Blore Hall, Peak District, England

Discover Peak District

More about Blore Hall
As the UK’s first designated National Park, the Peak District comprises two equally beautiful, yet utterly contrasting landscapes. The softer, gentler landscape of the ‘White Peak’ occupies the centre/south and is formed primarily of pearly-white limestone. It is here that you will find Blore Hall, a magnificent historic house now renovated and converted as holiday apartments and cottages.

The Peak District is a nature-lover’s paradise, teeming with wild flowers, birds and butterflies – many of which are found only in a few acres of deciduous woodland. Follow in the footsteps of the stars on the Film Tourism Trail, which celebrates the many period dramas that have been shot in the area, or sample the region’s renowned food, drink and local produce.

Other pursuits include bird watching, canoeing, sailing, horse riding, coarse and game fishing. The River Dove, dubbed ‘Princess of rivers’ by Izaak Walton in his book The Compleat Angler, runs just half a mile from Blore Hall.

Explore the stunning Peak District on foot

You can’t come to the Peak District without exploring at least some of it using your own two feet. There are lots of well-maintained paths and rights of way to follow, and every type of walker is catered for, whether you just want to enjoy a gentle stroll across the limestone dales, or challenge yourself by walking the high heather moorland.

Visit incredible historic buildings

History-buffs and architecture-fans will adore some of the historical buildings in the Peak District. The most notable is Chatsworth House, which is well-known and well-loved across the UK. Inside, 30 rooms are open to the public, as well as an impressive art collection spanning some 4,000 years. The gardens, fountains and children’s farm are well-worth exploring too.

If you prefer castles, Bolsover Castle’s painted walls are a wonderful sight to behold, and kids will love running around the expansive grounds. Alternatively, you could visit one of England’s earliest Norman fortresses, Peveril Castle – it may stand in ruins, but it’s still impressive.

Go underground

The Peak District is home to a number of caverns, should you feel brave enough to go underground. Blue John Cavern, near Castleton, has several natural chambers, including one which was once a working mine. It’s here that you can view old mining equipment and see impressive pieces of Blue John Stone. However, the ‘waterfall’ and stalactite caverns are equally remarkable.

Another highly-recommended site is Poole’s Cavern, which dates back two million years. This limestone cave is a fascinating place to visit and is suitable for the whole family.

Spend a day at Alton Towers

Thrill-seekers of all ages will love a day at Alton Towers, with its fantastic rollercoasters, including Nemesis, Oblivion and Rita. Younger children will love CBeebies Land, which includes the Octonauts Rollercoaster, Mr Bloom’s Allotment and the In The Night Garden Magical Boat Ride.

Shops and restaurants

Blore is remote, so you will need to drive to Ashbourne for a wide choice of shopping and restaurants. However, the nearest shop can be found at Mayfield and the nearest pub at Mappleton.

Both Asda and Waitrose will deliver to Blore Hall.

On-site amenities

The Hall is the main focus of the site. Its dining room is used to serve meals once a week. It also houses an information centre with free Internet and Wi-Fi access and an adults-only snooker room. The quadrangle has a games room with table tennis, bar billiards, tabletop football, games, books and a free DVD library.

The leisure centre contains a 12 x 6 metre heated indoor pool and sauna, with an adjacent tennis court and children’s play area. There is also a central resident laundry.

Twenty cottages and apartments, all centrally heated, beautifully furnished and equipped – as you’d expect. But modernity starts and ends there. To step into Blore Hall is to step back in time.

Though perhaps not quite. It’s unlikely that the denizens of Blore enjoyed the use of a heated indoor swimming pool, sauna, tennis court, snooker room et al – facilities available to today’s holidaymakers.

But to dine in the main banqueting hall is to have a taste of life as lived in the 14th century – though the food is, we fancy, much improved!

Properties in Peak District

Things to do in the Peak District

The Peak District is England’s great outdoors. It straddles the border between the northern highland parts of Britain and the lowland counties.

It has something for everyone, landscape, market towns and villages, rugged heather clad moorland and rolling dales.

It is divided into two areas: the Dark Peak, a wild and barren landscape with high gritstone uplands and heather moorland; and the White Peak with its gentle, rolling limestone countryside and drystone walls. Nowhere else will you find such a wide variety of landscapes and a wealth of things to do and see in such a compact and accessible destination.

Within easy reach of Blore Hall there are a number of historic properties. Hadden Hall, which has been owned by the Manners family since 1567, is only a 30-minute drive north. This fortified medieval manor house dates from the 12th century and is surrounded by terraced Elizabethan gardens. It has featured in many films and TV programmes, including Pride and Prejudice and the BBC’s Jane Eyre.

Nearby Chatsworth House (just 15 minutes from Haddon Hall) is home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. It’s one of Britain’s best-loved historic estates, with famous works of art, a working farmyard and beautiful fountains. And just west of Hadden Hall and Chatsworth, the town of Buxton is well worth a visit. Take a look at the spa and enjoy a dramatic performance at the Buxton Opera House.

Heading 20 minutes south of Blore Hall, the National Trust’s Sudbury Hall is an intriguing house with a museum, gardens, meadows and a tree-fringed lake. It’s a mixture of architectural styles, with a collection of Vernon family portraits and a splendid carved staircase.

For something completely different but certain to entertain the younger family members, Alton Towers is under 10 miles away from Blore Hall. This popular theme park occupies what was originally the estate of the Earls of Shrewsbury, and it’s still possible to see the ruins of the old mansion.