Chatsworth House & Bakewell
Chatsworth House is one of the premier tourist attractions in the Derbyshire area and praised by Simon Jenkins in ‘England’s Best Houses’ (The Times) as being “The true National Gallery of the North”. Chatsworth House, which is home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, has been in their family for centuries and contains one of Europe’s finest collections of treasures. Here, you’ll find the grandeur of the 1st Duke's painted hall and state apartments with their decorative flourishes and painted ceilings; the 19th century library; great dining room festooned with silver, tapestries and porcelain; as well as paintings by Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough and Freud. Outdoors, the 105-acre garden is stunning all year round. As well as rose, cottage and kitchen gardens, there are five miles of walks with rare trees, shrubs, fountains, ponds and a huge yew maze.
From here we journey into the Peak District to finish off a wonderful excursion. On top of the magnificent scenery we’ll encounter on the journey, we’ll also visit the town of Bakewell, famed for the traditional pudding of the same name and its interesting Old House Museum, local church and monuments. The Bakewell Pudding was invented in 1859 in the Rutland Arms after a mistake by a chef!
