Sunday, April 21, 2024

We both were up and packed our suitcases and backpacks and headed to the Manchester train station. It was cold! Bought pastries and coffee there and then got on board for our first adventure. 

Off we went and the countryside was beautiful. Spring had just sprung and it showed. We arrived at Sheffield Station and then transferred to a cab as the bus was going to be too late to arrive to keep on our schedule. I am glad we did this as it was a real opportunity to see the Peak District countryside. A real gem! 

As we arrived at Chatsworth*, I was very excited as I had wanted to see this my whole life. Maybe it was the Darcy connection? It was amazing. We took a self guided tour and spent a lot of time in the shop, including kissing the Darcy bust for good luck! We had a pastie for lunch and promised each other we would learn to make them. It was another Indian filling and we loved it. We wanted to walk the gardens but I said to Mary we should check the bus schedule first. Thank goodness, as the bus left in five minutes! And we had to make it for our train connection. So we hopped on the bus to Sheffield and sat on the top deck of the double decker in the first row, laughing and enjoying the whole way. A moment in life not to forget! Luckily, we made the train on time to Manchester and once arrived, went to a Japanese restaurant and had a wonderful meal of pho with a great cherry blossom cocktail and beers. Another night of falling into bed.

*Chatsworth is the home belonging to generations of the Devonshire family  surrounded by the beautiful rugged landscape of the Derbyshire Dales.

Chatsworth House has an impressive twenty-five rooms for visitors to explore and contains a plethora of artwork and historical artefacts ranging from Roman sculptures to artistic masterpieces by Rembrandt.

The building itself is an architectural gem which has played host to a variety of events and provided the filming location for famous film and television productions, perhaps most notably Jane Austen‘s “Pride and Prejudice”.

Situated not far from the picturesque market town of Bakewell, Chatsworth House began its life in the hands of the Leche family in the fifteenth century when a house was built in the parklands, turning it into a large estate.