West Croft Cottage

Update! Weekend stays for Christmas shopping in November have gone, still some mid-week dates left.
Victorian Christmas market at Matlock planned for 1st-3rd December and cottage dates are available.

Victorian Matlock - Christmas Market Fun for All - with entertainment for the whole family, from festive performances to fun fair rides, there’s something for everyone.

Christmas shopping availability! Why not take a cheeky mid-week break and enjoy the Christmas markets at Chatsworth?

Christmas market Soak up the Christmas market atmosphere as you browse more than 100 stalls offering a wide range of Christmas gifts and decorations. Pre-booking essential.

Pumpkin spice and all things nice. Celebrating my birthday with a relaxing weekend, thought you’d all appreciate some seasonal decoration for autumn. Thank you for a beautiful table runner. And thank you for my birthday flowers from our daughter. Have a great weekend. 🎃 🎃🎃

Treated Simon for our anniversary to a tour at White Peak Distillery £15 a head for a two hour experience including tasting of their Gin, Rum and Whiskey. You get to keep your glass. When you buy a bottle they do a refill service with 15% off for reusing the bottle. 25min drive from the cottage or there is a train and bus.

Leo enjoying dog friendly shopping at Chatsworth.

In the rain! ☔️ lots of fun 15mins from the cottage in Buxton. Poole’s Cavern, Go Ape, Walk to Solomon’s Temple (or drive to Grin Low Car Park). They make their own cakes!

Shopping trip to Peak Village exploring all the dog friendly shops including Bark&Co “The dog shop” so Leo could pick out his shopping 🤩. Then onto Chatsworth Kitchen to enjoy Leo’s shopping while Mum enjoys the super good coffee.

Is there any better way of brightening up your day than to sit down and have a delicious cream tea? We don’t think so! 🫖

Freshly painting the hall and bathrooms this weekend, but I forgot my work clothes. Ella’s caught me turning my dog walking outfit inside out 🙈. Of course Leo getting in on the photo, showing off his new hair cut! 🙄🐾🐾

Happy holidays! Schools out in Leicestershire so time for some R&R. What is everyone else up to this summer? There’s the odd midweek availability here at West Croft Cottage for a last minute summer plan. https://www.airbnb.com/h/westcroftcottage

Operation fill the gap before Leo thinks it’s a great place for his bone store. Today’s garden tidy up exposed a gap. A quick visit to the garden centre for some shade loving plants, and all is good. Sorry Leo, there’s no digging for you here.

Dressing the window inside and out. Love the glimpses of the garden from the rooms downstairs.

The annual ancient tradition has started this week ready for the weekend. Youlgreave probably enjoys the highest number of dressed wells as this tradition moves north through The Dales ending in Buxton.

It's puddling night tonight, and a perfect day for it. No rain forecast but not too hot. Join us by the river from 5pm to squish all the lumps out and get the clay to the perfect consistency for the wells.

Please make sure children are supervised and wear mucky clothes!

If you're fit and 'lifting able' help would be appreciated at 3.30 today (Monday) at the welldressing shed (Coldwell End) to get the clay down to the river. Please wear stout shoes and bring work gloves for lifting.

In aid of charity, every year the next village have a rock concert in the village centre with beer/ale (I brought a bottle from The Village Store). Thought we’d try it out. Hope I can get the car out of the cow field (designated parking) in the morning.,

Breakfast at Fountain View Bakery. I’ve grabbed a menu so you can have a look at what’s on offer. A lovely coffee shop part of the YHA building that is dog friendly 🐶
This was delicious!

Beautiful lunchtime walk today in The Dale. Over the road and down the hill.

Starting to melt, Bradford Dale in the snow ❄️

Good morning from a snowy village.

Picture taken from local community page, the joys of having a drone to take photos.

How many of these have you completed?Strangely I’ve not done No. 1 yet.

Discover The Peak District 10 of the most beautiful places

Leo having an adventure on the Monsal Trail. Hassop Station to through the tunnel and the viaduct. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks! He did take his bed for comfort 🙈.

