I bid farewell to the minster and boarded a train in York at 7:45 am. (I actually did say goodbye to the cathedral, as I passed by it on my walk to the station. Giving places "one last look" always makes me sad. Who knows if or when I will get back.) I was headed to a town called Matlock with a train change in a city called Derby. My ultimate destination was a village called Bakewell and my main objectives here were to visit a couple of stately homes -- Haddon Hall and Chatsworth House.
I arrived at Matlock at 10:07 am and my next task was to find the correct bus stop to get myself to Haddon Hall. I had done a ton of research on bus routes before I left and more research again the night before this journey. I was finding somewhat conflicting information. Of all things, figuring out the bus situation on this part of the trip was the most stressful thing for me.
I had to walk a bit to find the bus stop. I don't even know how people functioned before cell phones and Google Maps. How did we figure anything out?! I still wasn't super confident that I was at the right bus stop. I had to flag the bus down (I had read that I should do this) and confirmed that I was headed in the right direction from the bus driver. I kindly asked if he would tell me where to get off the bus since I didn't know where I was going. This being a local bus system, people obviously know where they are going for the most part. The bus driver was awesome and gave me a heads-up a minute or so before I was to alight and then he pointed me in the right direction to actually get to Haddon Hall. I was so grateful for him!
Haddon Hall was essentially just across the street from where I was dropped off at the bus stop. I rolled up to the ticket window (literally -- I had my suitcase with me) and the woman gave me a 20% discount because I rode the bus. Cool! She showed me where I could store my bag while I explored. It's so awesome when points of interest offer this; not everywhere does.
Haddon Hall does guided tours, but I was a bit early for the next one so I was encouraged to go enjoy the gardens while I waited and boy, did I enjoy them. I think I audibly gasped when I walked out and saw the gardens.
I suppose a little about Haddon Hall is necessary. It's an English country house where the Duke of Rutland used to reside. Its origins date back to the 11th century and it has lived through various periods of repair and disrepair since then.
I honestly could've spent all day in these gardens, especially if the sun would've come out! I did go on the tour and it was very enjoyable and informative. I especially loved the chapel. The dining room of Haddon Hall was used in a scene of Pride & Prejudice (2005), which is kind of how it came on my radar.
We were encouraged after the tour to just explore on our own, so I asked a woman who volunteers there to take my photo in the long gallery. Long galleries were built in many houses at a time when it was being discovered that exercise was beneficial. And given the variable English weather, they needed somewhere to walk about.
Should've done something different with my hands.
You can't really tell from the photo, but it is actually quite a long gallery.
The volunteer then brought me outside to take this photo for me. People can be so kind! We chatted a bit about where I'm from. I always just say Chicago because it's easier.
I then spent quite a bit of time just moseying around the grounds. It started to rain a little which was to my benefit because people started to leave the gardens, giving me time to take photos alone.
Sigh. Looking at all these photos again just makes me so happy! It was so beautiful.
I retrieved my bag and caught the bus to continue my journey on to Bakewell. I was able to watch Google Maps to know when I should get off the bus. I walked a short bit to my b&b, Avenue House. It was a gorgeous place that I would definitely stay at again. I guess I wasn't very good at taking photos of my rooms this time. This is what the outside of Avenue House looked like, though.
After dropping my bag off at my room, I walked into Bakewell (a 5 minute walk) in search of Bakewell tarts and puddings.
Bakewell is a very adorable little town, perhaps one of the cutest I've visited. It's considered the gateway to the Peak District in England. "Peak" makes it sound like there are mountains but I don't think you can call them that. There are certainly large hills that probably would be difficult to hike on, though. I didn't have time to do any hiking, unfortunately.
So anyway, Bakewell tarts and puddings. These desserts are well known and loved in England and supposedly were invented there in Bakewell. I had never tried a Bakewell tart or pudding, but I was on a mission to try several and report back.
A side note: the word "pudding" in England can denote any type of dessert really. You will see "puds" listed on a menu and it's, like, a brownie or ice cream or cake or pie.
I did try several different things, I want to say 5 or 6 different items over the course of the two days I was in Bakewell. I still cannot tell you which is a tart and which is a pudding, but the overall winner is the one pictured here (with the fabulous wallpaper in my room in the background).
I was happy to have some time to relax in my room during the evening after somewhat of a hectic travel day. My room was on the top floor of the b&b with a lovely view. The sunset was beautiful and it kept getting better and better.
