Very impressive agree with comments of previous commentator and actually think English Heritage is…read morebetter value.

Hardwick Old Hall, run by English Heritage, stands next door to Hardwick New Hall, run by the…read moreNational Trust. However, both properties were built in the 16th century by Bess of Hardwick. I found the Old Hall by far the most interesting, though it is a ruin compared to the well-preserved New Hall. You see on this site the contrast between English Heritage and the National Trust. EH take on the ruins, and give you an audio tour which gives you the history and details about the people who lived there. NT concentrate on the interiors, art, furniture, etc, with very little information unless you ask a guide. And some of their guides collar you the minute you enter a room like an intrusive shop salesperson. So for my money, the Old Hall, despite being cold and windy, was really interesting, while the New Hall experience was dull. But if you're an 'interiors' person, you'd probably think the opposite!

Towering 160m above both what was once the old-money village of Alderly Edge (now a mecca for…read morePremiership footballers and Wags) and the Cheshire Plain in general, the edge has some of the best views of anywhere in the area thanks to the dramatic edge - a steep cliff-like drop. The edge has historic associations with, somewhat incongruously, mining and wizardry, but these days it's a great place to go for a walk with either the kids, the dog, visitors or even a solitary stroll. There are car parks at both the foot of the edge and the top (the latter is the main one) giving the option of a quick trip to the edge itself and back or a longer, more demanding up-and-down walk.

You have got to try the Paternoster lift!! You heard it here…read morefirst, although its not for the faint hearted!!

The arts tower is an amazing architechtural building,i think in total it has 19 storeys & it stands…read moreout for miles with in the Sheffield area.It is a landmark,with a great observation deck & has the best view around looking out from the top of the tower.It stands at 255 feet tall. The paternoster lift is the best ever way to travel that was invented but beware how you step onto it.Circulation isthrough 2 ordinary lifts & the rest by the paternoster at 38 cars -the largest of the few remaining in uk It was officially opened by queen elizabeth,the queen mother in 1966 There is a cafe in the basement & a student computer room on the 12th floor & the buildings can be viewed during business hours but you may have to sign in & show id,well worth a look if you are in the area

Off the beaten track this place is huge and the gatehouse is the largest remaining in the country…read more Very impressive and loved by artists. You can go inside for, a fee up, the new staircase. Within the grounds stand the ruins of the monastic buildings, notably the elegantly decorated octagonal chapter house of 1282-1308. An early example of brick building in England, it proclaimed the wool trade-based prosperity of one of the wealthiest English Augustinian monasteries. Its founder Sir William le Gros, Earl of Yorkshire, was buried here. (Will the Fat) It is free to wander around it and I find it very atmosphering at dusk and eerie. I swear I have heard whispering voices. By day it is a lovely place to visit. They say if you take stone from the abbey you will die and there is a legend that a manor house build of it suddenly collapsed. Now you will think me mad but once on a sunny day I was walking back to the gatehouse from the chapter house and found myself rooted to the spot. My friends asked what was wrong and I said I couldn't move my legs and I couldn't! They pulled me and suddenly I was free. NO idea what it was but it scared me!

Beautiful place, if you are in the area its a must.read more

Haddon Hall is a large, grand, and very interesting manor house near Bakewell, England. Part of it…read moreis kept private but a large portion of the hall and ground are open to the public, with a restaurant on the premises in the old carriage house. The buildings include sections from many different periods, from the late 12th century to the mid 17th century and the portions open to the public include the kitchen area, banquet hall, and other sections, plus portions of the grounds and walled garden. This is also a must-see site for those interesting in filming locations since many films and television shows have had scenes filmed here. This is particularly true for fans of The Princess Bride, with many scenes being filmed in the hall and on the grounds, all very recognisable. More scenes wre filmed in the general area as well. At Christmastime, it is heavily decorated and there is choir singing in the hall.

This place was absolutely awesome! Such history and inspiration for the imagination here! And if…read moreyou're any sort of period-piece movie fan, you MUST come here! You'll recognize parts of this castle (or mansion? Lol) IMMEDIATELY! They filmed parts of movies here like Princess Bride, Mary Queen of Scots, The King and the more recent adaptation of Jane Eyre with Michael Fassbender! It was so lovely all decorated for Christmas as well...they even had a bell-ringer concert going when we arrived! I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed my visit here! Parking is directly across the street and they have an easy crossing and walk up to the site. The parking lot can be muddy and they do charge you about 3gbp to park.

