The perfect itinerary for 6 days in the Peak District, UK in the winter

Day 3: Chatsworth House

On the next day of my 6 days in the Peak District UK in the winter, I visited Chatsworth House. Chatsworth is probably the most famous stately home in the UK, and there’s plenty to do here. So it’s worth spending a whole day at Chatsworth to really make the most of everything it has to offer.

Chatsworth House is yet another famous filming location in period dramas. You’ve probably worked out by now that I love period dramas and visiting the filming locations for them! And Chatsworth House was definitely worth a visit.

Chatsworth House

I started my day exploring the house. It was decorated for Christmas when I visited, which was beautiful. Check the website here to see if you need to book your visit online before going. At Christmas, all visits had to be booked online with a timed entry slot to the house.

The house was so impressive, and the Christmas decorations just made it even better. Each room was just stunning.

The only downside for me of visiting Chatsworth House at Christmas was that it was very busy. It was sometimes difficult to get nice photos without loads of people in, and sometimes I had to queue to get into the next room. I still really enjoyed the house, but I would have enjoyed it even more if they had restricted the ticket numbers slightly to give visitors a bit more space.

One of the rooms towards the end of the tour of the house was the sculpture room. And – you guessed it! – this room was used in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice film. When Elizabeth Bennet visits Pemberley in the film, they do a scene where she walks around the sculptures in this room.

The gift shop highlights the reference to the 2005 Pride and Prejudice film. You could buy the sculpture of Mr Darcy that they used in the film! I managed to resist buying one, but I still very much enjoyed taking a photo with Mr Darcy.

Chatsworth Gardens

As well as the beautiful house, Chatsworth has lovely gardens as well. It was a bit cold and drizzly when I visited, but I still enjoyed the gardens. I can imagine they would have been even more lovely in the summer with colourful flowers.

The fountain and water in front of Chatsworth House is one of the best places to take photos. This is often the iconic image of Chatsworth that’s used in films and promotions. However, be warned – this is a slight Instagram vs Reality moment. Here’s the photo I took of the house reflecting in the water, like the promotional images of Chatsworth show.

But here’s the photo from just a slightly different angle. The lake isn’t anywhere near as big as it looks, and it’s actually quite far away from the house. It’s still nice, but I was surprised when I saw what it actually looks like. To get that ‘perfect’ photo you have to bend down right next to the water – so it’s not really an accurate representation of what it really looks like.

Lunch at Chatsworth

There are several cafes and places to eat at Chatsworth. However, another downside of it being very busy on the day I visited was that there were very long queues at the indoor cafes and restaurants. The sign outside said it was over an hour’s wait. I ended up getting a hotdog from one of the market stalls just outside. It was nice, but it would have been nice to sit down somewhere warm if the queues had been shorter. The hot chocolate was lovely though!

Chatsworth Farmyard

Chatsworth also has a farmyard, which is worth visiting after lunch. It’s a great place for children, but I definitely enjoyed it as an adult as well. I enjoyed seeing the sheep, pigs, horses and donkeys.

Christmas Light Trail

During the Christmas season, Chatsworth also has a light trail in the gardens. It’s worth staying at Chatsworth until it gets dark to fully appreciate the lights. I really enjoyed seeing the light trail. There were some parts that were set to music as well which was nice. It was a really nice ending to a lovely at at Chatsworth.

Day 4: Winnats Pass, Caves, Castleton and Cave Dale

On Day 4 of my 6 days in the Peak District UK in the winter, I spent the day around the village of Castleton and its many attractions. There’s lots to do around here so you can easily fill a day here.

Winnats Pass

Winnats Pass is one of the most photographed places in the Peak District. It’s really easily accessible, so that might be why. The road literally runs through the middle of it, so seeing the views here doesn’t require any walking at all. You can just take photos from the car (if someone else is driving, of course).

If you want to take photos outside the car, you can pull over. Or you can park near the end of Winnats Pass and then walk back into it easily.

I really enjoyed seeing the steep sides of the gorge as the road wound its way through the middle. The most scenic part probably only lasts for a minute or so, but it’s still a lovely place to drive for views.

Blue John Cavern

This part of the Peak District also has many caves to explore. I chose to explore Blue John Canvern. It gets its name from the Blue John stone that is mined here.

You can only visit these caves by a guided tour, but the tours go frequently so you won’t need to wait too long. But be aware – there are a lot of narrow steps in the cave. It’s definitely one of the less easily accessible ones I’ve been too. There are 245 steps down into the cave, and some of them are in quite narrow passageways. You can still stand up fully, but you’ll need to be holding the handrails. And then there are 245 steps back up again – which is quite a lot!

You don’t do all the steps in one go. The guide stops frequently at different points of interest and gives some information. This is a perfect time to take photos as well. My favourite spot was one where you could really clearly see the purple minerals in the rocks. It was a really lovely colour. The whole tour, with a bit of waiting around, took about an hour and was definitely worth doing. Check out the opening times of the caves here.

Castleton Village

Castleton Village is a pretty village and the perfect place to stop for lunch after exploring the caves. There’s a good selection of tea rooms and pubs here. And it’s also lovely to just wander around the old streets and browse some of the shops. Park in the car park next to the visitor centre, and have a quick look around the museum in the visitor centre as well.

Cave Dale

My final stop for the day was Cave Dale. You can walk here from the village of Castleton, so you can leave your car in the car park and not have to worry about finding any more parking. The views in Cave Dale are similar to Winnats Pass, in that you have the steep green sides of the gorge rising high above you. But I really liked that there weren’t any cars here to get in the way of the views.

You can also see up to Peverill Castle, at the top of the gorge. It’s a great view and really gives you an idea of the scale of the scenery.

I didn’t spend too long at Cave Dale because the daylight was starting to fade – it really does get dark early here in the winter. But if I had more time, I’d have liked to have walked further and explored more of this stunning area.