14 May 2014

Today started off at a good hour so we could get started on our tour of Derbyshire. This is a county that I have wanted to see because it was reported to be so beautiful in "Pride and Prejudice." This is where the famous Mr. Darcy’s home is situated at a factitious estate called Pemberly. When the A&E production of "Pride and Prejudice" was filmed in the 1990's, they used the exterior of a house in Derbyshire called Lyme park for Pemberly. There are some famous scenes from the film that take place there, so once I found out Lyme Park was the location, she was determined to see it. The other thing Ireally wanted to see was Stonage Edge. This is a cliff of boulders that overlooks beautiful sweeping landscapes of Derbyshire. Again, back to the film, the heroin takes a walk over the peaks to enjoy the sights and this location reminded her of that.  Mom did some reading in her traveler’s guide and they recommended some large estates nearby. One was Chatsworth which is very old, very big, and very beautiful. I liked the idea also because it is a house that is referenced in the film ‘Pride and Prejudice" (but not the book). It was supposedly a place they had visited.

We enjoyed a continental breakfast at the hotel. Loaded the car, and began our journey. Our first stop was Chatsworth. In fact, we actually arrived before they opened which gave us plenty of time to walk around the grounds and take pictures. It is absolutely beautiful and very grand, indeed!

Chatsworth with fish eye lens

View of the house from the front

Bridge we drove over to get to the house

The grass was a very bright green and we had lots of sunshine which set off the property very well. The little stream running in front of the house was idyllic. A three-day equestrian event was being set up on the grounds and what a lovely setting to have it, too!

Once the house opened, we were able to start a tour. Once you are inside, you really appreciate the grandeur of the place.

Chapel

Huge amethyst stone

Egyptian art

Painting of the goddess Diana

It looks large from the outside, but the huge rooms which vaulted ceilings and corridor and corridor of art collections makes you feel more like you are in a museum or a cathedral than a residence. But actually, the Duke of Devonshire still has his home here! One painting we kept our eye out for was painted by John Singer Sargent of three young ladies who were related to the then owners of the property.

John Singer Sergeant painting - photo by Mom

Another point of interest was that Mary Queen of Scotts was imprisoned on the property during the reign of Elizabeth I. We saw multiple bedrooms while we were there but we never was sure if any of them were the one she stayed in.

One of many bedrooms - photo by Mom

There was also a section of the house set up to show what it looked like during WWII when it was a girls’ school, safe from the bombing in the middle of the country.

Room set up as a dormitory with video in the background - photo by Mom

Military and school uniforms

After touring the house, we went out to the back gardens and enjoyed walking around and viewing the famous fountain.

In front of the famous Chatsworth fountain - taken by Mom

Then it was on to Lyme House. We knew the house was closed for the day, but I was mostly interested in the exterior anyway, since that is all of the house that was used in the film. As we turned down the long drive to the house, I thought of the film where Lizzy also remarks on how long the drive is. We watched for the first glimpses of the beautiful house just as Lizzy did and felt like we were in the story

Front of Lyme Park - taken by Mom

(although in the film, it looks like they approach the back of the house instead of the front.)

Back of Lyme Park with Reflection Lake - taken by Mom

We were so hungry by then, that we made our first stop at the café.

Café - taken by Mom

We got a cheese, mayo, and red onion sandwich, parsnip and pumpkin soup with a roll, and one slice of Victoria Sponge cake. Not bad at all!

Then we started a walk along the property, as the map showed "Darcy’s Lake" made famous by the film because there is a scene where he dives into it. As we started the walk in that direction, we met a nice couple with a dog and we asked them if they had seen the lake. They said they hadn’t. So we tried to walk a different way off the path but soon began to realize that it was going to be a very long walk before we made it to the lake. So we abandoned that idea and headed up to the house so we could go in the gardens. A nice volunteer gave us a ride on a cart from the car park up to the house. Once we arrived, I recognized it from the film when Lizzy is handed into the carriage!

