My better half whisked me away to Derbyshire for two days this past week, and I must say, England has to be one of the most beautiful countries in the world. We traveled a traffic-free 2 1/2 hours from the flat fens to the rolling, sheep-covered hills of the peak district.
Upon arrival we headed underground to explore an old lead mine by boat. Thankfully I’m not claustrophobic as it was a tight squeeze at times!
Upon emerging from the depths of Speedwell Cavern, we decided to climb the heights of the nearby peak. I tried to give up many times along the way and my sweetheart even carried me a few minutes, but in the end we made it all the way to the top. And was the view ever worth it. It was the highlight of the trip for me.
We stopped in a little town called Chapelle en le Frith and grabbed some grub at the only pub in town which seemed to be serving food: The Hanging Gate. We then made our way to Sheffield and had an evening swim at the DoubleTree Hilton (I was very impressed with our hotel… especially with the warm cookies we were greeted with at the front desk!).
We spent the next day at Chatsworth House: a sprawling manor that has been passed down for 16 generations to the current Duke of Devonshire. It is where Pride and Prejudice was filmed, and boasts quite a lot of interesting history, water features and botanical gardens (there is a fascinating documentary on Netflix about it called ‘Secrets of Chatsworth House’).
After a lovely day picnic-ing by the water and touring the house and grounds, we made a quick stop in the quaint town of Bakewell. The adorable Lavender Tearoom was closed when we arrived but we had a nice time watching the fish and fowl from the locket-clad bridge and strolling through the streets decked out in flowers and British flags.
I really should have tried a Bakewell tart but as it didn’t look like my cup of tea, I had a cuppa tea and scone instead.
Have you ever been to the Peak District? Chatsworth House? Tried a Bakewell tart? What did you think? 🙂
British Words of the Day:
Mooch: a long trek/trip
Fortnight: two weeks
Clothes horse: laundry/drying/clothes rack
Airing cupboard: closet the hot water tank sits in
manual: standard (drive)
pouffe: a cushioned footstool and/or a gay person
pram: stroller
pants: underwear
knickers: women’s underwear
trousers: pants
jumper: sweater
people carrier: van
fancy: want/feel like ie) d’you fancy it?
plaster: band-aid
rubber: eraser (a rubber in Canada would mean a condom, not an eraser! Fanny is another word that can be embarrassingly lost in translation).
Sweet fanny adams: nothing at all
Put a spanner in the works: Something that messes up your plans
Do you have a favourite British word or saying?
ldr13 
Lovely photos!! I think the English countryside is sooo beautiful…I love “Pride and Prejudice” so I was excited to see your photos of the place!
Oh no…pants vs. underwear vs. knickers vs. trousers…
Thanks, it really is lovely. And yes, the British are a very confusing folk! Whenever I say pants they all think I’m talking about knickers :p I don’t think I’ve seen Pride and Prejudice yet it’s on my list of movies to watch along with “The Duchess” which is a movie based on the true story of one of the Duchesses of Devonshire named Georgaina.
I’m a little paranoid now, because the next time I find myself in England, I’m sure I’ll say, “Well, you know…I put my pants on one leg at a time…” or “Where did you get your pants? They’re so cute!”
There are quite a few versions of “Pride and Prejudice” out there. Lots of people like the mini-series with Colin Firth, but I say start with the more “Hollywood” one with Keira Knightley. Oh – she’s also in “The Duchess”…maybe that’s too much Keira? “Sense and Sensibility” is also very good!
I’ve stopped being paranoid and have just accepted that I’m that strange Canadian over here :p
That is a lot of Keira Knightley but I’m not opposed. Think I will watch both 🙂 My mom tried to get me to watch Pride and Prejudice ages ago and I thought it was “boring” so gave up on it. But in my old age I’ve begun to appreciate slower movies with nice scenery… also going to bed early… I’ll probably take up knitting next.
Awesome pictures! When I was in Scotland, my favorite British word to use was simple . . . Cheers.
Cheers!
Thank you 🙂 The photos can’t do the place justice it really is worth visiting!
I certainly hear “cheers!” a lot. My man says it so much we once had a waitress in Florida tease him about it :p I’d love to see Scotland sometime
Scotland is definitely worth visiting as well
Ahh, gorgeous! It looks like you had good weather too. I’ve never been to the Peak District but it’s definitely on my list as of right now.
PS-sorry for leaving this here, but I’ve been trying to find contact info for you to ask about some blog stuff…would you be up for emailing me at girlgonelondon@gmail.com if you get a chance? 🙂
It is so worth a visit. One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen 🙂 sure thing I will email you!