A Visit to a Very Stately Home

Saturday July 24th

Today the plan was to go to Chatsworth so I drove them in the right direction from the campsite. All went well until they saw a sign that said that no vehicle to access to Chatsworth, so they parked in the village and decided to walk there, only to find there was no pedestrian access either. Unbeknown they had come at it from the wrong the side. By this time they had locked me all up and paid for 3 hours parking. So they asked at the local shop and the girl said go over the little bridge and turn right and you will be in Chatsworth Park. Sounded easy, but Chatsworth park is huge covering 737 hectares. However it was a lovely walk. On the way they passed a huge campsite with hundreds of tents. Turned out it was the International Scout and Guide Jamboree held in Derbyshire every 5 years. There were over 6000 people camped there.

The walk took 25mins to reach the house which suddenly appeared out from behind the trees. It was absolutely magnificent, set in the most beautiful grounds.

Ka Pai sneaked into the house for free by hiding in a bag, as the backpacks had to be handed in at the gate, but they gave us a small plastic bag to carry our cameras and phones in.

The inside is beyond description and they were glad to have bought the guide book which really let them know what they were looking at. The Devonshire collection at Chatsworth has been handed down through 16 generations of the Cavendish family from eldest son or the nearest male heir. The 11th Duke inherited 80% tax on all his land and possessions so wisely created the Chatsworth House Trust to protect Chatsworth and its collections for future generations of visitors. It was at this time that Hardwick hall was gifted to the state in lieu of tax and taken over by The National Trust. The 12th duke and his wife now pay rent to live at Chatsworth but are hands on and run it is a very smart business. The duke has been collecting contemporary sculptures to compliment and contrast with the existing works of art of which there are many. Mary and Alan could have done with twice as much time but the visit left a lasting impression.

Because they were tight for time they ate their lunch while walking back to Hemi. They then decided they had better go and see where they were going in Bakewell for the 60th birthday that evening. They found the place easily but it was obvious that there would be no parking anywhere close. They had to keep going quite a way down the road before being able to stop and reset the Tom Tom. They asked it to take them to the campsite that proved to be a bit more remote than they were expecting. It took them down some very tight country lanes and then down a narrow steep lane between some houses and they were sure it had them lost but finally they got “to our destination.”

The lady at the site told them they could get a bus in to Bakewell and they left at 20 to the hour every hour, but it was a mile into the village. So they got tidy and set out for the bus. Took just over 20 min to walk to the village where they consulted the bus timetable and it seemed there was no bus at 16.40. Askedat the pub and the publican assured them the bus came at the time. When it hadn’t come at 16.50, Mary checked again and discovered at it was due at 17.01. Much relief when it turned up at 17.08. So they got into Bakewell and then found the supermarket to stock up with supplies for the party.

They had a great time with Ann’s friends and family. At 9.30 thought it might be a good idea to try and make it back to the camp before it got pitch dark, so Tom drove us back and said he didn’t need the Tom Tom just the map, because he was Tom. Before he left he offered to take us all on his narrow boat for a weekend in October it they can fit it in. Sounds like fun to us guys but Hemi will probably sulk when he gets left behind that weekend!