I visited Chatsworth a few weeks ago to hear a talk about their forestry and landscape operations, plans and future strategies – a very interesting talk and a good excuse for a day out in the Peak District! On previous visits I’ve always ambled around the gardens or house but this time I went for a walk in the park starting at this bridge that brings visitors across the River Derwent to the house. It was a murky day and these butter-yellow stones were a welcome flash of colour.

The bridge was designed by James Paine and took two years to build. It’s angled to be a prominent landscape feature seen from the house and to give visitors a last impressive view of the house as they approach… they still have a third of a mile until they reach the house.

If you’ve never been to Chatsworth, it’s worth a visit though you’ll probably struggle to do the house and gardens justice if you only have a day to spend here. The gardens are vast. Our kids loved it when they were small, especially the tunnel used to shift coal under the garden to the house unseen.