Seven Places Not to be Missed in Derbyshire

Every member of our team lives in Derbyshire and we consider ourselves very lucky to do so. It is a beautiful county with lots to do, both in and out of doors.

We have compiled a list of our top seven places to visit in the county. This took us a long time to do as there were plenty of differences of opinion, but, in the end, we managed to reach an agreement. The list is:

1. Chatsworth House
2. Dovedale
3. Crich Tramway Village
4. Kedleston Hall
5. The Dark Peak Area
6. The Upper Derwent Valley
7. Ashbourne

1. Chatsworth House

Anybody visiting Derbyshire should go to one of Britain's best-loved stately homes. Chatsworth is the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and attracts thousands of visitors every year.

You could quite easily spend more than a day exploring the house and gardens, including spectacular fountains and lovely walks, the children's adventure playground, the farmyard and, when you've don all that, the Chatsworth Farm Shop is only a short drive up the road, where you can buy homemade produce (or eat it in the cafe!), works of art and all types of craft.

From November to Christmas each year, the house is covered in magnificent Christmas decorations. Well worth a second visit! Chatsworth should be at near the top of your list whenever you visit Derbyshire.

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2. Dovedale

Located very close to our school, Dovedale is a very attractive place to go for a walk, a picnic, or simply to play and release some energy!

It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and one of it's special feature is the stepping stones across the River Dove. In the summer, you can often find an ice cream van here as well. If you're feeling energetic, you can climb Thorpe Cloud, a large hill that sits next to Dovedale or, if you like longer walks, you can walk up the dale towards Milldale and, eventually Hartington.

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3. Crich Tramway Village

The village is a unique place to visit. Vintage trams run up and down the cobbled streets of the village every few minutes. The streets contain old-fashioned shops and there is an exhibition hall, sweet shop, restaurant and tearooms.

You can ride on the trams as much as you like, for the whole day, it's all included in the admission price!

You can also catch a tram up to the end of the line and walk back through the lovely woodland walk which leads past a picnic area and children's playground.

There are a lot of "special" days throughout the year with themed displays and, on certain days of the year, you can even drive a tram!

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4. Kedleston Hall

Not quite as famous as Chatsworth, but this magnificent country mansion is still very much worth a visit.

It was built between 1759 and 1765 and the house boasts the largest collection of unaltered Robert Adam interiors in England.

There is a shop, restaurant and visitors can walk in the beautifully landscaped gardens.

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5. The Dark Peak Area

This area will, simply, take your breath away. The views are absolutely stunning and you can see for miles and miles.

From Stanage Edge, across to Kinder Scout and Bleaklow, the area is outstanding and is recommended to anyone that loves the countryside.

You can walk for miles without meeting anything but the odd sheep, the area really gives you the chance to "get away from it all".

However, walkers in this area should make sure they are well-equipped. The weather can change very rapidly and, sometimes, you can be a few miles from shelter. There is not always a mobile phone signal and people have been caught out by this.

But, if you are confident and have the right equipment, there is no better place in the world to enjoy a day's walking.

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6. The Upper Derwent Valley.

The Upper Derwent Valley also boasts some fantastic scenery. Consisting of the Ladybower, Howden and Derwent reservoirs, this was the area in which the famous World War II "Dambusters" pilots practiced for their missions in Europe.

The area is not as remote as many parts of the Dark Peak and is easily accessed by car or public transport. There is a visitor centre and refreshments are available too. It is very popular for walkers and cyclists.

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7. Ashbourne

Any list of places to visit has to include the town where our team is based.

Ashbourne is a lively market town and a very nice place to live and go to school.

Ashbourne is famous for its Shrove Tide Football game, an event that is truly unique to the town. The whole town closes down (and most board up their windows) for two days in February each year while two teams, the Up'ards and the Down'ards battle it out. The matches can take hours to decide as the teams consist of, literally, thousands of players and the goals are at opposite ends of the town, three miles apart.

Each year, the ball is "turned up" (to start the game) by a local or national figure. In 1928 , the Prince of Wales (later to become Edward VII) did the honours and in 2003 the ball was turned up by HRH Prince Charles.

There's plenty more to explain, most of which sounds really strange to people from outside Ashbourne. The best way to find out more is to experience this memorable event for yourself, so, if you're in Derbyshire on Shrove Tuesday or Ash Wednesday in any year, come and see for yourself. Just don't park your car anywhere near!

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Citations:

All photographs on this page reproduced with kind permission from Mr Edward Rokita of http://www.derbyshire-photographs.co.uk/

http://www.chatsworth.org/

http://www.tramway.co.uk/

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-kedlestonhall

http://www.ashbourne-town.com/events/football.html

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