Chatsworth House

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We set off from York to go to Bakewell today. This is a halfway stop on our way to Wales, so we are just staying the one night. Our aim was to visit Chatsworth house, before going on to a small B and B near Youlgreave. We arrived at Chatsworth mid morning and parked the car. We were surprised at how full the car park was, especially as it was not a weekend and the weather was not fantastic! ( We later found out that Chatsworth is the most visited stately homes in England) We started our visit in the house. As the Duchess of Devonshire is interested in fashion- as is one of her children as well, Stella Tarrant - the emphasis on the display in the house at present is fashion. It also has a huge collection of paintings. There were a lot of people in the house, and it was quite difficult to see everything. It is very grand, with many paintings and frescoes on the ceilings. There is also a lot of memorabilia- most of it connecting with royalty and the links the family have with royalty. We decided to keep moving and so got a feeling for the house, rather than worry about detail. Our impression was of grandeur, and making the family's mark in the society in which they lived. The house is also undergoing refurbishment, so in places scaffolding obscured the house. After the house we went up to the stables for lunch. Then we spent time walking around the very large gardens. There we many different areas to the gardens, the design of which had been begun by Capability Brown. The trees and gardens are beautiful and e enjoyed discovering many different areas. There was a cascade, just like in Kassel, as well as some rookeries, woodland areas and a large water jet. Around 4 we decided to move on, stopping in Bakewell to have a look around before going out to Grafton Grange farm. The road out was mainly one lane, so at times a bit scary when there was a car coming in the other direction! A warm welcome from Kate at the farm and some ideas about where to get dinner, before a rest in our room. Dinner was at the Youlgreave pub - a typical pub meal of steak and chips!

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