Wednesday was forecast to be a cloudy day with some showers but not cold at our Bolehill Cottages near Bakewell (see here) and as it was a day off we thought we would go out somewhere as we didn’t want to get wet on a walk.  After we had said goodbye to some guests and I had taken some bookings we set off for Hardwick Hall which is just the other side of Chesterfield.  There were a number of school parties but we managed to avoid them and had a good tour of the house.  It has been a few years since we last visited and there have been a number of changes including moving the restaurant.  The Hall has many tapestries and interesting pieces of furniture as well as a Long Hall.  We had a wander around the gardens including the herb gardens but didn’t visit the old Hall which is on the same site but has a separate entrance fee.  Afterwards we drove over to Bolsover and had a look at the Castle as Bolsover is not far from Hardwick but did not go in.  It was much warmer than forecast and no showers materialised.  We drove back to Chesterfield and stopped at the Marsh Green Farm Shop near Kelstedge for a cup of tea and cake and I was going to buy some food for tea but a power cut occurred so we ended up coming back home via the Chatsworth Farm shop.  We had tea al fresco and we were joined for a while by our friends from Chelmorton.  Thursday was another pleasant day.  Three departures and one arrival and one cleaner here.  Took advantage of the nice weather to plant up some more bedding plants.  Handyman here again and he and Chris continued with some work around the grounds.  Cottage arrived just after 5pm and they found time for a walk before settling down to watch the football. Did some preparation for Friday in the evening while cottages watched football as Friday would be a busy day. Enjoy all photos.