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 …
Back in August 2023, myself (Lucy) and Adam got married. As we’ve lived together for a while now, we asked for any wedding gifts to be money that we could put towards our honeymoon. As I had done most of the planning for the wedding, Adam was left in charge of organising the honeymoon, which …
An absolutely brilliant Wildlife Park/zoo which is offering free entry until 23rd December. So lovely to walk amongst and feed budgies and parrots; very therapeutic in walk through aviaries. The wildcats are stunning. We were lucky to see the tigers, white lions and puma all in one afternoon. Lovely, spacious cafe with very helpful staff. …
This magnificent Elizabethan hall was built by the formidable Elizabeth Cavendish, later Elizabeth Talbot, more usually known as Bess of Hardwick, the most powerful and wealthiest woman after Queen Elizabeth I during her reign. The story of Bess is as fascinating as the hall she commissioned (she was greatly interested in architecture) and had the …
Castleton is a lovely little village situated in the High Peak. The Dark Peak is to the north and the White Peak to the south. It has something completely unique as its claim to fame. It is the only place in the world where the semiprecious stone, Blue John, can be found. It’s pretty much …