Our children's authors retreat took us on a truly fascinating tour of Belvoir Castle (pronounced…read morelike "beaver," because the English hate the French lmao). From the moment we arrived, the history and grandeur of the place were palpable. Our tour guide was an absolute gem! Her charm and delightful demeanor instantly reminded me of Mary Poppins - a comparison that probably screams "American tourist," but it's the most fitting image I can conjure! This adorable British lady, likely in her 50s with straight blonde shoulder-length hair, was an absolute ray of sunshine. As an art historian, she brought the castle and its inhabitants to life with a wealth of captivating stories and historical insights about the family who still call Belvoir home to this day. We even had the surreal experience of the current Duchess casually walking through our group - a seemingly ordinary brunette woman in a suit, walking barefoot! It truly underscored the fact that this isn't just a museum; it's a living, breathing family home. My favorite story was the one of Charles Cecil John Manners, 6th Duke of Rutland. Our tour guide showed us a portrait of him looking very Mr Darcy-like. She called him very inept and useless, as he was a leader of the House of Commons for only 3 weeks. But what she appreciated about him was the fact that he fell madly in love with a woman and wanted to marry her, but his family thought she wasn't good enough for them. When she got married off to someone else, the duke was so sad, he swore that if he couldn't marry her, then he would never marry at all. He kept his word, and died without ever marrying. He did scandalize society by giving his mistress a yacht in his will when he died. We also had the privilege of seeing the famous Henry VIII painting, a powerful reminder of the castle's rich historical connections. After seeing the painting in history books and the Royal Diaries volume of Elizabeth I (I grew up obsessed with the Royal Diaries published by Scholastic), it was surreal to see this painting in person. The afternoon culminated in a delightful high tea, the perfect way to soak in the atmosphere and discuss all we had learned. Finally, a leisurely stroll through the breathtaking gardens provided a serene and beautiful end to our visit. Belvoir Castle offers a fascinating glimpse into English history and aristocratic life, brought to life by wonderful storytelling and the unique experience of seeing it as a living family home.

The castle seemed beautiful but we didn't have time for a tour. Indeed we went purely for the…read moreafternoon cream tea. Their website suggests that Belvoir Castle essentially invented this great British concept. To be honest while the location is wonderful and the site is picturesque, the cream tea disappointed. £30 each but while the entire tea room was empty they crammed 5 of us at a single table that would have been fine for 2 or maybe 3 (why not push 2 tables together?). They had to cram the trays together too tightly and hence cram everything together. Because 1 of our group has prawn allergy they removed the prawn option totally for us all (maybe because they had to cram all together on the same plate). This left just 3 types of sandwich and the staff had problems knowing which was which. It seemed to be chicken (nothing special), egg (I hate egg sandwiches) and wafer thin cucumber sandwiches. In terms of the scones, Sainsbury's scones are bigger and tastier. Honestly none of us ate very much. The choice of teas was great and we all had two Pots each. Wouldn't go again sadly.

Review 500! Wowzers…read more I'm chuffed that it's this local landmark, as we walked up to Peel Monument on what was probably the loveliest, sunniest first day of Spring that I can remember. Occupying a prominent position on Holcome Hill, you can see the monument from miles around and it serves as a beacon for walkers or those of us that just enjoying getting up to it "because it's there". It's a memorial to Sir Robert Peel, born in Bury, who twice served as Prime Minister and is regarded as the father of the modern British police. On a clear day, which we were lucky coincided with our visit, you can look out across the Greater Manchester landscape to the towns, villages and moorlands beyond. Sit down on the grass and take it all in. There are public footpaths leading up to it from Ramsbottom; we didn't need a map as you could see it above you most of the time. Alternatively, there are lanes you can park on further up the hill as it's a bit of a climb, but definitely worth visiting.

It IS a shame that this once beautiful dam has been allowed to silt up. I remember as a 12 or 13…read moreyear-old going fishing at the dam, on an awful rainy day back in about 1977/78 and, at that time, the dam was still open water with no island visible in the middle, as it is today. I recall the wooden seats too, going back even further, to when I was only 4 or 5 years of age. I think also there was kiddies paddle boats too at one stage, although i may be wrong on that one. I think it's time for the dam to be cleaned up of silt, just like the Shepherd's Wheel dam, just down from Forge Dam! David, Sheffield

FORGE DAM is situated roughly five miles to the West of Sheffield city centre in the Porter Brook…read morevalley. To the North of Forge Dam about one mile away is the Fulwood district of Sheffield. The dam has seen better days, years ago it was a large expanse of open water fed by water from Porter Brook. Large flocks of geese used to visit the dam and so did ducks. Apart from these large numbers of people used to visit the dam to fish or sit on the benches that were provided for picnicers around the side of the dam. Today however, it's an entirely different scene. In the centre of the dam there is a large island that has been created by silt flowing into the dam via Porter Brook. Due to the silt island hardly any geese or ducks visit the dam now. Little black water hens with their bright orange beaks are plentiful instead. The water of the dam is black due to peat thats in the silt, the fish cannot be seen anymore, although a few people do still come to fish. The picnic benches have all gone as nobody sits any more to admire the dam and it's surrounding countryside.