Nowhere near Devonshire

Friday 30th September 2016

We found out what the Police incident was in Bakewell.  It was a missing elderly lady......but don't worry, Janice was found safe and well!

We left the Caravan Club site around 11am and parked up in a lay-by about 300 metres around the corner.  Then we cycled into Chatsworth Park.  By doing this we could still benefit from the £6 discount to enter Chatsworth for staying at the caravan club site and avoid the £4 car parking fees.  The normal price to enter Chatsworth House and Gardens is £20, so we managed it for £14. So.....we saved £16 in total, well worth the effort.  Having said that, the House and Gardens are magnificent, particularly the house.

We did the gardens first.  An assortment of sculptures, orangery, fountains and a maze that defeated us.  We think it is impossible to do it.

After our picnic lunch we went in the House and wow, very grand.

I can't believe the amount of wealth the Dukes of Devonshire must have had over the centuries.  However, they were 'new money' compared to the Vernons at Haddon Hall, we have superior breeding!

The Devonshires were no where near Devon so must have been total frauds.  There real name was Cavendish.  I asked a guide a question about the connection with Holker Hall and Barrow in Furness.  They were quite knowledgable about the link with Holker Hall at Cark in Cartmel.  Holker Hall is owned by Lord Cavendish and apparently at some previous century one Duke of Devonshire had no children so the title was taken by his brother who owned Holker Hall.  That brother passed the title to his son who returned to Chatsworth and Holker transferred to his second son.

In regard to the connection with Barrow in Furness, many of the town streets have connections to the Duke of Devonshire and families connected to them......Devonshire Buildings, Cavendish St, Burlington Street, Chatsworth Street, Buccleugh Street.  These are all names are associated to the Devonshires and I believe they invested in the iron ore industry of the Furness area.  

Janice was quite overwhelmed by the occasion.

We cycled back to the van and went in search of a place to wild camp.  Having been on our trip for five nights it was about time we roughed it. We found a place to stay south of a town of Tideswell which was north west of Buxton.  It was a picnic area near a gorge and nice stream.

What a good day.... We avoided spending £16 to get into Chatsworth, we made our own packed lunch, we ate left over beef stew for our tea and parked on a public car park for nothing.....not that I am a cheap skate!  We still managed the regulation two gin and tonics on a Friday night.