Romantic cottages for two in the Peak District
Romantic cottages for two in the Peak District
More really helpful comments from Laura (thank you, Laura, so much!)…
Little daunted by their aborted helicopter ride (and we can vouch for the beautiful day!) Laura and Andy changed their plans.
“So as an alternative to the helicopter we chose to walk around Derwent Valley and the Ladybower/Derwent Reservoirs on the Saturday, which was amazing, the views were incredible and the scenery beautiful.
I’m actually glad that we took the opportunity to walk it rather than just flying over it (although obviously gutted about missing out) as seeing it from a walker’s perspective was just un-missable.
We also took a trip to Speedwell Cavern for a boat ride through the caves, but have to admit that we were a little disappointed with that. It was fun to be in the boat and and listen to the miners’ stories, but it was more for kids and the ‘Bottomless Pit’, which you get to stand and look at for about 10 minutes was a bit of an anticlimax, but as I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you, the approach to Peak Cavern is just immense and worth a trip to Castleton for that if nothing else.
Other than the *Spa and Helicopter ride, I think the only other activity that I considered was a hot air balloon ride, but let’s be honest February probably isn’t the best time for balloon rides.
*More about the Spa experience later!
We have received such a helpful email from Laura, a recent guest, responding to our to our quest for sharing of information for the benefit of other guests. Laura managed to pack an enormous amount into her weekend here with Andy, having obviously done a fair amount of useful research beforehand.
“The highlight was due to be a Pennine Helicopter Pleasure Flights helicopter ride”
Unfortunately, she tells, “this didn’t go ahead as the weather was apparently not suitable for flying on the Saturday, even though to us it looked beautiful so we have to rearrange and come back up for another weekend…which let’s be honest really isn’t a hardship!!”
“I booked for us to go on the Dambusters Run, but as you can see there are a few more to choose from. Once we have rearranged the flight I will give you a full run down of events, but so far they have been very helpful…”
Personally, I found even the the fast moving headlines on the website a bit hard to cope with, but a helicopter ride on a beautifully calm day in this beautiful part of the Peak District would be memorable. Watch this post – John and I may well venture into the air ourselves!
A ‘quietish’ week after the last one. Ashbourne’s Shrovetide Football two-day rugby scrum on a field with no boundaries is over for another year, we’ve had snow and sunshine and now beautiful warm sunshine again today, Saturday.
Having thrown away my removable splint I have been down to London for a couple of days with daughter Ruth and son Nick; this included our attending a book discussion at Daunt’s in Marylebone High Street – Lady Antonia Fraser in most entertaining conversation with Valerie Grove about her new book ‘Must You Go’ – about her love affair and marriage to Harold Pinter. It had always seemed an odd match, but obviously a very happy and inspiring one. The book is a most fascinating read, hard to put down.
Back now and we are off to look for a barn owl spotted by friends, which John hopes to photograph. Watch these pages, as they say… so far in our experience owls disappear once a camera is anywhere near.
If you are an experienced blogger don’t bother reading this. But for those many of us who are not we hope that this series of three ‘Using the Blog’ posts may just help explain away some of the more puzzling and potentially off-putting mysteries.
Comments: Anyone can ‘post a comment’ i.e. write something about a post they have just read. We really hope that gradually more of you will do this so that others can benefit by your recommendations or experiences.
To avoid spammers we now have to check that each comment is genuine before publishing so there may be a delay before your comment goes live.
Anonymity: To avoid being rejected as a spammer you need to have a genuine email address (which we will see but never publish). You can use a pseudonym or your real name – what ever you feel happiest doing.
Finally, I’ll finish with our protocol: The aim of our website and blog is to inform, entertain and involve young and old: our guests past present and future, our family and friends including our many friends and colleagues in Parwich and the surrounding Peak District area.
We will publish any comments that we deem written in good faith (whether critical of us or our barns or not!). However, if ever we considered a comment or photo unsuitable or offensive, for whatever reason, we would not publish it.
It was cheerful but exhausting. At least we weren’t actually doing the decorating but there was a lot of moving stuff out, moving stuff back, cleaning, sorting, replacing…
Janet and Carol did a fantastic job, coming in quite voluntarily two (extra) evenings to make sure they got everything done in time for our next guests due last Friday. And of course by the time our guests arrived everything looked quite ordered and serene.
We also had the pressure on, this end, making sure we had all the paperwork ready for our ‘green’ inspection for the Green Tourism in Business Scheme, which was scheduled for that very same Friday. The preparation was arduous, but the actual inspection when the time came very pleasant; it will be several weeks before we know the outcome but we are hoping we will move up a notch to the Silver Award section. We will announce the verdict as soon as we hear ourselves!
Well, we’re back to normal after a particularly busy week. Jason and Stuart (who are amazing decorators) managed to redecorate both barns within a week working throughout the weekend before last. They spend as much time on what many of us find the unbearably boring sanding and rubbing down, but it pays off. The paintwork looks immaculate.
