Tim Burton owns this football club, and the town too. Or is it Burton Reynolds…read more First-Hand Experience: I've seen Burton a few times home and away and they've never been one of my faves. But their bright yellow kits and their fantastic fans make me raise them to a 4 star. And I've already had banter from some of their fans about not giving them 5 but I have to be objective. I last saw them play in 2011, and will see them play again in time. Founded only in 1960, but an excellent team nevertheless, representing this tiny little northern town with pride and keeping them in the football league with their shiny new stadium. They've been in the football league since 2009... congrats to them. They play in bright yellow which I love, and are forging an identity in an area that usually prefers rugby. They have ties to Derby County which is nearby. They play on Princess Way, and I love princesses, so.

Burton Albion's football ground, this is a newly built ground which has many facility's, you can…read morehire out the lounge part of the stadium for private functions as we went to a really nice wedding reception there, the lounge has for a bar, space for a disco, dance floor and overlooks the football pitch. This is an all seater stadium that is very impressive for such a small club.

The Cineworld cinema in Burton is situated in a large complex off Guild Street, that also includes…read moreMecca Bingo and Frankie and Bennys, amongst others. The large car park requires you to take a ticket and then pay as you leave at the pay booths; the price skyrocketing to £5 after two hours! However,the cinema gives you a ticket that gives you four free hours or if you go in the evening, the car park is free. The cinema itself has an impressive glass fronted opening into a foyer area, with a wall a televisions showing film previews and music videos. There is also an entertainment area and machine where you can pay for and collect your prepaid cinema tickets. This cinema is always busy, especially at night and absolutely packed on 'Orange Wednesdays'! Prices are a little on the expensive side, but the screens themselves are air conditioned, spacious and have very comfortable seats. The Deluxe cinema with slightly more expensive tickets even has a small bar! As usual as in any cinema, the refreshments - popcorn, hot dogs, soft drinks etc. are ridiculously expensive, the advantage of a captive audience! Overall great for watching the local blockbusters, but a little on the pricey side

Cineworld is a very friendly cinema to go to, the staff there are always chatty and join in with me…read moreand my friends when we're having silly conversations. The car park is big (attached to 2 big stores also) and there is always somewhere to park. There's an arcade inside if you show up early to ensure you get tickets or if you want to hang around with your friends after. Also the staff will be there to help you out if there is somebody in there ruining the film. Once there were some kids throwing things around so we went to get a member of staff who stood in the room watching the kids so they wouldn't do it again. It is very well air conditioned though so make sure you take a jacket!

Standing in a field for three and a half days is pretty boring,however throw in around 100 Metal…read morebands and field standing turns into the best thing you can do in the middle of August in Derbyshire. This was my 4th Bloodstock in a row,and it keeps getting better and better. One of the main draws for me is it's size,it's not stupidly big like the Downloads and Glastos of this world,this years attendance was 11000,and whilst this means they will never be able to afford the Iron Maidens and Metallica's they still sign up some decent headliners,Alice Cooper and Machine Head being 2 of the 3 headliners this year. Expect to pay the usual festival prices for things,or take your own food and booze and pop back to your tent in between bands,the size of the fest means that you are never more than 5 mins away from where you pitched. There are plenty of diverse food stalls and a decent amount of merch to buy,there are four stages,all within staggering distance of each other,and most importantly Me! If you are already a MetalHead then you may have already been to Bloodstock (Gold star for you) but if you are yet to attend a Metal fest then may I suggest you give Bloodstock a try next year? £125 for 100+ bands is money well spent,and the mighty Anthrax have already been announced for 2013! Bang your f*****g head \M/

Had a really good time at this rock/metal festival. My friend had raved about it for years so I…read morethought I'd give it a go-for one day anyway! I only knew a few of the bands but the good weather and company made up for it. I would call it a micro-Download. In comparison the site is tiny, but this makes it feel more safe and friendly and obviously much easier to get around. £70 was a lot to pay for a day ticket, plus there's £20 in parking which I think is cheeky! Also they don't take cards like at download which was annoying. I would go back if lots of bands I knew were playing/had plenty of money/guarantee of good weather! I know my friend will go back regardless!;)

Derby County are the team that are part Demolition Derby, part Kentucky Derby, and part Tess of…read morethe D'erbyvilles. They play in white, and they play football (as in soccer... derrr). First-Hand Experience: I've seen Derby play live, in person, more times than you can imagine. I saw Torres rip them to shreds. I saw them battling with Oxford even while they had several Oxford players on their books back when I was a kid. I've seen them recently at Pride Park. I always love Derby as a city and as a team and will look forward to seeing them again in the future, too. They're one of the great provincial clubs in British history, with a close affinity with managerial great Brian Clough as well as goalkeeping legend Peter Shilton. The town of Derby was wonderful to me when I played a concert there on my tour. They were one of the 12 original British clubs, as well, formed in 1884, and now playing to 33k at a beautiful new stadium known as Pride Park. Their nickname is the Rams, and even though I'm a Bull (and a Stud) I love Rams. A lot. Especially a certain Ram, she knows who she is, hi sweetie! (waves) Their current manager is Steve McLaren and I wish them the best because he's a great and underrated manager. They have probably been in the top division more than not over the years which is a great record since they're provincial. Not too much in the Prem era though. Brian Clough and Peter Taylor led them to unprecedented British League wins in 1972 and 1975 which was incredible for a provincial club to do. Clough later went on to do it at rival Forest too, which is why he's one of the legends of the game. They were also FA Cup winners in 1946, so they have a real pedigree. They once reached the Semi Finals of European Cup and lost to Juventus, again under Clough. Their badge is really cool.

