Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Admission is free, and it's open Monday 11am to 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday 10am to
5pm, and Sunday and bank holidays 1 to 4pm. There's more local porcelain and his-
tory in the
Derby Museum & Art Gallery
(
&
01332/641901;
www.derby.gov.uk)
on the Strand (same hours; also free).
Around Derby are three National Trust (www.nationaltrust.org.uk) properties. Just
north, near Quarndon, is
Kedleston Hall,
while south of the city, at Ticknall, is
Calke Abbey,
and providing a
worthy finale to Derbyshire 16 miles west of Derby is
Sudbury Hall and the National Trust Museum of Childhood.
Note that some attractions in southern Derbyshire are within the
National For-
est
(p. 553), while just over the border in Staffordshire,
Alton Towers
(
&
0871/222-
3330;
www.altontowers.com) is one of the U.K.'s best theme parks.
Calke Abbey
HISTORIC SITE This country house fallen into disrepair is a
charming place to ramble around, with its overgrown courtyards, faded walled gar-
dens, and peeling paintwork. As you do, consider that the same fate almost befell
Chatsworth House (p. 537). Take advantage of fine weather to explore the vast park-
land with its red and fallow deer and deer shelter, and restored wetland area, a wild-
life haven. Four on-site cottages include two former gatehouse lodges.
Ticknall, 14 miles south of Derby.
&
01332/863822.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk. Admission house and
garden £8.80, £4.50 children 5-16; less for park and stables, or garden only. Park daily 7:30am-7:30pm;
see website for house, gardens, and stables.
Crich Tramway Village & the National Tramway Museum
MUSEUM/
PARK This restored period village with its cobblestones and collection of original
facades from buildings around the U.K. displays trams both horse-drawn and modern
and also has a viewing gallery from which you can watch trams being restored. Other
attractions making it a great family venue include a woodland walk, an adventure
playground, a family-friendly pub that was saved from demolition in Stoke and rebuilt
here, a tearoom, an ice-cream parlor, and an old-fashioned candy shop.
Crich, 6 miles southeast of Matlock Bath.
&
01773/854321.
www.tramway.co.uk. Admission £12 adults,
£7 children 4-15. Open Feb school break and Mar weekends 10:30am-4:30pm; Apr-Oct daily 10am-
5:30pm; and some weekends in Dec 10:30am-6:30pm.
Heights of Abraham
PARK This wooded hilltop park is another excel-
lent bet for a family day out, with walking paths, tours of a former mine, a fossil
museum, and play areas. Best of all, you get here by cable-car from the base of the
opposite cliff, High Tor. The fit can also climb High Tor itself, along a narrow winding
path dubbed Giddy Edge.
Matlock Baths.
&
01629/582365.
www.heightsofabraham.com. Admission £13 adults, £8.80 children
5-16. Open Feb school break and late Mar-Oct daily 10am-4:30pm, plus weekends early-mid Mar.
Kedleston Hall
HISTORIC SITE Set in its own historic parkland, this hand-
some neoclassical mansion was built by Robert Adam in the 1760s on a site occupied
by the Curzon family since the 12th century. They still reside here, but visitors can
tour some of the stunning interiors as well as investigating the Eastern Museum with
its colonial and Asian artifacts acquired at the turn of the 20th century by the then
Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India.
Near Quarndon, 6 miles north of Derby.
&
01332/842191.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk. Admission house
and grounds £9.90 adults, £4.90 children 5-16. House mid-Feb-Oct Sat-Wed noon-5pm; park year-
round daily 10am to between 4 and 6pm.
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