Derby-The Heart of England

Journey through England is a journey through time (interspersed with numerous cups of cream tea and buttered scones). No sight on this earth can match the splendor of an English country-side during summers. It is a country of tea-sippers, dog-lovers, cricket-bores and men more fascinated with their gardens than their wives. To some it’s a lesson in world history. To some it’s a step child of weather. To some, its just the most incomprehensible place on this earth. Welcome to England.

At Manchester Airport, I was greeted with more than just, bright sunshine. Staying at Derby, the geographical centre of England, it was my best chance to discover the English country side. And next few days were magical broom ride, through the most enchanting scenery.

Day 1

Matlock Bath

A return bus ticket to Matlock from Derby enabled me to take the journey at my pace. A stopover at Crich was rewarding. Crich Tramway Village, is a recreated historic village, is  set along a period street, with several re-build buildings from all over the country. The quaint cobbled street with old-style sweetshop and Tea-shops, complete with tram depots and street furniture makes it a perfect setting for a Victorian Romance. A small walk along to the north brought me to the Memorial Tower of those of Sherwood Forester, who died in battle. Build in 1923 at the site of an older tower called Crich Stand, the Memorial Tower stands 1000ft above the sea level, and 52 steps to the top, and l could see as much as 8 out of 11 counties. An English crème tea and I was refreshed for onward journey. A short bus ride and I was at Matlock Bath, a town, which still has not woken up from its Victorian Slumber. Extremely fashionable town, and frequented by the “ladies’ in the earlier 19^thcentuary, the town lies in a gorge upon river Derwent. The scenery here is stunning and because the village is a designated conservation area a great deal has being done to conserve and protect the Edwardian buildings from decline. The sojourn started from, visiting the medicinal spring (discovered in 1698) and later devised into a Bath. Visit to the nearby Petrifaction well (where one can actually see the petrifaction process in progress) Hologram Museum and a trek along the famous lover’s path kept me happily occupied. The entire town was picture of a perfect holiday.

 A heavy lunch of pickled eggs and cheese and all I could do post it was to take a leisurely ride on Britain’s first Alpine style cable car to the Heights of Abraham, atop the Masson Hill. The cable-car ride was complemented with guided tours to 2 underground mines, each with an audio visual show to make the experience realistic. The guide was exuberant with anecdotes of how, the mines were converted into an experience tour for society ladies visiting Matlock bath, and the horror stories of trapped ladies. The vast hollows of cold mines left me with an eerie feeling, which vanished soon as I was back to the ever resplendent town of Matlock bath.

Day 2

Chatsworth House

A sunny morning next day was invitation enough for us to venture further and we decided in favor of a drive to Bakewell  via Chatsworth House. Seat of Duke of Devonshire, Chatsworth House has been the home to the Cavendish Family, since 1549. Famous as England’s favorite country house, the present impressive structure was rebuild and modified by its successive occupants. The house set in an expansive estate, stands on the eastern banks of River Derwent. It contains a unique collection of priceless paintings, furniture, Old master Drawings, classical sculptures, books and other artifacts and regularly throws its door open for variety of art and cultural evenings. Chatsworth's park covers about 1,000 acres (4.0 km²) and is open to the public free of charge all year-round. A small distance away lies the Chatsworth village, which as the legend goes was moved stone to stone, to its current location by an earlier Duke as it restricted the view from his window. An engineering marvel, the entire village was painstakingly restored with minutest details and is today one on the best specimens of medieval English architecture. The place was mesmerizing but the time pressing. With a heavy heart and a promise to visit again, we drove further to Bakewell, our final destination for the day.

An early Anglo Saxon settlement, the town of Bakewell was founded as early as 920 as a trading Center. Famous for its signature Bakewell Pudding, the town attracts many national and international tourists. Monday is a particularly popular day for visitors as this is the day that the traditional market is held in town. The town centre is quite large for a town of its size and quite fashionable too. But what fascinated me was the River Wye, which flows into the to from under a 5 arched bridge, build in 13^thcentuary. Host to array of recreational activities, I was amazed to see virtually the entire town emptying out along its bank in the evening. The picture of a river, full of white swans and grassy banks, of kids swimming and of evening Tea-parties along the bank, that too right in the middle of the town, seemed a fairyland to me. The sight, the smell and the scenery was captivating as was the charm of the people who invited me over for a cup of Tea or for a game of ball, all along the river. Hours and hours along river and I still could not get enough of it. River Wye shall stay with me forever.