If Kathy Bates was into balls (and she probably was) then this might be called the Batesballs…read moreGround, but thankfully it's not, so we can move on. First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - I was a travelling Oxford fan back in the days when both Derby and Oxford were a big deal, and intrinsically linked. I had a great time here and always loved coming up to Derby, but I have to be honest... it was a stadium that needed replacing. Or massive renovations. And the new one (Pride Park) is just so fantastic and impressive that I am not surprised they tore this one down. But I will always remember coming here in the 90s, and all the great teams and games that happened here, including a couple that I saw live in person. I've been to most UK & US stadiums, due to lifelong obsessions with travel, sport & especially footy (soccer to Americans). Born & raised in England, I followed Oxford United (hometown team) to stadia all over the country at away games, and later Liverpool (fave team) around. Every stadium review - like all my reviews - are from first-hand personal experience, usually from several visits. In 2011, I was on music tour in the UK, and visited most stadiums for fun in my spare time. As recently as Fall 2014, when I was "stuck" in UK for 3 months, I went to hundreds yet again while travelling. I have pictures of me at most, which I'll post later. Also, when back in UK I'll take more pix, and add more stadia! *** return to regular review *** It was demolished just a few years ago, after being the stadium of the great club Derby County (and the home of the champions in Brian "Brain" Clough's days) from 1889 until 2003. Over a hundred years of history, now vanished. In all honesty, even with its 42k standing capacity, and especially with its 18k final capacity, it was never the best stadium in the league, in fact it was one of my least faves. But for all the great memories and for the fact that it's now consigned only to memories, I'll give it a solid 3. Speaking of solid, check this out. (Pulls down pants).

A National Trust property situated near Ticknall in Derbyshire, Calke Abbey is set in stunning…read morecountryside. The interior of the house hasn't been restored and is fairly unimpressive - but the grounds and gardens are lovely. If you're feeling energetic there are various long walks that can be done around/through the parkland (leaflets available at the ticket booth I think with suggested routes), or just wander around the church and gardens. The walled gardens are really pretty and tranquil. There's also a gift shop and tea room which serves lovely scones - perfect for afternoon tea, although it can get quite busy at weekends and Bank Holidays. The perfect time to visit Calke Abbey is in springtime when the lambing takes place. Several hundred lambs are born which you can see - they're so cute! You have to pay for car parking (£3.60) and then separately for the house/garden, although NT members get in free.

Cant believe Calke abbey has been on my doorstep and i hadnt visited before! Im not a gardening fan…read moreand know very little about flowers and plants but the gardens here are beautiful. Felt like i was in the secret garden! I also loved the sundial situated outside the main house. The church on the grounds, St Giles is also worth a visit, small but still used. the views are lovely. As a National Trust member i entered the grounds free of charge so i defintley recommend that you become one as you will want to visit Calke abbey more then once.

Sudbury Hall is National Trust property in the heart of Derbyshire. The car park is a fairly large…read moremarshalled area, on the opposite side of the road to the house, so there is a small walk to the house (disabled parking is to the rear of the house). The car park does fill up quickly though, so to avoid being shepherded onto the overspill field, get there for mid morning. The walk to the Hall snakes through the grounds, which are punctuated with mature trees like sweet chestnut and ash. The hall itself is a very impressive building with an imposing façade, which has been kept in magnificent condition. The path then splits, one side takes you to a church, whilst the other takes you into a courtyard of sorts, which houses the cafe, shops and the Museum of Childhood. There is also a temporary marquee, in which for small fee, you can learn a craft. Beyond this area is sizeable area of gardens and the front of the hall, which made for some great photographs. The grounds are well kept, but be aware that they are adjacent to large lake, frequented by Canada Geese and Swans, so tread carefully to avoid their numerous droppings! The cafe at Sudbury Hall is fairly large with both outdoor and indoor seating, with indoors having two levels. A good range of both hot and cold dishes, as with most National Trust properties, strawberry desserts, soups, casseroles, flapjacks etc. I plumped for what was obviously a homemade cheese scone, looked great, tasted awful, because it was way too salty. I can eat most things, but this was quickly put to one side, just proves looks can be deceptive! I was a bit sceptical about the Museum of Childhood being less than impressive, but I'm glad to report that these fears where unfounded. It was a fascinating insight into the history of toys and childhood, which worked with everybody because being young or old, there were toys here that sparked the memories. In the main room there was also three bedrooms from around the 1940s, 1970s and 1990s, stuck to the ceiling, a great use of space! One thing that struck me as we finished our visit was how well old toys were made in the past, rather than the built in obsolescence of today's counterparts.

National Trust property situated in Sudbury, near Ashbourne, Derbyshire. This beautiful 17th…read morecentury house is well worth a visit. The house itself is beautiful, as is the Museum of Childhood. My favourite though is the gardens which back on to a river. There's a small gift shop and tea room or take a picnic. It's free to park but about £6 for adults to visit the house and garden, or just over a pound for just the garden. National Trust members get in free.