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.

Was not expecting what turned out to be quite an astounding house . The interiors were just…read moreamazing. The woodland walks wand lakeside areas provided excellent views.

Kedleston Hall is a stately mansion a few miles from Derby. The best ways to get there are by car…read moreor by bus (Bus No.114 to Ashbourne from Derby), the latter stops right next to the building. ATTENTION: The tickets for a visit to the house are being sold in the small ticket booth adjacent to the car park! Not inside the house itself! Kedleston Hall might not be as spectacular as some other family-owned mansions in England (Castle Howard in Yorkshire comes to mind!), but it is well worth a short trip. The rooms have all been restored to their 18th/19th century glory, and there are enough of them to keep you occupied for about an hour and a half. See my photos. Once you're done with the house, don't forget to visit the small church attached to it. It's very beautiful indeed. And you should definitely stroll through the large garden area in good weather, a fine place to unwind. The entry price (UKP 15 for an adult) is a bit steep, I must admit, but there are family options available. In the side wing you will find a small café with outside seating that offers scones and other typical English tea time niceties, and also some small meals.

Another Charles II jigsaw piece for the area, as this is another house where he stayed, bed and…read morepriest hole still there to see. The staff/volunteers are really knowledgeable, (My Nanna has had a couple of them to WI meetings to do talks on historical medicine, and I think the other one was food history). The house is well kept, and more to look round than in seems on the outside, and the gardens are lovely, especially with the resident peacocks. They also put on a lot of interesting features- there were children fencing once in blue and red masks (not historical stuff, but good starting points) and they do food-ie bits etc. Lots of nice facts and etymology thrown around too. Nice tea room and gift shop (everyone needs a national trust picnic blanket in their life)

I have been visiting this fantastic National Trust property since I was a small child and have…read moreenjoyed every subsequent visit to this day. This atmospheric Elizabethan farmhouse conceals a priest's hole and hiding places, in one of which Charles II hid after the Battle of Worcester in 1651 and thus has link with Boscobel House nearby where he also hid in an Oak tree. The actual bed on which the royal fugitive slept is also on view. With an excellent guided tour we followed the story of the King's dramatic escape from Cromwell's troops and find out about 17th-century domestic life in this historic home which has been encased in bricks during its long life. The garden has many varieties of plants in keeping with the period and has a striking knot garden following a 17th-century design (see photo) There is a great little gift shop, tea shop, plant sale and second hand book shop to peruse as well.

In the 15th century, Edward IV granted Ashby de la Zouch Castle to Lord Hastings who converted what…read morewas no more than a fortified manor house into a grand castle, adding a chapel, and the Hastings Tower. Now partly ruined, this tower remains indicative of the presence it held over the castle site, soaring to the great height of 80ft (24.2m). The main part of the tower is rectangular in plan and four storeys high, with a smaller rectangular structure, attached to the eastern wall, built to the same height but containing seven levels within. Surviving parts of the tower that stand to full height offer wonderful views across Leicestershire, as well as providing close-up inspection of the decorative semi-octagonal turrets on the remaining corners of the tower. Not being centrally located, as was more usual, Hastings Tower looks across the 'wilderness' - an area of land used as castle gardens in the 16th century - to the two smaller towers built in the south east and south west corners of this area. Each tower is quite different, one being octagonal in shape, and the other a quatrefoil. Some of the earliest buildings on the site, dating from the 12th century, can be seen in sections of wall that belonged to the Norman hall, buttery and pantry. The hall, the oldest existing structure, has undergone many changes since it was originally built but there is plenty of evidence from the early period. Similarly with the buttery and pantry, even though only the north and east walls are still standing. To the west of the hall is a much later kitchen, with 15th century windows and doorways remaining, and the passageway used to connect the North and South Courtyards either side of the original buildings. A solar, situated to the east of the hall, was extended at about the same time and still contains a 15th century fireplace. A very impressive ruin just asking to be explored. From the depths of its dark, underground passageways to the energetic climb to the top of Hastings Tower, Ashby de la Zouch is a fascinating castle. Even its proximity to a modern housing estate really does not detract from the pleasant and peaceful atmosphere within the walls.

ashby castle is a late medieval castle with lots of impressive ruins(which kids seem to like)…read moredominated by the hastings tower.there are great views of the surrounding countryside.also explore the secret tunnel from the kitchen used in the seige of ashby.they run storytelling weekends and also various theme weekends.

