Christmas at Chatsworth

I’ve been wanting to visit Chatsworth Estate for years. During Covid I took myself for a walk around the grounds (which are beautiful, of course) but nothing compares to the house at Christmas time. My friend and I visited a few weeks back and it was nothing short of magical. We were so lucky with the weather – we arrived in Bakewell to blankets of fresh snow. It was absolutely freezing but 100% worth it for the Christmassy vibes!

Our time slot for the house wasn’t until 5pm, so we headed into town for lunch (is there anything better than a cosy pub on a cold day?) We then of course had to stop by the Bakewell Pudding Shop for dessert – a rite of passage when you’re visiting the Peaks.

We spent a few hours around the Christmas market which sells everything from handmade gifts to delicious food and drink (there’s even a Laurent-Perrier champagne van). As much as I enjoyed our pub lunch, I wish I’d had room for a Yorkshire pudding wrap. There’s also fire pits dotted around the grounds for toasting marshmallows!

It turned out we timed our visit perfectly – we headed to the gardens just as it was approaching dusk, so we got to enjoy the light trail in all its glory.

Bailey’s hot chocolate!

As beautiful as the gardens and market were, my favourite part of the visit was definitely the house. The Christmas decorations are just exquisite – I of course had to take a photo of every single Christmas tree! It was super busy when we visited and the rooms became crowded quickly, but it didn’t take away from the experience.

We finished our visit with a trip to the gift shop to pick up something sweet for our drive home (fortunately the snow didn’t stall the journey too much). It really was the most gorgeous day out and the perfect way to get us both in the festive spirit x