Park Farm

Start getting to know your surroundings with a walk – you can head straight out onto footpaths around the site, hit the nearby Five Pits Trail or take your boots into the Peak District National Park (half an hour's drive). Something different, but still outdoorsy? There’s fishing at Meadow Farm Pond (10 minutes), horse riding days at Derbyshire Pony Trekking (20 minutes) and watersports at Carsington Water (40 minutes) – or you could just stroll around Matlock (20 minutes) or Bakewell (35 minutes). Getting a sense of the area’s history might involve an outing to see the impressive National Trust - Hardwick Hall (10 minutes), an Italian-Renaissance-style house with gorgeous gardens and an excellent collection of furniture and needlework. Crich Tramway Village (20 minutes) is another good place to get a sense of the past as you ride the vintage trams and wander along a recreated period village street. The big hitter among all of the local attractions is the Chatsworth Estate (half an hour), where you should find it easy to fill a day out between the various attractions including the farmyard, adventure playground and farm shop as well as the fabulous house and gardens.