Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
towers and an evocative Long Gallery—Hardwick contains a wonderful collection of
tapestries and embroideries, while outside you can roam its herb gardens, orchards,
and lawns. Beginning in 2012 there'll be heritage tours of the historic stableyard.
Entry is £11 (£5.50 children 5-16; less for just the garden); see the website for days
and times. You can also rent two cottages on the estate.
North of here lie more historic buildings.
Renishaw Hall
(
&
01246/432310;
www.sitwell.co.uk), home to the famous Sitwell family for almost 400 years, opens its
doors and Italianate gardens to the public April to September and at Christmas,
Wednesday to Sunday and bank holidays from 10:30am to 4:30pm; entry is £6 (£5.20
children 10-16). To the southeast, the hilltop 17th-century
Bolsover Castle
(
&
0870/333-1181;
www.english-heritage.org.uk) has restored interiors, one of the
U.K.'s finest surviving indoor riding schools, a Discovery Centre, and events such as
falconry displays and “Knight Academy.” Bring a picnic and enjoy the views over the
Vale of Scarsdale. It's open daily 10am to 4 or 5pm; admission is £7.80 (£4.70 chil-
dren 5-16).
SOUTHERN DERBYSHIRE
Just outside the National Park, south of Chatsworth, lies Matlock, Derbyshire's
county town. But what will detain you is the former spa-resort of
Matlock Bath
,
south of Matlock and nicknamed (a touch hyperbolically) “Little Switzerland” by
Daniel Defoe for the cliffs rising on either side of the River Derwent. Though its
thermal baths are gone, there are attractions aplenty, including the
Heights of Abra-
ham
(see below),
Mining Museum
(
&
01629/583834;
www.peakmines.co.uk), a
Museum of Photography & Old Times
(
&
01629/583325;
www.lifeinalens.
com), a
theme park
(
&
01925/444888;
www.gulliversfun.co.uk), and an
aquar-
ium
(
&
01629/583624;
www.matlockbathaquarium.co.uk) that also has a petrify-
ing well, hologram gallery, and gemstone and fossil exhibition. The Derwent is
popular for canoeing.
Matlock Bath is the start of the UNESCO-listed
Derwent Valley Mills World
Heritage Site
(www.derwentvalleymills.org), an unparalleled collection of early
cotton mills dotted along 15 miles of the river valley leading south to Derby, some of
them the world's first “modern” factories.
Cromford Mill
(
&
01629/823256;
www.arkwrightsociety.org.uk) is where the eponymous Sir Richard pioneered the
water frame spinning machine that revolutionized textile manufacture. There are
separate or combined tours of the mill and workers' village (£5, or £4 for village only),
plus various high-quality shops, a wholefood cafe, and a canalside bookstore and
restaurant. The complex is open daily 9am to 5pm. From here it's 5 miles southeast
to
Crich Tramway Village & the National Tramway Museum
(see below).
Southwest of Matlock Bath lies
Carsington Water
(
&
0870/179-1111;
www.moretoexperience.co.uk), a reservoir with watersports and bike rentals, a visitor
center, and playgrounds. Then due south lies
Derby
itself, which—though hardly the
most scenic or culturally compelling of British cities—has a fine Cathedral Quarter
(www.derbycathedralquarter.co.uk) with Victorian arcades, Georgian and Renais-
sance buildings, and independent shops and galleries. Close by, the
Silk Mill
Museum of Industry and History
(
&
01332/255308;
www.derby.gov.uk),
occupying the site of George Sorocold's 1702 and 1717 mills—some of the world's
oldest factories, part of which are still visible—tells of the local industrial heritage
and achievements, with a focus on the development of Rolls-Royce aero engines and
the railway industry, as well as mining, porcelain production, and foundry work.
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