Traveller's World - Derbyshire

Derbyshire

Population: 710,003 (1991)

Tourist Information: (01522) 531521

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Derbyshire

Ashbourne , Bakewell , Buxton , Castleton , Chesterfield , Derby , Glossop , Matlock , Ripley

All towns and villages in Derbyshire

The city of Derby lies on the red marl of the Trent Basin just south of the limestone uplands and millstone grits which mark the very beginning of the Pennines. With almost 1,000 square miles of countryside, Derbyshire offers a tremendous variety of scenery.

Immediately outside Derby in the Elvaston Castle Country Park, which was England's first country park; just a few miles to the north is the Peak District National Park, which was the country's first national park.

In the north, the High or Dark Peak District of brooding moorlands, peat bogs and dark gritstone outcrops tempts walkers and climber to wild, sweeping plateaux and superb rock edges. The limestone uplands of the west, sometimes known as the White Peak, offer deep limestone valleys and small stone-built villages, clear trout streams and high panoramas.

The central and southern areas of the county are more tranquil and the tourist may walk by quietly flowing rivers and visit many fine stately homes, including Hardwick Hall, "more glass than wall" - once the home of Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury (Bess of Hardwick) whose tomb is in Derby Cathedral, and Calke Abbey, "the house time forgot".

Places to visit:

Calke Abbey (01332) 863822

Hardwick Hall near Chesterfield (01246) 850430