Weekend in the Peak District

Last weekend it was my other halves birthday so we packed up his car and headed to the Peak District, just the two of us. Long distance relationships are are so hard and I’m not the greatest at them, in fact, I’m the worst. So three days alone with him away from it all was nothing short of bliss. I’m sure no one wants to know the mundane things we got up to just talking and enjoying each other’s company, so instead I’m just sharing some photos because the Peak District really is a beautiful part of the world, one that I haven’t really had the chance to see. This was my first break ever with a boyfriend that was anything other than London or York for a night. No one had ever whisked me away somewhere so beautiful before and i feel so blessed to be there. One night I even saw three shooting stars and I couldn’t have imagined anything more perfect than sat in a hot tub, drinking wine and looking at a perfectly clear sky.

We stayed somewhere called Harthill Hall in a cottage built in what appeared to be some old stables called Henry’s Haunt. I could see why it appealed to the other half with his love of medieval and history, but for me it was cosy, safe, had a massive bath and my first ever four poster bed.. and a private hot tub in a little semi private yard. I’m not going to lie, I could have stayed there forever, completely cut off from the world. I could review, pick up on the flaws but I won’t because I want it to remain a perfect memory for me. I want to remember it as three days I was truly happy.

Harthill Hall is situated in the centre of the Peak District, surrounded by rolling hills and all the greenery you could ever imagine. It’s the epitome of the British countryside and although on our way there we had to go through some questionable roads it was worth it. On arriving we had just missed a storm so the sky looked moody casting both sun and shade on the back drop. It was beautiful and when it eventually cleared it gave way to a beautiful clear sky that lasted our full trip.

Saturday was my boyfriend’s birthday. We didn’t do much but spend time together, the weather was beautiful so we spent a lot of it outside and in the hot tub but we did manage to drag ourselves away from some lunch in a pub just outside Bakewell (that I doon’t remember the name of because I’m a terrible blogger). We had a bit of a drive too and I saw Matlock Bath which is a beautiful town that I clearly need to visit.

Sunday we managed a bit more exploring. Again, the weather was so beautiful despite the forecast rain and we found our way into Bakewell itself for a late lunch and a wander. Bakewell was beautiful and yes it probably is where the Bakewell tart came from, there were plenty of places advertising it anyway. We stopped at a pub called The Castle Inn and although we were sadly too late for Sunday Lunch what we did order was great anyway. Near where we parked there was even a bridge filled with locks like the ones in Paris. It’s a rather romantic idea but I’m not sure the other half felt we were ready for it haha. We ended our day with another evening of wine and it was perfect.

In 28 years I’ve never had such a lovely weekend. I feel blessed that even just once I got to experience and feel like I live in a truly beautiful country. If you’re looking for somewhere to explore as a stay-cation this summer, I 100% recommend checking out the Peak District.