travel
Chatsworth House,
Derbyshire
PEAK
PERFORMANCE
There’s been a lot of talk cheerfully headed in the other one, resulting another idyllic view, with the help of a few
recently about staycations and in some wheelchair-lifting heroics by the pints of local ale. Derbyshire certainly has
budget breaks and while it’s token male in our party. As much of the trail some fantastic local brews, our favourites
true that holidaying at home runs along an old railway line it’s a relatively included Bakewell Best Bitter and Monsal
is cheaper, it doesn’t have to easy hike but not always four-wheeled Head Ale. Derbyshire pubs are great –
be any less enjoyable. Maybe friendly, and I eventually conceded defeat.
it’s time to view the crunch The following day we visited Chatsworth
as a chance to see more of house, home to the Duke and
our own country. Theresa Duchess of Devonshire, and the
Heath takes a budget holiday, setting for fi lms such as Pride and
complete with girlfriend and Prejudice and The Duchess. At £11 it’s
best friend, and explores the not cheap, and you need to see
picturesque Peak District. everything to get your money’s worth.
Disabled access is good on the ground
fl oor but not further up, although we did
For us, holidaying in the UK was a new manage to totter slowly around the fi rst
experience. We’d not spent much time ‘oop fl oor. Unfortunately, torrential rain meant a
89
north’, and had vague expectations of fl at shortened tour of the extensive gardens,
caps, working men’s clubs and cheap beer. It since anyone who has ever sat in a wheelchair
was also the first time we’d taken a wheelchair in the driving rain knows that this is misery
away, and didn’t know what to expect. incarnate. Another damp squib was the
National Park
We chose the Peak District for its petting zoo, as we were told off for trying to
Peak District
beautiful landscape and relative proximity to enter ten minutes before closing.
London, and opted for four nights in a 17th The following day we took the car and
century cottage in Ashford-in-the-Water. It headed in to deepest Derbyshire, intent on
had two large double bedrooms, a kitchen fi nding some amazing views. This brought us
diner, huge living room, entrance hall and to the incredibly picturesque village of Castleton
private garden – all for £460. in the gorgeous Hope Valley. If you like
On our fi rst day we visited the Country scrambling over rocks and grubbing around
Bookstore and Café at Hassop for some of in caves this place is ideal, as local attractions
the famous Bakewell tart – a far cry from the include the Peak Cavern, the Blue John
sad Kipling’s offerings we southerners are Caverns and Peveril Castle. We concentrated
used to. Fortifi ed with tea and cake, we set on admiring the stunning view – a vast
off on the Monsal Trail which has excellent pastoral postcard dotted with tiny villages.
wheelchair access in one direction. We Then it was back to Monsal Dale for
Rock formation,
Blue
John Caverns
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