Day Planner
What to do on site?
Which English Heritage properties are nearby?
Which other places of interest are nearby?
Castle
Suggested time needed: 1 hour 30 minutes
Set on a hilltop overlooking the Vale of Scarsdale, Bolsover Castle offers panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. It was built by the Cavendish family as a celebration of the Jacobean fashion for chivalry and romance. Visit the fairytale Little Castle, designed as a fantasy house for entertainment and pleasure with magnificent wall paintings and murals.
Riding House
Suggested time needed: 30 minutes
Imagine the thunder of horses’ hooves as you explore the magnificent indoor Riding House. Here the horses were trained in the ‘haute ecole’ style of balletic movements.
Discovery Centre
Suggested time needed: 30 minutes
Plenty to do for all the family in our Discovery Centre with its fascinating audio-visual displays and the re-created ‘Little Castle’ for the little ones!
Grounds
Suggested time needed: 1 hour
- Set on a hilltop over looking the Vale of Scarsdale, the castle grounds offer panoramic views over the surrounding countryside.
- Wander round the beautiful Venus Garden with its secluded love seats and intriguing statues.
- Visit the Fountain Garden, the fountain has recently been restored and plays for the first time in centuries.
Audio Tour
Suggested time needed: 1 hour
Benefit from an in-depth tour using our audio guide. Discover a castle designed for elegant living, celebrating the Jacobean fashion for chivalry and romance.
Refreshments
Suggested time needed: 30 minutes – 1 hour
Sit and relax in the bright and airy café offering a wide variety of drinks and light refreshments. Choose from a selection of sandwiches, soups and light bites. Try our locally blended speciality coffee ‘Bolsover Blend’ with a slice of cake or a Derbyshire oatcake.
If the weather is fine bring a picnic and find a spot to eat your lunch whilst enjoying the open space and beautiful views over the Vale of Scarsdale and surrounding countryside.
Events
Hardwick Old Hall
Distance: 6.5 miles
Hardwick Old Hall is the original birthplace of Bess of Hardwick, one of the richest and most remarkable women of Elizabethan England. The Old Hall stands beside the New Hall she raised later in the 1590s. Though the Old Hall is now roofless, visitors can still ascend four floors to view surviving decorative plasterwork, as well as the kitchen and service rooms. A recently installed exhibition in the West Lodge describes Bess’s adventures in architecture, and how she transformed her birthplace from a medieval manor house into a luxurious Elizabethan mansion. A new audio tour tells Bess’s story.
Hardwick Hall
Hardwick is one of the greatest Elizabethan houses and survives almost unchanged today. The Hall contains Europe’s finest collections of 16th and 17th Century embroideries and tapestries. Visitors can explore the Threads of Time Exhibition and see the 16th Century Tobit Table Carpet, textiles from the collection, the Ivan Turner Miniature Furniture Collection and new rooms on the visitor route including the intriguing Muniment Room.
Peak District
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