Join Laura Fletcher-Newbold as she discovers all there is to find that’s dog friendly about Derbyshire, including visits to Chatsworth and the Ladybower reservoir
Chatsworth Garden
My husband Liam and I started our mid-week getaway at the pretty village of Edensor in Derbyshire, on the Chatsworth Estate. We set off early and decided to try the Edensor Tea Cottage for breakfast. The small tearoom is dog friendly throughout, but as it was a warm, sunny morning, and our German Shepherds Klaus and Beorn are rather large, we opted to sit outside in one of the various seating areas. Klaus and Beorn were excited to see the ‘Doggy Station’ outside the tea rooms, which are supplied with free treats, bottles of water, roll up beds and toys for your furry friend to enjoy during your visit. After enjoying our tasty breakfasts, we then drove across the main road into the grounds of the magnificent Chatsworth House.
View over Win Hill
Chatsworth has been home to 17 generations of the Devonshire family for nearly five centuries, and comprises a Grade I listed house and stables, a 105-acre garden, a 1822-acre park, a farmyard and adventure playground, and one of Europe’s most significant private art collections. We decided to try and walk off our breakfast to begin with, so we chose one of the signposted trails to follow. The suggested walks vary in length but are equally beautiful as you explore Chatsworth’s extensive grounds and woodland.After our walk, we decided to have a walk around Chatsworth Gardens. Joseph Paxton was the pioneering young horticulturist who was brought to Chatsworth as head gardener in 1826 and proved to be the most groundbreaking garden designer of his era; he remains the greatest single influence on Chatsworth’s garden. Today, the garden is managed by a team of 20 gardeners, three trainees and 50 volunteers, and includes over five miles of walks with rare trees, shrubs, streams and ponds to discover. There is also the 300-year-old Cascade, Maze, Rockery, Rose, Cottage and Kitchen Gardens and Paxton’s striking gravity-fed Emperor Fountain, named after Czar Nicholas, Emperor of Russia. Although the czar never visited Chatsworth, the new fountain was still named after him.
Ladybower Reservoir Dam
Having well and truly walked the paws off the boys, we returned to the car and travelled the short distance to Peak Village Outlet Shopping Centre. The outdoor shopping village comprises a plethora of different shops, including Cotton Traders, Denby Pottery, The Works, Pavers and Regatta alongside smaller, unique businesses and gift stores, all of which are dog friendly. After our active morning, we treated ourselves to an afternoon tea (that we had booked the day before) at one of the restaurants, Chatsworth Kitchen, where the food and drink is sourced from the Chatsworth estate and producers and makers from across the Derbyshire Dales. We then drove to our accommodation for the next few days, Losehill House Hotel and Spa, which was redeveloped as a luxury country house hotel and spa and inhabits a private spot on the side of Losehill with wonderful views overlooking Win Hill. Our dog friendly room was located on the ground floor around the side of the hotel, which provided a private space for us to enjoy with our two dogs. Before our evening meal, we visited the spa facilities in the hotel. The hotel boasts a small pool, sauna and steam room with a variety of spa treatment options available. Liam’s favourite part is the outdoor hot tub with a panoramic view of the incredible scenery that surrounds this hidden gem. Dogs are allowed to be left in the rooms while you use the spa facilities or main dining room. After our relaxation session, we got ourselves ready for the evening meal, which was included in the price of our stay. The food at the Grafene restaurant is incredible and impeccably presented. Once we finished our three-course dinner, we headed to bed.
Lea Gardens
We started the next day with a delicious full English breakfast in the hotel’s dining room, which overlooks the beautiful grounds and landscape surrounding the hotel. Klaus and Beorn were raring to go, so we decided to drive to the quaint village of Youlgreave for a walk along the river there. The journey took about half an hour and there is a small car park at the top of the village, then a short walk down the hill from the main street. Klaus and Beorn had a wonderful time burning off some energy by swimming in the river, parts of which we were told are popular for wild swimming in the summer. Afterwards we drove the short 10-minute journey to visit the town of Bakewell. The biggest town in the Peak District, Bakewell is renowned for the notorious Bakewell Pudding, or ‘jam tart that went wrong’ which was allegedly created by mistake by a local cook in the mid-19th century,and is now famous all over the world. Bakewell is full of lovely little cafes and shops, many of which are dog friendly, but we had decided to spend the afternoon at the village of Eyam, so we drove the 20 minutes there to find somewhere to have some lunch. There are several small cafes in the village of Eyam, and we chose The Village Green Cafe. The dog friendly cafe serves breakfast, lunch, drinks and cakes, using small local producers who work sustainably and ecologically. If you are an Earl Grey tea lover, I insist on drive the 20-minutes there for our lunch. The bookstore is a lovely hidden gem which comprises a range of gifts and books at very reasonable prices, which you are welcome to peruse at your leisure. It was also a lovely surprise to be told that, as teachers, we were given a discount at the till for the books we had bought. After buying our books, we queued for a table in the small cafe. The cafe offers a range of delicious breakfast, lunch, cake and drink options to choose from. Although still full from our delicious lunch, we knew there was an ice cream parlour close to the bookstore and so we had to try it. Tagg Lane Dairy is a five-minute drive from High Peak Bookstore and well worth a visit. The artisan Jersey ice cream is made using the milk and cream from their award-winning Jersey herd and there are many mouthwatering flavours to choose from.
Edensor Doggy Station
Dogs are allowed to join you at the outdoor seating area. As it was our last night at Losehill, we had decided to upgrade our three-course evening meal to the seven-course ‘Taste of Losehill’. All of the courses were spectacular and it was a special way to finish our stay. After our final breakfast, we checked out of Losehill, ready to make our way back home. Fifteen minutes away, we parked at the Upper Derwent Visitor Centre, where there is a picturesque 5.5-mile walk around the Ladybower Reservoir. The history prior to the reservoir being built is a fascinating story, as it was home to two villages: Derwent and Ashopton, which were bought by the Derwent Valley Water Board between 1935 and 1945. The villagers were rehoused close to the village of Bamford. The remains of both villages disappeared under the waters as Ladybower Reservoir was filled in 1945, but eerily, when the water level drops very low, such as in the summer of 2018, parts of the ruined village of Derwent can be seen once more. Our final stop was at Lea Gardens, which is a stunning rhododendron garden close to Matlock in Derbyshire. The large, dog friendly, woodland garden is open in spring and early summer annually, and boasts over 500 varieties of rhododendrons, azaleas and other plants. Visiting the teashop after walking round the gardens is a must, as the homemade cakes are to die for. We ate lunch outside with Beorn and Klaus at a table overlooking the amazing, colourful display of rhododendrons and azaleas, and thought what a way to finish a perfect few days.
Chatsworth Garden Cascade
FACT FILE
Losehill Hotel and Spa
ADDRESS Lose Hill Lane, Edale Road, Hope Valley, S33 6AF
CONTACT Via website
PRICE From £770 including breakfast for 3 nights, discount for taking dinner as well (up tp 15% off) £20 extra charge for dogs and wellbehaved dogs can be left in the room while you use the spa facilities/restaurant.
WEBSITE http://losehillhouse.co.uk
USEFUL LINKS
Chatsworth Gardens – chatsworth.org
The Village Garden Cafe, Bakewell Town, cafevillagegreen.com
Castleton Caverns – visitcastleton.co.uk
Peveril Castle – english-heritage.org.uk
Tagg Lane Dairy – tagglanedairy.com
Upper Derwent Visitor Centre – peakdistrict.gov.uk
Lea Gardens – leagarden.co.uk
