Stanfree Road Farm

For active family days out in the fresh air, Clowne Branchline Greenway (15 minutes by bike) promises gentle rides along a former railway line. It links into the multi-use Archaeological Way, which passes old collieries on its way to the gorge and museum at Creswell Crags (both half an hour). There are more adventures to be had in the Peak District National Park (half an hour’s drive), like hiking along the banks of the River Derwent or maybe testing yourselves on a section of the Pennine Way from Edale (an hour). If you’d like to tick a few stately piles off your to-see list, the spectacular Chatsworth House (40 minutes) is open for tours of its sumptuous apartments and scenic walks through landscaped grounds. Nearby is majestic Hardwick Hall (20 minutes), where you can admire Elizabethan architecture at its best, while at hillside Bolsover Castle (10 minutes) there is a circular rampart walk with views over the Vale of Scarsdale. Still not had your fill of history? Head to Chesterfield (20 minutes) to marvel at the twisted steeple on the Crooked Spire church.