chatsworth and hunting tower
Peak District
If you would like to learn more about Bess of Hardwick, one of the richest women of 16th century and the history of Cavendish family, Chatsworth House full of historical value and an amazing place where you can spent entire day with the family.
The walking route starts from the car park near Chatsworth house, £5/day and you can buy tickets to visit the house, the garden and the farmhouse for £26/adult.
We started early in the morning with the idea to visit the entire estate and finish with a lunch at the stables but the house and garden were closed for renovation at the time. So we decided to walk around the estate and I’m glad we did.
This place is so peaceful and lovely and just few minutes from the Chatsworth House there were few deer grazing, some lambs, the perfect place to relax and enjoy the fresh air.
We started to ascend a little bit and from the hill you have the perfect views towards Chatsworth house, the Hunting tower and the estate. I could have spent all day just staying there, watching the deer and thinking about how beautiful this place can be, once the home of powerful, independent, brave Elisabeth Cavendish.
The next leg of the route, up and down on the hill, just few sheep dotting around is quite nice. Then down to Chatsworth Garden Centre, we crossed River Derwent and head toward Beeley, a lovely small village.
From there we started to ascend towards the woodland, where I found one of the big millstones that you can see all over Peak District.
Mostly if it’s very warm outside, walking through the woodland is much more pleasant and makes me wonder why don’t we plant more trees, a home for more wild life and a source of relaxation and good energy for us?
Just few miles and we reached at the top of the hill where the views were amazing. The rest of the route was more flat on the road to the Hunting Tower.
The Hunting Tower, used by the ladies to watch the hunting and now a unique property accommodating with few bedrooms, is a great gateway and location with a panoramic view. The impressive building was completed in 1582 for Bess of Hardwick and designed by the Elizabethan architect Robert Smythson. The unique Chatsworth Hunting Tower stands 400 feet above the House and on the edge of Stand Wood.
The Chatsworth House and the Hunting Tower are the impressive survivors from Elizabethan period with great architecture and great historical value.
There are only few minutes descend back to the car park but before we left this amazing place, we stopped for a delicious ice cream by the Stables. There are also few restaurant and a shop where you can stay and enjoy your meal.
The circular route is around 9.2 miles and it’s perfect for a Sunday morning hike. I would definitely go back and visit the house and the garden and see the fantastic engineering of the Emperor Fountain which uses gravity water powered system.
See below a summary of our trip.
