that his family have been in the area a long time!

Image: Marion, Erica and Colin relaxing after a bracing walk to the Gate for lunch

Marion relaxing with friends at The Gate, Brassington

EATING. There are a lot of excellent pubs (many stocking real ales) and restaurants in the area, where one can enjoy good food. Chefs and owners move on from time to time but we try to keep up with the changing reputations and have a list of places we personally recommend. The Gate in Brassington (just under 3 miles away on foot over the hills or 10 minutes by road) is our very favourite pub; many if not most of our guests become equally smitten. The George at Alstonefield is a very close-run second favourite and very well worth a visit - the menu is very exciting and we enjoyed yet another delightful pub lunch the other day after walking up from Dovedale with some friends. The Druid at Birchover probably about 15 minutes away is worth a visit, as are Bramhall's (actually it is now called plain 'B') in Ashbourne, Fischer’s (seriously good with prices to match) and Rowley's both in Baslow (25 minutes). We were very happy with a recent meal at the Royal Oak at Hurdlow. By all accounts the Packhorse Inn at Crowdecote is not as good as it was but is improving again; the lovely scenery on the way there won't have changed, fortunately - that's a treat in itself. Two guests recently reported an excellent meal at the Peacock in Rowsley - apparently they have a good vegetarian menu too, and the Devonshire Arms at Beeley which in the interests of science we must soon visit! Meanwhile the reports are excellent food, and/but expensive.

Both Ashbourne and Bakewell have a good selection of CLOTHES SHOPS: Ideas in Ashbourne is ideal for the trendy and ultra slim person with a fat purse, and Bennett’s, a locally owned rather special ‘department store’, also in Ashbourne, has a lovely selection of clothes, bags and jewellery. It has a restaurant too, only open during shopping hours, on the top floor if it all gets too much for you. Young Ideas is a seriously trendy fashion shop for the beautifully young, slim and well-heeled!

Buxton Opera House is another delight within easy reach of Tom's Barn and Douglas's Barn

Buxton Opera House

Whilst on the self-indulgence theme, there are several opportunities to enjoy beauty treatment and massages, but a good tip is to book in at The Devonshire Spa in the famous Dome at Buxton. The stunning building was built by one of the Dukes of Devonshire to house and exercise his horses; more recently it used to be a hospital but now it houses the Buxton section of Derby University.

The old hydrotherapy baths have been turned into a wonderful spa with pool, steam and sauna rooms which Since spring 2007 has been opened to the public. Students run the spa and the more experienced ones provide very reasonably priced massages and beauty treatments. It is very well worth trying! (One can also opt for being used as a model for the novice students to practise on, supervised…!)

 

Then there are the POTTERIES less than an hour away, in Stoke (although the current uncertainty about the future of Wedgwood is certainly a worry); the seconds shops are a great source of very acceptable reduced prices presents to take home! The Denby Pottery shop has an enormous supply of perfect and seconds and magnificent Royal Crown Derby, in Derby, is well worth a visit.

Finally, we love going to the Buxton Opera House. There is something on practically all the time, from opera, ballet, Shakespeare to stand up comics and farce. In July the annual Buxton Festival takes place, an exciting literary and musical event. There are THEATRES in Derby, and Sheffield, Nottingham, Stoke, and even Stratford is well less than two hours away – very possible for a Thursday matinee if you don’t fancy driving back at night.

Comment from our Visitors’ Books

“We have had a fantastic week! This is by far the best place we have ever stayed in the UK.” August 2010

“It’s great to return after six years and find everything as wonderful as we remembered. We’ve had an action week of walking and cycling and have enjoyed returning to the peace and tranquillity of Orchard Farm and the comforts of Douglas’s Barn." June 2010

“After five visits leaving doesn’t get any easier! We’ve had such a fabulous time. Lovely good value meals at the Royal Oak, Hurdlow and the Coach and Horses, Fenny Bentley and beautiful walks along Dovedale and around Tissington. We recommend White Peak butchers at Tissington and the delicious cakes upstairs at the Carsington Visitors’ Centre.” Feb 2010

“...Sampled the local pubs of which the best was the George at Alstonefield. The Druid is fine if you like risotto and black pudding! Beautiful countryside and walks; awesome bookshop near Buxton – a must for the bookworm.” Oct 2009

"What a wonderful week! …We couldn’t have spent our honeymoon anywhere better, and will not hesitate to come back. "