Very nice place to spend a day out. Beautiful gardens and helpful staff. The shopping area outside…read morehas a good selection of clothing, pottery and outdoor shops as well as several cafes and restaurants.  Look out for the 2 for 1 admission voucher to make your day even better! Free parking and plenty of space for kids to run around.

Our family love it here. Something for everyone. Kids love the ice cream, and we like wandering…read morearound the garden centre. Good place to kill a few hours on a wet afternoon.

review by fairybex has confused me. The castle is very well…read moresign posted and is directly off one of the main roads. At the entrance the parking is directly to your left (also sign posted) if there is an event happening (shakespeare or rock and blues at the castle etc) they open up a large field to the right of the entrance as extra parking space. There is a little tourist information type shop and in the summer theres a little place that sells ice creams and drinks too. There ar public toilets, a lovely herb garden and 2 routes up to the castle. One is a direct gravel path straight to the castle (not steep but can get tiring) and one route with information boards dotted around that tell you about the history of the castle and how it was built. The view from the castle is nice, can see all over Stafford. Im not sure what the opening times are for the castle, but generally its open quite alot of the time and its free to get in.

Was very difficult to find even though we could see it from the road, also parking at this place is…read morenon-existent. The castle itself is nice with lots of grounds to look around, the views from the castle are nice although you can't go into it as they are mostly ruins. Bonus is, it is free to see the castle.

From the moment you go in your welcomed by lovely staff .I love this house so calming if I'm…read morehaveing a bad day I go visit . I like they have exhibitions and regularly change things keeping it fresh to visitors just been to Dracula exhibition was fab . The staff are friendly and informative can ask them questions anytime you don't feel rushed and can stay as long as you wish . They also have things on for children And there's a lovely little garden to sit in very peaceful so well done they get a full stars from me go visit

This is an interesting Georgian house, it serves as a museum of 18th and 19th century urban upper…read moremiddle class life in Derby. The museum is a 15 minute walk from the city centre approx. Pickford's House Museum is free of charge. It's not a huge place, so you won't be spending more than 45-50 minutes there. The exhibit consists of furniture and everyday objects from the 18th and 19th centuries, "peopled" with display dummies in period costumes. You cannot walk into the actual rooms on the ground floor, they're shielded with glass panes. On the upper floor there are small displays of chinaware as well as small figurines. There is nothing spectacular about this place, but the Pickford House Museum does offer an intriguing glimpse into another time. And when you're going to the Derby Art Gallery anyway, you might as well walk further and pay this place a visit. It's free after all.

A Fascinating Day Out…read more We got a discount vouchers for this place and thought it might be interesting and it certainly was. Our guide whose name escape me just now was an absolute joy to listen to as using his knowledge he brought the whole tour alive. From the ingredients in beer to the brewing process through the ages including some beautiful vintage vehicles to the steam engine what was supposed to last 11/2 hours ended up being at least 2 hours not that it seemed to be that long. All in all we had a great time so much so that we intend to return and would certainly recommend it.

This has recently re-opened as the National Brewery Centre and has had a bit of a facelift. It is a…read moresmall museum which shows the history of brewing in Burton with a mix of machinery, video displays and wall boards. A family ticket - two adults and two children - is £27.50 which covers the museum and four drinks tasters (1/7th pint each) per person (squash for the kids, beer for the grown-ups). There is plenty of free parking. Sadly the whole thing was a bit of a disappointment. Most of the video displays were broken, the shire horses were out, and there was very little actually to experience. Anything interesting was cordoned off, so we could look at the outside of a bus, a train, some machinery, but not get close. Basically it is a small museum, with a couple of rooms of stuff in but not much to engage with. It is hard to see how they justify the new grander name of "The National Brewery Centre" and £27.50 is even harder to justify. When I was there they were doing some development work, so I hope they are expanding and improving. As of today though, one to miss.