💡 moment! I can turn the light on whilst cleaning the oven. Only took me 25 years to figure out. When we stay at West Croft I always try and do something to help Marion our housekeeper. Changeovers are busy, so whilst she tells me off I know she appreciates it. Also, want to give a big Thank You to all of our guests who enjoy their stays but our thoughtful to how things are left for ‘M’. It’s appreciated. Teamwork made up of great guests, Marion and and ourselves, so thank you. Have a great Sunday ☺️

Coffee, mince pie and some winter 🌞 in the garden. Looking at the next flower bed that needs a prune.

Happy to have everything I needed in the West Croft Cottage kitchen, to prepare pies to use up the leftovers. Thank you for the inspiration. One of these pies will be making its way to our elderly neighbour who hasn’t been well over Christmas. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CmbyolyqPZI/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Yay! We had our first Christmas in Youlgreave. We brought our Leicestershire tradition of Pork pie for Christmas breakfast to the Dales. Thank you Dad for your annual trip to Melton to pick up one of the best.
What traditions do you have, we’d be interested to hear.

Christmas Eve! Really enjoyed the Christmas nativity walk through the village with Mary and Joseph trying to find a room at one of the Inns. ⛪️

Football… people don’t fully understand it apparently…..
Someone scores 3 goals in the World Cup Final 2022 and wins….someone scores 4 goals in the World Cup Final 2022 and….. loses.
Insane.

Goodness, I think we arrived in the nick of time! Who knows what might have happened…🎄⛄️🙈

Something different to visit.

📅 A date for your diary!

Let's celebrate ! Join us for the annual Derbyshire Archaeology Day ⚒️ on 21 January 2023 at the Winding Wheel in .

Hear about all the latest archaeological discoveries including the curious Anchor Church in a cave!

Bookings will open shortly here...
👉 https://bit.ly/DAD_2023

| | | Derbyshire County Council | Chesterfield Borough Council | Chesterfield Theatres

I’m not gonna lie, I love arriving at the Cottage and reading the last few reviews left by our guests. This one is Fab.

Who else does some holiday prep batch cooking? I’ve been busy in the kitchen getting ready for our half term break away. Following I have made 4 meals for our holiday and 4 meals for the freezer. Saves shopping whilst on holiday, no prep whilst away and all of our favourites. Coronation Pie, Chicken Enchiladas, Chilli Con Carne and Honey and Mustard Sausage Bake. We will travel with the four meals frozen in a insulated bag and pop them in the freezer when we arrive at our accommodation. Why not give this a go, just double up some meals on the run up to your holiday. If visiting West Croft we have a freezer where you can store your pre prepared batching. Enjoy!

Ella’s first reel and it’s of West Croft Cottage. Well done Ella it’s brilliant.

West Croft Cottage on Instagram: "Welcome to West Croft Cottage! Click the link in our bio to book your next holiday!" West Croft Cottage shared a post on Instagram: "Welcome to West Croft Cottage! Click the link in our bio to book your next holiday!". Follow their account to see 9 posts.

Why not try their whiskey tour to find out what all of the fuss is about.

Congratulations and well done to White Peak Distillery who have raised over £15,000 for Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and Peak District National Park Foundation with their recent charity whisky auction. 👏

They sold the first 12 bottles of their inaugural Wire Works Whisky release as separate lots, with the first bottle selling for an incredible £9,900 - the highest price paid at a public auction for a single bottle of English whisky!

The proceeds will help to support some fantastic environmental projects for both charities. 🙏

Full story...
👉 https://bit.ly/wpd_auction

Thank you to our last guest Richard who left a fab review on AirBnB.

Our second visit to The Rutland Arms, Bakewell. Fantastic food.

The Chatsworth Country Fair is back this weekend, starting Friday 2nd! 🙌

From superstar chefs to stunt motorcycle riders, action horses, Spitfire aerobatics, marching bands, mounted games, gundog and falconry displays, vintage vehicles, scurry and trials driving, parachutes, hot air balloons, and so much more! 🐎🏍️🦅🎈

Full details...
👉 https://bit.ly/chatsworth_fair

Chatsworth House

We’ve had some fantastic guests this August. Here’s what some of them had to say about their stay at West Croft Cottage.