Derbyshire
This section is not an advert for Derbyshire, really its not, but ever since the railways and then the buses opened up Derbyshire to the proles of South Yorkshire the peaks and dales of North Derbyshire in particular have been favourite haunts of the South Yorkshire man and woman. There are enough interesting towns, pretty villages and stately piles to keep even the most hardened tourist happy. Whether you like a nice gentle stroll, a good stiff ramble, or a mountain to climb there are plenty of interesting walks easy to access.
It was not always so. In the Middle Ages and for some centuries afterwards Derbyshire was pretty wild and woolly - as late as the 18th Century it was still necessary to hire guides if you were travelling in some parts of the county. Before that I rather think that they sent the tax collectors in with heavily armed escorts, otherwise they never saw them or their money again.
In my usual fashion this is not a comprehensive look at what there is to see in Derbyshire but just some of my favourite places.
Other places to Visit in Derbyshire:–
These are all on the south and west of Sheffield within 40 miles of Rotherham as the crow flies. The roads very rarely take the same route.
Calke Abbey, near Melbourne
House, walled garden and park which is a National Nature Reserve Tel. 01332 863822 or visit the National Trust website
www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
Caves and Caverns in Derbyshire
There are several caverns open to visit in the Castleton area, I think it was Treak Cliff, Castleton that I visited forty or more years ago. For a nice damp trip underground take your pick from these:–
The Blue John Caverns
www.bluejohnstone.com.
Speedwell Cavern Tel. 01433 620512 or visit the website
www.speedwellcavern.co.uk.
Poole's Cavern Tel. 01298 26978 or visit the website
www.poolescavern.co.uk.
Country Parks
Buxton Country Park, near Buxton.
Grassmoor Country Park, near Temple Normanton.
Crich Tramway Village
The Crich Tramway Museum has been re-branded as Crich Tramway Village. The village and its website have both won awards for excellence. Open daily April - October and weekends November, December and March. Tel. 01773 854321 or visit the website
www.tramway.co.uk.
Ilkeston Area
Erewash Museum is our very own local and social history museum located on High Street, Ilkeston.
Home for the Museum is a late Georgian house with Victorian extensions. It was both a family home and school accommodation before becoming a museum in the 1980's.
Address:- Website www.erewashmuseum.co.uk.
Also The American Adventure.
Hardwick Hall & Hardwick Old Hall, nr Chesterfield
Visit the new Harwick Hall built in the late 16th Century by Bess of Hardwick and/or the ruined Old Hall which was the Hardwick family home and is just opposite the new one. Tel. Hardwick Hall 44 (0) 1246 850430 or Hardwick Old Hall 44 (0) 1246 850431. You can also visit Stainsby Mill on the Hardwick estate.
Kedleston Hall, near Derby
An 18th Century house and landscaped park Tel. 01332 842191 or visit the National Trust website
www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
Matlock/Cromford/Wirksworth
Peak Rail - The Heights Of Abraham - Gulliver's Kingdom - Arkwright's Cromford Mill - Masson Mills Museum - Leaford Pumphouse - Middleton Top Engine House - National Stone Centre
Peveril Castle, Castleton
A fine Norman castle on a steep cliff overlooking the Hope Valley. Tel. 01433 620613. I understand that there has been a great deal of conservation work here recently and there is improved access but I seem to remember there was some steep going. Visit the English Heritage website
www.english-heritage.org.uk.
Prehistoric Monuments
Arbor Low Henge, Parsley Hey west of Youlgreave.
Eyam Moor Tumulus and Stone Circle, Eyam.
Nine Ladies Stone Circle near Stanton in Peak, east of Youlgreave.
Ripley Area
Midland Railway Centre - Ridgeway Cottage Industry Centre
Sudbury Hall, near Uttoxeter
A 17th Century House, with a below stairs experience Tel. 01283 585305 or visit the National Trust website
www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
Also
Sutton Scarsdale Hall - Wingfield Manor - Cauldwells Mill, near Rowsley - Hobhurst's House, near Baslow - Buxton Art Gallery and Museum - Eyam Hall - Chestnut Centre, Chapel-en-le-Frith - Heritage Centre, Low Leighton - Hartington Hall
This is only a very small sample of what is available. There's Buxton and Matlock, Matlock Bath, Glossop, Eyam and Ashbourne just to mention a few places. In fact I have been reading about the city of Derby and wonder why I've never been.
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