Things To Do

Cannock Chase area of outstanding natural beauty, many walks, and trails. Herd of 800 fallow deer, a former Royal Forest, stunning woodland, and interesting visitors Centre.

Uttoxeter Racecourse holds meetings throughout the year. Exciting jump racing and home of the Midlands Grand National.

Uttoxeter Golf Course 18-hole parkland golf course, great views over the Dove Valley.

Barton Marina Waterfront Pub & Restaurant, Red Carpet Cinema and Café Bar and Thai restaurant, shops, and Art Gallery. Lakeside walk and picnic area.

Cathedral City of Lichfield, with shops, cafes, bars, and historic buildings.

Market Towns of Uttoxeter, Leek, Ashbourne, Buxton and Bakewell.

National Forest Adventure Farm offers exciting indoor fun, outdoor adventure, and farm animals.

Uttoxeter Entertainment Centre with an ice rink, cinema, and 8-lane tenpin bowling alley with glow lighting.

Peak Wildlife Park set in the heart of the Staffordshire peak district; offers a truly unique and immersive animal experience.

Trentham Gardens including the monkey forest and Trentham shopping village.

Carsington Water Kayaking, cycling, sailing, sports, walking, fishing, catering and shops too!

Tittesworth Reservoir visitor centre and café.

Conkers indoor and outdoor experiences in the heart of the National Forest. Four family-friendly discovery zones and over 100 interactive exhibits.

Denby Visitors Centre open all year round, Denby visitor centre is next to the working pottery, set in a cobbled courtyard with award winning home, garden, cookery and gift shops.

Peak District Mining Museum, Matlock Bath Visit a museum where you can experience and wonder at the forgotten world of a Derbyshire lead miner. For centuries, men have toiled underground in cramped and hazardous conditions to earn a meagre living by extracting the mineral galena (lead ore). See the tools they used, clothes they wore, the advances in technology and the importance of this metal in our modern day lives.

National Stone Centre, Wirksworth Visit the Discovery Centre to see the ‘Story of Stone’ exhibition, browse through the best rock and mineral shop in the Midlands, or have some light refreshment in the café area.

Crich Tramway Museum, Crich, Near Matlock nestling high up in the heart of Derbyshire, overlooking the famous Derwent Valley, the Crich Tramway Museum is a unique place to visit.

Gulliver’s Kingdom, Matlock Bath a family theme park, opened in 1978, caters for families with children aged 2 to 13. There are rides, attractions, shows, restaurants, and shops.

The National Space Centre in Leicester is an amazing day out for all the family.

Sudbury Hall and Gardens  a National Trust property and Children’s Country House.

Tutbury Castle a Medieval castle largely ruined in the Civil War. Historical re-enactments throughout the year.

Abbots Bromley, picturesque village, and home of the Horn Dance held every September. Blithfield Reservoir is close by with many walks and trails.

Shugborough Estate is a National Trust property near Stafford. With a mansion house, servants’ quarters, working farm and walled garden there’s lots to do for all the family.

Chatsworth House is the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, visit the house, explore the gardens, meet the animals in the farmyard, indulge in an afternoon tea or browse the shops.

Tissington Hall is an early 17th-century Jacobean mansion house, near Ashbourne, Derbyshire, with a ten-acre garden and arboretum.

Haddon Hall is the Duke of Rutland’s seat, this stately home has a grand Tudor Hall and Elizabethan gardens.

Hardwick Hall a National Trust property, is an architecturally significant Elizabethan country house in Derbyshire, created by Bess of Hardwick in the 1500s.

Kedleston Hall is an English country house in Kedleston, Derbyshire, approximately four miles north-west of Derby, and is the seat of the Curzon family. Today it is a National Trust property.

Calke Abbey is a Grade I listed country house near Ticknall, Derbyshire, in the care of the National Trust. A great day out if you’re with kids as it is considered the Trust’s most child-friendly and fun property!

