Wardlow Wells Farm

Get to grips with stately manor life at the Chatsworth Estate (20-minute drive), where you can wander through the house and pretty gardens, home to fountains, sculptures and a rock garden. There’s also a farmyard and playground here, as well as a couple of eateries to keep your energy up. Not content with just one? Make it a trio of stately home visits with trips to Haddon Hall (half an hour), with its grand Tudor hall and Elizabethan gardens, and Hardwick Hall (35 minutes), where there’s an Elizabethan hall, gorgeous gardens and countryside to navigate. Bolsover Castle (half an hour) is worth a look, too – the views over Derbyshire from here are smashing. Family days out nearby include Gulliver's Kingdom theme park (25 minutes) and Heights of Abraham (25 minutes), a hilltop park with underground caverns and play areas, which is reached by cable car. If you’re in search of more adrenaline hits, a visit to Alton Towers theme park (an hour) should take care of your needs.