A weekend in the Peak District (part two)

So today let's jump feet first into day three of my recent long weekend in the Peak District. Last week's post ended with us having eaten copious amounts of food and watching some hilarious films! On our lovely sunshiney Sunday we got up nice and early, for a holiday at least, and headed to the nearby village of Castleton, which is considered to be one of the 'gems' of the Peak District. 

It boasts the famous Peveril Castle which we wanted to see as well as being surrounded by caverns. Lau vetoed the idea of any of the caves, as she's a little scared of them, so instead we settled on a walk around the village, before heading up one of the paths leading from the village. We went for the one that ran below Peveril Castle so that we'd get to see it in all it's glory, and it was quite a site! You can certainly see why they chose to build it where they did, at the top of a very sheer cliff face. It really would have been imposing for the enemy and it's absolutely stunning. 

We made the most of our wellies on our walk and splashed in all the muddy puddles before climbing up a bit of the cliff to perch on the rocks for some lovely picture taking (equal parts of us and equal parts the castle!). It was lovely to just sit and enjoy the quiet of the peaks on such a beautifully sunny winter's day.

After our hunger-inducing walk we hunted down some food. After a lot of indecision and faffing we settled on a cute little cafe which had handmade veggie soup and the best cheese and ham doorstop sandwiches ever - delicious!

We headed back to the flat via Bakewell, one of our favourite Peak District villages, for a wander, more food and hot drinks, before settling in for an American themed evening. It was Superbowl Sunday so we made pulled pork wraps, at copious amounts of m&m's and tried to watch the entire game. We failed and headed to bed at half time, but it was such a fun evening!

Monday was all about the drive home, except for a glorious brunch in Sheffield first. We stopped at the amazing Mud Crab Diner for another American inspired meal and I (finally) chose the breakfast bun which consisted of a sausage patty, crispy bacon, tomato sauce and fried eggs! It was truly the most divine breakfast food I've had for ages and if you're ever near one of these (there are three I think) you MUST go in - it's brilliant and I loved the décor.

Phew that's it, that's our amazing weekend in the Peaks. I really had the most brilliant time and I love that I'm exploring more of the gems of England after so many years not visiting any of them. I will definitely be heading back to the Peak District in the not too distant future, I just need to decide where...!

A weekend in the Peak District (part one)

Happy Tuesday everyone and welcome to another installment of the Travel Tuesday link up with Bonnie and Co. I hope your bags are packed and ready to head off on another adventure? Today we're off for to the wonderful Peak District to relive my recent trip up there with my sisters at the end of January. The three of us decided on a four day weekend adventure to celebrate the end of youngest sisterling's (Bex) university exams. None of us have spent a lot of time in the Peak District and it's not far from where Bex is at university, so we thought it was the perfect time to explore this wonderful part of the UK. so without further ado, here's what we got up to...

We started with a bit of food and a shop in Sheffield on Friday as it's what sisters have to do when they meet up after a couple of months - it's basically the law! Wagamama's, Starbucks and Primark were in order and they were delicious, warming and lacking in purchases respectively! Once we had some sustenance in us we headed to the spa town of Buxton. It was not the nicest car journey mainly due to the fact it was absolutely torrential rain and high winds. Not ideal when one is driving up steep hills and along windy roads.

Thankfully we arrived safely and still in the light and were won over by gorgeous Buxton and our even more wonderful flat for the next three nights. The flat consisted of the most gorgeous kitchen and bathroom, a snuggley living room and two gorgeous bedrooms. The decor was stunning and I loved this little spot in the master bedroom - if I could have gotten away with stealing the chair I would have snuck it back to London!

On our first night there we did the food shop, played multiple board games and nattered constantly. It was complete and utter bliss!

The weather on the Saturday was absolutely dismal (torrential rain, high winds and snow!) so we didn't want to stray too far from the flat, so instead we donned our wellies and strode into Buxton (5 minutes walk) to explore. We discovered the beautiful Cavendish Arcade, which is full of beautiful boutiques and is where the original springs (that makes Buxton famous) were situated. What makes the Cavendish Arcade so beautiful is that a lot of those elements still exist - the beautiful blue titles, the glorious vaulted ceiling of blue and green glass and one of the original chairs for lowering people into the baths. It really is rather wonderful!

After rummaging in numerous charity shops we stopped off for coffee and cake before heading back to the flat, via the famous Buxton Dome. The Dome is a stunning building and the name refers to the magnificent domed ceiling in the University of Derby building - the Dome itself is the largest unsupported Dome in all of Europe! Sadly I only managed to get one rubbish picture of the Dome as there was a university open day going on but it was a truly stunning site!

After a day of exploration we spent yet another evening eating, chatting and game playing - plus the addition of a couple of films. I finally watched Despicable Me 2 and, of course, I adored it. The minions were even more irresistible this time round!



Right I think that's where I'll leave you for today, as otherwise this post will be LONG! Check back next week to find out what we got up to on our final two days in the Peak District, including the wonderful village of Castleton and the most scrumptious brunch!