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Outdoors

Chatsworth

Bakewell, 21.8 miles from the city centreAges 3-16
Courtesy of Chatsworth

BEST FOR

Ages 3-16

ENTRY

from £10

SETTING

Outdoors

WHERE

Bakewell

What it’s like

A vast garden of fountains and sculpture to roam, a farmyard for animal handling, and a woodland playground with big slides and water play.

The garden's the main event for most families: 105 acres of it, with fountains, sculpture dotted about and an arboretum to wander through. Younger kids tend to gravitate to the farmyard, where there are milking demonstrations and animal handling talks through the day, then the woodland adventure playground next door with towers to climb, slides, swings and a sand and water play area that'll soak sleeves regardless of the season.

If you want the house too, that's a separate timed slot and a proper undertaking: over 25 rooms including the Painted Hall and the State Rooms. Budget at least 1.5 hours for the visitor route through the house alone, and a full day if you're doing house, garden and farmyard together. A Garden-only ticket is £20 for an adult and £12 for a child in peak season, dropping to £16 and £10 in the October to early November off-peak window. House & Garden together is £35 adult and £12 child, or £28 and £10 off-peak.

Pushchairs aren't allowed inside the house, only front or side baby carriers, so if you've got a toddler who won't walk the whole route you'll want to use the left luggage lockers (£1 coin, refunded after). Dogs on leads are welcome in the garden and park but have to stay out of the house, farmyard and playground. The garden's water features run from 11am to 4.30pm in season, though the site is upfront that they're gravity fed from the lakes above and can be affected by rainfall, so don't promise a four-year-old the fountains will definitely be on.

Parking is £7.50 to £10 a vehicle at the house or the Calton Lees car park, but it's thrown in free if you book your tickets in advance online. Booking isn't compulsory but house access is by timeslot with limited capacity, so turning up on spec in the school holidays is a gamble. From late November the Christmas light trail takes over, with a combined ticket covering house, garden trail and farmyard plus parking at £40 adult and £12 child.

What’s on here

Facilities

Accessible toilet
Booking required
Café
Dog friendly
Gift shop
Food on site
Outdoor play
Parking
Picnic area
Restaurant
Toilets
Wheelchair accessible

Need to know

Best for
3 to 16; toddlers suit the farmyard and playground more than the house
Last entry
House 3:30pm, Garden 4:00pm
Booking
Advance booking advisable. House access by timed slot
Parking
£7.50-£10 per vehicle per day at house or Calton Lees car park
How long to allow
1.5+ hours for the house visitor route
Food
Multiple restaurants and cafés on site
Pushchairs
Not allowed in house. Rucksack-style baby carriers not allowed
Wheelchairs
Limited selection of mobility aids available on request
Dogs
Well behaved dogs on leads welcome in garden and park
Getting there by bus or train
30 mins from Chesterfield station, 40 mins from Sheffield station
  • Large bags and rucksacks are restricted in the house as well as pushchairs, so travel light through that bit
  • Blue badge parking is limited at busy times and they say pre-booking is essential
  • One free carer ticket is available with proof of disability if you're paying full price
  • There's no allocated parent and child parking

Plan your visit

How much does it cost?

House & Garden is £35 adult and £12 child in peak season, dropping to £28 and £10 off-peak. Garden only is £20 adult and £12 child, or £16 and £10 off-peak. Farmyard & Playground is £12 a head, £10 off-peak.

Do we need to book ahead?

It's not compulsory, but house entry is by timed slot and capacity is limited, so they recommend booking. Book online in advance and your parking's included free.

What's parking like?

It's £7.50 to £10 a vehicle at the house or the Calton Lees car park, unless you've booked tickets online in advance, in which case it's free.

Can we bring the pushchair into the house?

Pushchairs and rucksack-style carriers aren't allowed inside. Front or side baby carriers are fine, and there's a left luggage room with lockers that take a £1 coin, refunded after.

How long should we set aside?

The house visitor route alone needs at least 1.5 hours. Doing house, garden and farmyard together is closer to a full day.

Are dogs allowed?

Dogs on leads are welcome in the garden and park. Only assistance dogs can go into the house, farmyard or playground.

Will the fountains be running when we visit?

They play from 11am to 4.30pm in season, but they're gravity fed from the lakes above and can be knocked off schedule by rainfall.

What's there for animal-mad kids?

The farmyard has milking demonstrations and animal handling talks through the day.

Is there a playground?

There's a woodland adventure playground with climbing towers, slides, swings and a sand and water play area.

When's Chatsworth open?

House, garden and farmyard run from late March to early January. The house shuts for a few days in early November while it's dressed for Christmas.

What about the Christmas season?

Christmas at Chatsworth runs 7 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, with a combined ticket covering house, garden light trail and farmyard, plus one parking space, at £40 adult and £12 child.

Is there somewhere to eat?

There are several restaurants and cafés on site, plus an award-winning farm shop and café.

Animals

  • Cookie & friends

    Guinea pigs that enjoy being stroked.

  • Eugenie

    A Suffolk Punch mare, a rare breed.

  • Fanta

    The farmyard supervisor cat.

  • Gemma

    A Tamworth pig.

  • Peter

    A Buff Cochin cockerel, a rare breed.

  • Phoebe

    A pygmy goat living in the cattle shed.

  • Seamus

    One of the donkeys at the farmyard.

Areas to explore

  • Farmyard

    outdoors

    Farmyard with farm animals to meet, feed, pet or cuddle, including rare breeds such as Suffolk Punch horses, Shire horses, Albion cattle, Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, Golden Guernsey goats and Derbyshire Red Cap chickens. Dogs not allowed in farmyard.

  • Garden

    outdoors

    105-acre garden with historic and modern waterworks, arboretum, Victorian rock garden, sculptures, Canal Pond, Cascade and Old Duke's Glasshouse.

  • House

    indoors

    Chatsworth House has over 25 rooms including the Painted Hall, State Rooms and Sculpture Gallery, featuring art and artefacts spanning 4,000 years. Prams, pushchairs and rucksack-style baby carriers are not allowed inside.

  • Nature Play

    outdoors

    Nature play areas in the Pinetum and south of the Grotto Pond where visitors can construct, balance and create with wooden blocks.

  • Park & Estate

    outdoors

    Over 1,800 acres of parkland and woodland for walks and nature adventures, free for everyone to access all year round.

  • Woodland Adventure Playground

    outdoors

    Woodland playground reached via a secret tunnel from the farmyard, with tall climbing towers, racing slides, rope bridges, a zip wire, wood tangle, giant sand pit, and water play using an Archimedes screw.

Also on site

  • Farmyard Party Room (The Old Café)

    'The Old Café' party room available for hire, suitable for birthday parties or as an all-weather base for large gatherings.

Experiences

  • Multi-media guide

    Tablet-style guide with exclusive audio and film content about the house, its history, people and art. Small hire charge applies, can be added to ticket when booking online.

Featured in 3 Huddlepin lists

26HUDDLEPIN LISTFarms & animalsLambs, llamas, penguins and everything you can feed or stroke.25HUDDLEPIN LISTParks & natureCountry parks, woods, lakes and trails for burning off energy.71HUDDLEPIN LISTMuseums & heritageCastles, caves, windmills and museums that don't feel like homework.

See all Gardens & Arboretums in Derby · Things to do in Derby

Also filed underCastles, Historic Houses & Heritage in Derby ›Christmas in Derby ›

MAKE A DAY OF IT

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