Parwich, with Orchard Farm at the top straight ahead

We’ll concentrate on your first day, assuming that by the time you leave you will have got a good idea of what you’d prefer to spend your last day doing and you won’t need any ideas from us.

Let’s also establish that you won’t spend your precious time shopping for essentials. We provide all the basics and ‘little extras’ and a very good idea is to have preordered what you think you’ll need from Riverford or Waitrose, to be delivered, checked and put away for you before your arrive. We will have sent you the links and how to do this before you come.

The Famous Dovedale Stepping Stones

A Heron, patiently waiting for that fish

Then we’d drive to the Dovedale Car Park and walk up along the Dove to Milldale where you could buy a coffee or cool drink but possibly you’ll save yourself for the delicious lunch at the George, at Alstonefield that you have planned.

Homemade cake to welcome you

It’s quite an adventure getting into the bath!

By the way, this might be our first choice but it is by no means the only suggestion. You may well have even more tempting suggestions. What would yours be?

A disclaimer, just in case anyone thinks I have suddenly grown my hair, affected an American accent and become a wonder housewife overnight: the heroine of this secret-revealing video is not me!

Having got that clear, here are one or two little snippets which are probably more momentous this side of the fence than yours…

The first ‘secret’, to fulfil several recent requests – and in fact this might be the best one of all – is to give you the link to our Fake Bakewell Tart recipe, which we are asked for so very very often.

Perhaps we ought to have a video of this wonder housewife/cook making the recipe? (I think not, probably!)

And now for an eBay delight, about dinner plates, no less… It can’t have escaped recent Tom’s Barn guests that there were only 5 dinner plates on the rack, six or more of everything else. Ever since the sixth and last of our supply was withdrawn from active service we have tried, absolutely in vain, to ‘source’ as they say these days, some Wedgwood Garden Maze replacements, even going to the Wedgwood factory shop in Stoke. I scoured sites that stock odd plates, and kept checking on eBay, where one could find everything possible from soup tureens to serving platters but neery a dinner plate.

Last night our daughter Ruthie rang to say she had successfully bid for SIX on eBay!! Can you believe it? So that is one problem off the list. The alternative would have to have been replacing everything. (Five Stars – everything in a set must be matching…).

The next ongoing ‘issue’ has been a debilitating and permanent difficulty we have all shared in the Orchard Farm laundry department over folding fitted sheets so they’re fit to grace a Tom’s or Douglas’s Barn bed which for a Five Star listing has to have immaculately laundered bedlinen.

Imagine my delight, then, to discover on Pinterest this YouTube video showing one how simple it really should be.

We are often asked for our `Dog Policy’, and have to admit rather sheepishly that we are a bit anti policies (there’re too many around already) and we are also a bit lazy and do not yet have one as such. But we are also often asked our advice by other holiday cottage owners who are wondering about whether they should accept dogs so this little piece will try to do both.

We have always really loved having dogs and their owners. There is something rather special about most dog owners – we no longer are (dog owners I mean). Mostly they come to enjoy the countryside and walking and the countryside round here is second to none, and the walking quite superb so they are all happy. Also, we have found that top quality cottages that also accept dogs are rarer than is convenient, so we find Tom’s Barn is always in great demand well in advance, when organised dog owners plan their trips. Douglas’s Barn is in as great demand but the bookings tend on the whole to be less dramatically in advance.

When asked whether we’d recommend accepting dogs our answer is always an emphatic ‘Yes!’ in theory but of course it does need to be thought through.

We do stipulate well-behaved. We do stipulate that dogs aren’t allowed upstairs. If asked whether dogs can be left in the cottage unattended we say it’s OK by us if they can fully trust their dog a) not to be unhappy and yelp and whine and b) not do start chewing the furniture in frustrated loneliness!

Other than that we tend to leave it to the owners’ own good sense, as ultimately it is the they that are responsible for any harm that their dog might do to others or to the fixtures and fittings. If the dog owners have any concerns about their dog or about the suitability of our accommodation we stress that it is vital please that they discuss this with us. Anything that might impinge on the peace of mind of the guests in Douglas’s Barn would be a clear no. Similarly, any dog prone to constant barking or chewing furniture would not be welcome, but this would be obvious to most owners.

