Chatsworth, set in 35,000 acres of rolling countryside in the heart of Derbyshire, has been home to the Cavendish family for sixteen generations.

The gardens cover a sizeable 105 acres and boast over five miles of walks where you can discover rare plants, rock gardens, fountains, ponds, kitchen gardens, exhibition spaces, sculptures and a maze.

What I love about Chatsworth, and so many of its contemporories, is that there are not many restrictions on where you can go. Generally if something is roped off it is because it is have some maintenance work done. You are welcome to play on the grass, sit and eat your picnic while perched on one of the old walls or take your dog for a stroll.

The gardens are littered with sculptures of all ages and types. The seats below were set just after a beautiful rose garden. You may have expected the seating to be more formal, old fashioned if you will, but these seats made entirely of coins but fitted in to the garden really well.

The Emperor fountain dates back to 1844 and is capable of producing a fountain of water twice the height of Nelsons Column. It was designed by head gardener Joseph Paxton who later went on to design and build The Crystal Palace in London for the Great Exhibition of 1851.

There are any number of ways to walk around the gardens. Each time you take a walk you will discover new things and areas you haven’t seen before. This time I really loved the rock garden which I believe is one of the largest of its kind in the country. It has trickling water falls, large rock formations, ponds, pools and paths.

More photographs from my visit to Chatsworth can be viewed here.