Finding Chatsworth: A Country Walk With A Roast Dinner

This walk has some gentle hills from the start allowing us to take in some lovely countryside views of the Chatsworth Estate.

Our first stop the custom-built village of Edensor (pronounced 'Enza') in Chatsworth Park, specially commissioned by the 6th Duke of Devonshire features a delightful hotch-potch of traditional house designs, from mock Tudor to Swiss cottage.

The 6th Duke decided to demolish the old estate village and rebuild it out of sight in the 19th century, because it spoiled his view of the estate from Chatsworth. Access then, as now, was through a white estate gate.

The graceful spire of the church of St Peter dominates the village skyline, and many fine monuments to the Cavendish family can be found inside the building. In the churchyard, a special area is reserved for the family's graves.

Next you will see the classic view of the stately house from the bridge and we may catch sight of the deer too. 

I am planning to have Sunday lunch at Baslow Wheatsheaf at the half way point of this walk. There is also a cafe nearby or you could bring a packed lunch instead. The pub does not allow table booking so the plan is for us to arrive just before midday to get first dibs on the bar area. You can see the menu on the link above and there will also be Roast DInners from £9.95.

After lunch there is one steep hill that we will take at an easy pace - the views of the hunting tower and Swiss Lake at the top are worth it. 

The ground can be uneven in places so good walking shoes are recommended. A lot of the walk is on good paths or tracks, but please do expect some mud as we will be passing through woodland and onto high moorland before our final descent to the carpark. 

We can have a well deserved cup of tea and cake at the garden centre before we depart home.

The parking fee is £4.00 and there should be plenty of spaces.

Photos were taken by Finding Nemo mid January 2019, so you can expect the scenery to be far nicer by April!