We thought the barns looked pretty good beforehand but they do look particularly fresh and inviting now. In Douglas’s Barn we repeated the Farrow & Ball Buff for the woodwork and Matchstick for the walls because that seemed to have been a happy choice.
But, what for Tom’s Barn? After much deliberation and soul searching we plumped for Slipper Satin throughout (a rather attractive white, if that makes sense) and for the woodwork Old White which depending in the light is off-white, or pale grey – even sometimes pale grey with an almost olive tinge…
We think it looks great, let’s hope you do too.
I just caught the stonework glowing in the wintery sunlight before everything was covered in hail.
Using the Blog & Gallery– what does it all mean…?
Most of you will know far more than us. We are very new to blogging ourselves so hesitate to start parading even as semi-experts; however our enjoyment of the Parwich blog and now our own means that our confidence is growing and we are beginning to understand some of the terminology.
However, we are new enough still to be painfully aware of what can totally mystify a newcomer so here follows some short explanations of the words you may meet while trying to make your way through our blog (please correct us gently if we’re wrong) . Lesson three will be more about actually using the blog.
Pages: You are on the Home Page. On the right at the top of the page you will see all the other pages including the Photo Gallery listed in green with little icons beside – click on any that interest you.
Posts: In blog terminology, articles are called Posts. New posts appear at the top on the left. As soon as a newer one appears, the original one moves down. It then moves to the top of the list of five Recent Posts on the right. When another five have come after it, it ‘disappears’ and can be accessed by clicking the appropriate Category heading.
Categories: Down the right hand side are listed the topics you might want to follow. All the articles (‘posts’) should be categorised under the appropriate heading, so one doesn’t have to go wading through scores of subjects of no personal interest at the time.
Tags do much the same thing with a different set of headings. Tags enable one to pursue a theme regardless of which category all the articles are officially listed under.
Browse: This lists all the tag titles, the more ‘popular’ the bigger the writing.
Archives: Everything posted each month is listed under that month.
Before you arrive, we will always send you an updated list of recommended local pubs and restaurant. We also send the names of a few local butchers, farm shops and delicatessens: we are spoiled for choice in an area that boasts the Chatsworth Farm Shop, various Bakewell Pudding shops/delis in Bakewell, whilst in Ashbourne we have the Cheddar Gorge for cheeses, pies and cakes and Bramhall’s for cheeses, pates, chocolates and olive oil amongst a shop full of other temptations.
The meat from the White Peak Butchery in Tissington is something else again – not for nothing do some of our guests walk over every day to buy their next treat!
For any basic necessities you suddenly find you need, Janet Gosling in the pub/shop, will undoubtedly be able to help you. You could have a quick drink in the pub at the same time if you felt like it or even a bar meal.
And, when you return to cook your effortless casseroles and even steak & Kidney pudding, we have the slow-cookers ready and waiting for action in each barn. However all this requires at least some energy output, however pleasurable.
For totally relaxed forward planning, who don’t you pre-order online with Waitrose (plenty of healthy and organic choices there as well as nice wines)? They will deliver here DE6 1QB any day, free as long as you spend over £50 which doesn’t take long these days. If you arrange delivery in the 11-1 slot for the day you are arriving we will put it all away for you before you arrive.
On the other hand you can also order organic veg, fruit, meat and dairy products – even wonderful chocolate – from the local Riverford Sacrewell (the relevant section of the famous Riverford Farm organic set-up from near my brother’s in Buckfastleigh, Devon). Conveniently, they deliver here on Fridays at about midday, so we can take your order in and put it away to await your arrival, as we do for Waitrose orders or other orders.
The system with Riverford for one-off orders is rather more personal than it is with the bigger Waitrose. Look online to choose what you would like but the actual order itself needs to be made by telephone to 01780 789700. Explain you are staying here at Orchard Farm and would like your food delivered at the same time as ours on the Friday of your stay. You can pay by card over the phone.
…it would be Douglas’s Barn
Not being great telly advert addicts we didn’t quite get the gist of this comment left by a guest today but
– judging by his warm appreciation of everything – guessed it was complimentary.
Janet and Carol, being more up in the world in these things, assure us that it was a lovely compliment, so thank you, Jeff! (Only, Janet says, it might have been Tom’s Barn…)
I have had the pleasure of managing Tom and Douglas Barns for 10 Years and felt it was time to enjoy a bit more of my retirement. The barns will continue to be holiday cottages and will be maintained to the standard that all previous guests have enjoyed. The only change is that Sykes Cottages […]
The weather is a bit mixed but we are still getting sunny days. A perfect time of year to come and stay for a few days and have a walk in the lovely countryside, take a bike ride, visit one of the many attractions that all stay open or just relax in Tom or Douglas […]
The weather has been so wet but our barns offer a cosy retreat in beautiful countryside. Why not pack a bag for a few days and have a break . We have extended our spring prices until mid June and reduced our summer prices. It would be lovely to see you for a few days […]
