(June 2015)
Last Sunday we went with my friends to visit Chatsworth, a beautiful house in Peak District surrounded by a large garden. We were lucky that one my friends has a car, because it‘s not that easy to get there by public transport from Stoke.
Chatsworth is a stately home currently owned by Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. You could see it in some famous films like Pride and Prejudice or The Duchess.
The entrance fee is quite expensive (22 GBP for the house, garden and adventure playground + half price off the next visit, 20 GBP for house and garden, 12 GBP for the garden), but I can say it was worth it.
The building looks big from the outside and it offers plenty to see. I was stunned from the very beginning. Some castles/chateaus/stately homes don‘t have much furnishing etc. left, but Chatsworth is different. The rooms are simply beautiful. I think my favourites are the entrance hall with a big staircase and then the library.
You go on a self-guided tour and either just walk through or you can pick an info sheet in each of the rooms and read what you‘re interested in. I like this system because this way you are not limited by the scheduled guided tours, there‘s no time pressure and also you can pick what you want to read and skip the rest.
The house is also different in how it mixes historical with modern. Among old paintings and furniture you can find modern design installations. There was an exhibition called Make Yourself Comfortable which showcased various types of chairs, benches and so on. You can try everything out. Not always mixing the old with the new works out well, but this did.
You can see a great collection of minerals, a weapon collection and even works from some famous painters like Rembrandt.
I think I have already said it was worth it, haven‘t I?
After leaving the castle (through a large gift shop, of course) I found my friends who finished with the tour earlier than me and we went to explore the garden. Soon I lost them again. The garden is large and I saw probably only a half of it, but it was really pretty. There are several lakes, a maze, a fountain, a cave, a greenhouse and much more to see. (Yes, it was the maze where I lost my friends.)
Unfortunately the weather, though it‘s June now, wasn‘t very walking-friendly and because I optimistically took only a windproof jacket, I was pretty cold towards the end. So I ended up in a café where I bought myself a cup of tea. And a baguette. It was a tuna baguette. If I‘m not sure, I usually pick tuna as a safe bet, because there‘s not much to spoil. Bad luck this time, this baguette was quite damp (OK, it was in the fridge, fair enough) and the filling was totally tasteless. Fortunately in the café they had small sachets with salt and pepper, so I could improve it a bit. This baguette was the only spot on otherwise a great trip, soon forgotten because later at home I had a nice steak.
After a while I re-re-united with my friends and we set off for home. It was a great day out, I saw something new, beautiful and interesting. I definitely recommend you to visit Chatsworth.
Posted also for Monthly Travels Challenge: Discover!
Tasting the World - On the road, with stuffed hand luggage and face. Camera in my hand. 
Great photos! The details in those rooms are amazing. And the scenery around looks beautiful! 🙂
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Thanks 🙂 Chatsworth is one of the most beautiful stately homes/castles I´ve seen in the UK. And it´s true, it´s set in a beautiful piece of land – rolling hills with sheep, also near there is Bakewell, a really pretty village, but we didn´t stop there this time.
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Thanks for taking part in the challenge. Chastworth looks quite interesting, but it’s rather expensive and off the road – as you say. I prefer the places where I can get on foot/ or by public communication. 🙂
I think you might like Wilanów Palace in Warsaw. There is a beautiful garden (with hidden meaning in flower speech) and a great museum indoors. It’s easy to get there by public communication while in Warsaw (it just take a bit of time, it’s in the suburbs) and you can see also the Musem of Posters, cemetery, old church etc.
Cheers.
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Yeah, I like all types of castles, chateaus, stately homes, palaces etc. 🙂 If I ever go to Warsaw, I´ll consider visiting it, thanks for a tip.
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I have always loved castles etc. too. It’s good that there are many estates like these in Poland. Castles are always high on my priorities list. It’s fascinating how history and culture is reflected in those places.
Cheers.
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