On the other hand, we will warn the owners that our garden is not secure and that there is nowhere where a dog could be left safely on his own outside. People still come after we have told them all our ‘cons’ when they specifically ask but it does’t seem to put them off; they just know where they are.

We charge £25 per dog, with a normal minimum of two but we have (after prior discussion) agreed to three if they are all tiny and their good behaviour is vouchsafed!

From the cottage owner’s point of view, that £25 is well-earned. Taking dogs does make more work, much more work and more wear and tear. Dogs do usually leave a hairy mess behind them that can take at least three complete hooverings to remove; they can come in somewhat damp (even after a good towelling outside) and damp dogs can leave a doggy smell that has to be completely eradicated. The old bedspreads and sheets we leave so that guests can cover the furniture if necessary all have to be washed.

One has to be neurotic that no incoming guest should smell dog, or see a single dog hair. Non dog-owning people tend to be on the look out for any evidence of a dog’s presence; Janet who does Tom’s Barn now always asks one of us to do the ‘sniff test’ check generally. A fresh set of eyes (and a fresh nose in the case of dogs) is invaluable.

We are lucky to have a council operated dog poo bin 50 yards away but we warn that there would need to be an easy way for owners to cope otherwise you might nasty surprises might be left on lawns or lurking in your rubbish bins!!!

Ideally owners that take dogs provide washing down facilities but ours unfortunately are fairly rudimentary. Careful owners won’t let their dogs in until they have ensured they are clean.

We don’t provide bedding. After a suggestion from a guest, we do now provide a spare bowl, lead etc, just in case anyone has forgotten theirs, which can happen.

Putting it all down like this makes it look scary, but it hasn’t been at all for us and we have had hardly any problems. I suppose one must acknowledge that you may also find you risk putting off a minority who may have chosen you just because you do not take dogs but you’ll never know about that, unless they tell you. We had one couple recently who booked the dog cottage, Tom’s Barn, rather than our dogless Douglas, simply to avoid the risk of the other guests having a dog…!

For any holiday cottage owner who has lots of other cottages and guests fairly nearby it is a little more complicated. Is there one of them where dogs and their garden would be hidden from general view? And also possibly where owners can park their car nearby as we have noticed that some dogs like to sleep in the back of the car sometimes.

I hope this gives you the basis of a dog policy plus some tips for other holiday cottage owners. I am a great believer in anticipating problems so that one can prevent them ever happening, so it may all sound rather problematic. We have never regretted for a moment taking dogs and find we have so many really lovely people coming back and back, who would not dream of holidaying without their dog, especially if they are coming for a country, walking type holiday.

One of Parwich’s many charms is its idyllic rural location. The fact we are not on the route anywhere is a wonderful attraction: the only traffic is local and we don’t have speeding cars hurtling through on their way somewhere else.

There is another side to the coin, however, for the carless! We have had several guests recently who have decided for various good reasons to abandon all thought of driving here. Getting here without a car is quite doable if slightly longwinded but for some that is part of the charm and we try to supply these wise souls with helpful suggestions. We have some more people coming under their own steam soon so I thought it might be helpful for them and us all if we gathered some useful ideas and links together and had them all in one place for reference.

Firstly, getting here: The nearest mainline stations are Derby and Chesterfield (both roughly 20 miles away. There are others, slightly further away, including Sheffield, Stafford and Uttoxeter and Macclesfield, best researched via National Rail but unless there was a pressing reason to approach us any other way East Midland Trains to Derby is the obvious choice.

Thereafter, apart from a couple of existing branch lines (see below), to get here one more or less has to rely on buses or taxis, unless one fancies cycling or even walking, both possible but not for the faint-hearted. We would always help out too if we could but hesitate to lay too much stress on this because we may well be busy and unable to help, so don’t include this in your thinking.

We are short on local branch lines. In the olden days my grandparents used to come up here all the way from Lichfield to Alsop-en-le-dale by train. Now we have the Tissington and High Peak Trails instead. However, there are still two little East Midland Trains railway lines which may be useful: firstly, one can take a leisurely journey from Derby to Matlock via various rather picturesque stops, roughly 10 or 11 miles from here. Also, from Manchester via Macclesfield, and Sheffield one can get to Buxton from where it is possible with High Peak Bus bus connections to get to Parwich, I suspect via Ashbourne so it won’t be speedy!

