Mehmet Murat Ildan

Marie Williams Johnstone

The room was warm and cosy leading to a lovely relaxing night’s sleep.

I packed my bags which I hadn’t been able to do the night before because of my clothes that were wet due to the Bolsover deluge. However, my fleece was still quite damp and not suitable for wearing or packing.

We checked out of the Premier Inn and drove to the Chatsworth Farm Shop Café at Pilsley for breakfast. The traditional breakfast options are big and hearty so I opted for a lighter breakfast, an almond croissant which was also enormous.

After our delicious breakfast we arrived at Chatsworth in plenty of time (despite the queue for the car park) for our 11.30 house time slot.

We reacquainted ourselves with the house and enjoyed the new exhibitions. Because of our late breakfast we decided to explore the grounds before having lunch. We enjoyed exploring the wider grounds which we have not been able to do before due to limited time available during a day trip.

We had a late lunch, sharing an egg roll, before browsing the shop where I couldn’t resist purchasing 111 Dark Places in England which Mr C had noticed in the smaller shop as we exited the house. Another lady had been captivated by the book and was chuckling with us about ‘a bucket list’ of things to do. Mr C & I had noticed that we had already visited a significant number of places on the list. I suppose that is what happens when you are interested in history.

We had a leisurely drive home, although our Satnav chose a less scenic route home than it had done for our journey to Bolsover Castle. Back home we unpacked before enjoying a lovely pork chop roast dinner.

We booked a last-minute overnighter so that we could spend a whole day at Chatsworth. Before setting off on our journey we visited mum who seemed in a better place than she had been in recent days.

As we left it was time for lunch (both mum’s and ours) so we stopped at Boscobel House for a sandwich before continuing our journey to our first port of call, Bolsover Castle.

For a long time, we had been intending to visit Bolsover and we weren’t disappointed. The property has a rich and interesting history. The first structure of the current castle dates back to 1612 to 1617 and was built by Sir Charles Cavendish. The castle was built on the earthworks and ruins of a 12^th century medieval castle built by the Peverel Family.

As we entered what is referred to as ‘The Little’ castle the heavens opened leaving us grateful that the property has a roof. The artworks painted on the walls and ceilings within are stunning. Each room has its own theme; The seasons, heaven and earth and other similar themes. We had hoped to enjoy the wall walk but when we had finished our tour of ‘The Little’ castle the rain had become even more torrential. The wall walk is Something, along with the gardens and fountain that we will have to pick up on a sunnier day.

Despite having an umbrella I got absolutely soaked walking back to the visitor centre. The rain was coming in sideways and the paths were rivers of water. My feet got soaked and one arm of my fleece was rather soggy.

Thankfully our hotel, the Premier Inn, wasn’t far away. I was soon able to shed my soggy garments and have a lovely soak in the bath and feel clean and refreshed.

Later we dined in The Divan Restaurant which serves delicious Turkish cuisine. The atmosphere was warm, welcoming and vibrant. Over the meal we realised it was a family team; mother, father and daughter. The daughter was serving us, the father was the cook and the mother checking up to see if everything was as it should be and that we were happy.

We retired to the nearby Wetherspoons Spa Lane Vaults for a nightcap. The wine I ordered, a Pinot Grigio Blush, arrived looking rather dark. Mr C queried what had been delivered and was told it was correct. One sweet saccharine sip later my taste buds were assaulted. The wine was returned, Mr C opting for a safe dry white wine rather than trying to educate the staff to serve the dry rose that Weatherspoon’s does offer.

Walking back to the hotel we enjoyed the view of St Mary’s twisted spire surrounded by mist.

Day five was the start of a mini overnight adventure…