Eyam Hall is a small, but charming Jacobean-style manor house in Derbyshire, run by the National Trust with beautiful historic gardens.

Bolsover Castle offers plenty to do for all the family. The Discovery Centre has fascinating audio-visual displays and extensive grounds to explore with lots of green space for a family picnic. And with panoramic views over the Vale of Scarsdale, Bolsover has everything you need for a fun day out in Derbyshire.

The Dog & Partridge, pretty, cosy pub in the village of Marchington. Good food and Ale.

The Boars Head at Sudbury, is a family run hotel and restaurant, only a short drive from the campsite.

The Roebuck Inn, a lovely pub located in the village of Draycott-In-The Clay

The Cock Inn at Hanbury, country pub with restaurant, close to the famous WW2 Fauld Crater

Denstone Farm Shop with cafe for drinks, meals and light bites, plus a farm shop/deli selling local produce and retail area for gifts and homeware.

The Sudbury Courtyard is a newly opened retail shopping outlet in the heart of Sudbury village. It sits immediately next to the National Trust’s Sudbury Hall. The sweet little café is in the courtyard and serves homemade food and cakes. Only a ten-minute drive.

Local Shop & Butchers

JS QUALITY MEATS High Class Traditional Butcher

Unit 5c Marchington Ind Estate Stubby Lane Marchington

Tel: 01283 821123

Selling local meats, BBQ, milk, eggs, groceries and other produce.

Marchington Village Shop, Church Lane, Marchington

www.marchingtonshop.co.uk

Tel: 01283 821248

Bread, Milk, Papers, Groceries, Wine and Beer

Post Office and General Store & Newsagents, Main Street, Draycott in the Clay (A515)

Supermarket: Tesco Store – 24 hours + Petrol: Uttoxeter. Plus, ASDA/ALDI/LIDL/WAITROSE

Sudbury Petrol Station (A515 heading towards Sudbury)

Forestside Farm there is a circular walk around the fields, which takes about 45 mins. Maps are in the amenity block. These footpaths join up to many public footpaths which will take you further into the countryside to enjoy. View map here.

Marchington and Marchington Woodlands

Needwood Forest has a strong rural and historic character, with ancient woodland, old parklands, rich farmland, and estate forestry blended. Small hamlets and villages are almost hidden in the landscape. On this walk you will visit three sites which the Duchy of Lancaster has opened to the public through the National Forest Tender Scheme, and pass another, privately owned wood planted with grant aid from the National Forest Company. View map here.

Hanbury Circular Walks all of these start at The Cock Inn at Hanbury and include Fauld Crater, the church and Draycott in Clay. All finish back at the pub! View map here.

Carsington Water, Carsington is a local centre for outdoor activities – there is a sailing club active next door to the Visitor Centre, and there are many opportunities for walking and cycling around the reservoir and the surrounding villages. Cycle hire is available and there is plentiful car parking. For young children there is a children’s playground near the visitor centre.

The Monsal Trail, Bakewell is a traffic free route for walkers, cyclists, horse riders and wheelchair users through some of the Peak District’s most spectacular limestone dales. The trail runs along the former Midland Railway line for 8.5 miles.

Tissington Trail, Ashbourne / Tissington: The line was purchased by the Peak National Park and Derbyshire County Council in 1971 and reopened as the Tissington Trail for cyclists and walkers.

Dovedale, Thorpe near Ashbourne an easy walk to one of the most popular locations in the White Peak – the Dovedale Steppingstones. One for the whole family.

The Roaches, Upper Hulme this walk is one of the most popular in the Peak District and a favourite for many. It runs along an elevated rocky ridge, with fascinating rock formations and wonderful views of the surrounding countryside and the nearby Tittesworth Reservoir.

The Manifold Way a footpath and cycle way, a favourite for walkers, cyclists, and horse riders, follows the route of the disused Leek and Manifold Light Railway.