 Day 3

A clear sky and sun through my window, 3days in a row, I could not have asked for more. A drive to Glossop, and then along A57, passing Ladybower Reservior back to Derby was the plan, but not before a final visit to River Wye. A hearty English breakfast at a riverside café heightened my feeling of separation. Again, a promise to revisit.

Snake Pass

Drive to Glossop was uneventful. But the best was yet to come. The sections  of A57 passing over pennines watershed between the moorland plateau is called Snake pass due to its serpentine course. The drive took us through the most remote and uninhabitable land. The undulating terrain is breathtakingly scenic and has been declared as Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Vast tracks of peat and moss covered moorland is interrupted only by a solitary stream, cascading down into a gentle waterfall. Stopover being prohibited, we drove as slowly as possible, to feast our eyes upon the most strikingly beautiful scenery. The brazen terrain slowly gave way to lush green stretches of upper Derwent Valley. One turn of road, and spread in front of me was the Y shaped Lady Bower Reservoir. The gentle slopes, green forests, huge lake and vicinity to Derby, makes it a perfect weekend getaway. Getting rid of our car at a parking, we took one of the many paths into woods. A two hour of aimless trek, was rewarded by a cup of tea and a homemade cake at a home café. A conversation over the tea with the lady of the house and the owner of the café was equally informing and entertaining. A short course on English tea etiquette was on offing and I left the cafe, wiser and more English.

Day 4:Visit to Bard’s Own Country

Visit to England will not be complete without paying homage to its most famous son. If any place on this earth can boast to be a living museum to a person’s memory, it is Stratford-upon-Avon. The entire town is dominated by the legacy of world’s most famous wordsmith- William Shakespeare.  

A walking tour of the city starting from Shakespeare's Birthplace on Henley Street took me through the New Place on Chapel Street, residence of the Bard, before visiting Shakespeare's resting place at the nearby Holy Trinity Church where he died on his birthday in 1616.Quaint little Stratford boasts some elegant Tudor and Elizabethan buildings along the High Street and a picturesque riverside filled with local pubs and restaurants and the calorie added by the hearty English crème tea and jacket potato, at one of these riverside pubs, was easily spend assisting an English couple while operating river docks.

From taking a tour of the town with Bard himself (tour guide dressed as Shake spear) to meeting the famous Prince Hamlet or Shylock: the Jew, the sight, the smell and the noise of the town has all got a Shakespearean charm to it. The trip to Stratford-upon-Avon would not be complete without watching a theatrical show at the famous Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).

Day 5

Situated in outskirts of Derby, Kedelston Hall( or temple of art as it is famously known) , the estate house of Lord Curzon, was the last thing I had ever dreamt of visiting. The estate has been owned by the Curzon family since 1297, but the present stately house was commissioned by Sir Nathaniel Curzon in 1759. Roman in architecture and superfluous in décor, the majority of this 3-storied structure has now been converted into a museum. 

The collections of art, furniture and statuary, has an unmistakable, Indian aura to it and was a walk down the chapter of Indian history. One of the most famous artifacts on display is Lady Curzon’s Delhi Darbar Coronation dress of 1903. Designed by Worth of Paris it is known as Peacock dress due to the many precious and semi precious stones sewn on it. It is said that Raj Bhavan, in Calcutta, was build on the lines of Kedelston Hall. The stately experience was complemented by lunch in an Indian restaurant nearby.

Evening was a hurried drive along the Derwent Valley Mills. World would have been a different place without these mills kick starting the industrial revolution by mechanizing the process, by harnessing the energy from the waters of Derwent. A UNESCO world Heritage site now, it spans a 24km stretch of river Derwent from Matlock bath in north to Derby City centre in south. Within the site are mill complexes, settlements including workers' housing, weirs on the River Derwent, and the transport network that supported the mills in the valley. Wish had more time to visit one of these Mills to see the machinery in action. But maybe that’s for another visit.

The next day was filled with more cups of tea, shopping for friends at home and promises of revisit.

Thanks to Mr Naren Jadav and Mr William, for bearing with me.But for them,the trip would not have been possible.

To discover more about Derby Visit www.visitderby.co.uk or contact Derby Tourist Information Centre, Assembly Rooms, Market Place, Derby DE1 3AH. Tel +441332255802.