Once you have reached the peace and seclusion of Orchard Farm you will I am sure appreciate finding your kitchen cupboards and fridge well stocked with a pre-ordered delivery from Waitrose or Riverford. So, as part of the pleasure of planning for your holiday we suggest you think about what you’d like to find waiting for you, maybe including a few little luxuries because after all you are saving the environment! For this, refer to the Carless Catering post and also perhaps have a look at Forward Planning for Effortless Catering in the More Info Section of our website.

So! There you are, having got yourselves here and sorted out the food situation; you’re warm, dry and comfortable, with ample food and drink stowed away and with nothing more to worry about apart from enjoying yourself. The possibilities are endless and would take numerous posts. Fortunately the bookshelves in both barns are bursting with maps and walk books and circular walk routes starting at the front door and you will find lots of helpful comments from other guests in the Visitors’ Books.

Parwich itself warrants a good explore: already thriving by the time of the Domesday Book it is a most interesting place with its higgledy-pggledy lanes and snickets and houses which have grown up somewhat haphazardly over the centuries. It has its own (Victorian) church, primary school, tennis courts,bowling green pub and little shop-in-the-pub, and British Legion.

There are several other all very different villages within easy walking distance, such as Tissington, Alsop-en-le-Dale, Pikehall, Bradbourne and Brassington (where you’ll find The Gate a great local pub which several years ago Sawday’s described as “the best pub in Derbyshire’.

We have two bikes we are delighted to lend out – no charge but you obviously are responsible for your own safety and need to provide your own helmet and any special gear you feel necessary. There are a few buses (see here for a bus timetable) each day into Ashbourne if you feel like venturing further afield, but you may find there is more than enough to do right here in Parwich.

After all you don’t want to be so busy you leave yourselves no time to sit back in your own little world… and just relax, as you feel all the stresses and pressures melt away.

Whether you have walked here or come in the sleekest of limousines, you won’t want to have to pay a visit to the shops the minute you arrive, if indeed at all.

It is perfectly easy and part of the excitement building up for your holiday to organise everything that you can possibly think of beforehand, so your stay here is blissfully relaxed and luxurious. You can also plan some instant catering solutions quite apart from making full use of the local pub-within-walking-distance solutions.

You know that we provide you with a pint (no longer in a bottle!) of milk, some butter, bread and six freshly laid local eggs and things like oil, dried herbs etc but we don’t go as far as ingredients for your meals!

Ideally you’ll order what you need in advance and arrange to have everything delivered the morning of your arrival, so we can check and put away everything for you. If you would like to go completely organic, Riverford is a great favourite of ours, and we have a weekly delivery here, on Fridays (only). It is best to choose what you want and ring them beforehand on 01780 789700, explaining that you are staying here (they are well used to it!).Waitrose also has lots of great food, quite a lot but by no means solely, organic. They will deliver here, to DE6 1QB, any day.

Both barns have a fridge-freezer so another top tip we are now suggesting is to order pre-frozen meals from one of two companies we know of, Cook and Life, Fork and Spoon. We have tried Cook many times and swear by them – they are efficient, their meals are delicious and they arrive in packaging so well insulated everything is still totally frozen solid. Life, Fork and Spoon we have not tried yet, but will. Please let us know what you think.

Even with a well-stocked kitchen, you may well still feel like being catered for. Without moving out of the village you can ask our neighbour, Val Kirkham to cook a meal for you (ring her on 01335 390548 to discuss menus and prices), order a curry from Paul and Evie Burlinson (ring 01335 390488).

We have a pub in the village, the Sycamore, which serves pub meals, and there is also a British Legion, on the road going towards Alsop which welcomes guests warmly and which also does food sometimes. Within lovely walking distance for lunch is the Old Gate at Brassington and the Coach House at Tissington.

The pub also has a little shop well-stocked with all the basics so buying anything you may suddenly find you want can be part of a trip to the pub itself, or the purpose of a pleasant little expedition in the village

This post can be seen in addition to all the information we had already gathered so at the same time have a look here at the Forward Planning for Effortless Catering in the More Info Section of our website.