If you enjoy visiting charming, quaint, old villages full of character, Tideswell in the Peak District should be added to your list. By Peak District standards, it’s a large village. It’s the second largest in the national park after Bakewell. But if you live in a town or city, it will seem tiny. The history …
You surely can’t visit the Fylde in autumn/early winter without a visit to the illuminations. Cheesy. Traditional. Or actually, something that Blackpool should be proud of? Let’s see. The illuminations are on from the end of August to the beginning of January. This extends the usual British seaside season for the town. Blackpool Illuminations are …
If you find yourself in the Peak District and fancy a weatherproof excursion, you could do worse than a trip to Blue John Cavern. The scenery on the drive makes for a pleasant journey too. The cavern is named after the semiprecious mineral, Blue John. It’s a rare form of fluorite and is also the …
Located just a few miles away from Derby, Kedleston Hall is a spectacular stately home owned by the National Trust. While the magnificent mansion you see is neoclassical, the powerful Curzon family, who owned the hall, have lived in Kedleston since the 1150s. Unlike many wealthy families, they didn’t update and extend their grand houses, …
Conisbrough Castle isn’t quite unique, but it’s a very rare design in England. Keeps are usually square, but Conisbrough has a polygonal or cylindrical design. The closest in style in the country is Orford Castle in Suffolk. It is certainly striking, and the white stone looks beautiful. Built in the 1170s or 80s, this picturesque …
Roche Abbey is very much a ruin. There isn’t very much left of what must have been a phenomenally impressive complex of buildings. But it still is quite a magnificent sight with the surviving white towers, expanse of lawns and an enchanting stream running through it. It’s not difficult to see why it’s a Grade …
We decided to take a visit over the school holidays to Nottingham Castle and have a wander around the city while we were there. It’s not much more than an hour or so away and a castle we’ve never visited. Tickets were reserved online and off we went. Nottingham Castle isn’t really a castle. It …
I don’t know why, but there is something quite romantic about a steam train journey. There shouldn’t be. It’s noisy. It’s dirty. It’s far from smooth and it’s relatively slow. And yet, there’s nothing quite like it as a way to get somewhere. Especially on Peak Rail. Peak Rail is a heritage railway offering train rides …
With so many historic pubs in Nottingham, including three that actually claim to be the oldest in England, it is no wonder so many of them are said to be haunted. Public houses have been the center of the community for as long as they have been around and with so much activity taking place …
Autumn is a great time of year to visit anywhere in the peak district and with such a wide range of landscapes to explore, it is well worth a trip at this time of year. Autumn boasts some of the most vibrant colours, the most full waterfalls and the crisp, cool weather that is perfect …