Me in front of the entrance to Lyme Park ("Pemberley") - taken by Mom

Then we entered a courtyard, again used in the film when Mr. Darcy comes down from changing into dry clothes so he can greet his guests properly! Had to take a photo there!

Me on "Mr. Darcy's Stairs" in the courtyard - taken by Mom

Then on to the gardens. Sadly, we had only about an hour to see everything before closing. We followed the tour as laid out on a map we were loaned.  I recognized many of the gardens from the film as Lizzy and her aunt and uncle make their own tour of the property.

Dutch Garden - taken by Mom

  I also recognized what looked like the area where they all took a long walk with Mr. Darcy down to the lake.

Steps and walkway that Mr. Darcy and Lizzy take during her visit

It was extremely picturesque and we enjoyed all of the nature around us. The rhododendron path was particularly enjoyed by Mom!

Mom in front of the large rhododendrons she loved

Once closing time arrived, we ambled down to the car, taking more pictures as we went. Then it was on to Stonage Edge. Unfortunately, the GPS didn’t have it as a point of interest and we didn’t have a proper paper map yet.  I remembered nearby towns but the GPS didn’t recognize them either. Apparently, she was spelling them wrong! Eventually, we started driving in the right direction and stopped at a gas station to buy a map. They did not have atlases for the whole of the country, so we just looked at a local map and figured out what town to navigate towards.  On the way, we drove through this incredibly narrow gorge which was very dramatic.  Once we got that far, we looked for signs and roads we had seen on the map to no avail. So we stopped at a pub and went in to ask.

Yorkshire Bridge Inn where we got directions - taken by Mom

The barkeep was very helpful and gave us great directions. We were actually very close to the turnoff!  Mom admired the menu and found the whole place quite charming (yes, that's right, I said Mom found a pub charming!). We said our thanks and then got back in the car. With the new directions, we found our way to the car park quite easily. We even got out of paying to park because of how late it was. We quickly saw that it was going to be quite a climb to get to the top, but Mom said she was up for it, so we started out.

A portion of the stony ridge - taken by Mom

I'm heading up the steep hill on the first part of the path - taken by Mom who was often behind me on walks

After getting part way up, we could see another car park further up the road and people walking a smoother trail from there to the top. We decided since we had come that far we wouldn’t turn back. It took some time, but eventually we got to the base of the boulders.

The stony wall under the cliff with rock climbers at the base - taken by Mom

Large bolder - taken by Mom

Mom next to one of the bolders

We had to stop at that point as it looked to difficult to go further. The views from this level were spectacular!

View from the top - taken by Mom

 Several people were practicing rock climbing (no repelling) and we nervously watched them using their bare hands to find and hold on to cracks in the boulder’s face as they made their way up and down.

Rock climbers - taken by Mom

Then suddenly Mom said she thought we could make it the rest of the way if we tried. So we started to climb higher.  Mom got about half way up and decided not to tempt fate as we would still have to come down!  I, however, actually made it to the very top! The view was amazing up there!

Me at the very top, taking a load off - taken by Mom

Being on the top of the cliff reminded me of Table Mountain in South Africa as the top was relatively flat.

 

Getting down took longer and was pretty strenuous, but we made it. Once we were in the car, we were hungry and tired! So we went back to the pub we had seen for supper. We ordered quiche and fish and chips and both of us tried both dishes. Very good!

Our table at the Yorkshire Bridge Inn - taken by Mom

Yorkshire Bridge Inn

Then on to the next hotel in Ilkley which is in Yorkshire! It took over an hour to get there and it was tricky because we didn’t have a street number. But it wasn’t that hard to find once we found the road. This hotel is much better kept than the last one.

The Craiglands Hotel, Ilkley - taken by Mom

No funny smells or weird photos on the wall! Our room was nicely decorated and comfortable.

Time to crash!