Day 1: Morning departure from North Wales and travel to the city of Derby. With a range of stores, coffee shops, eateries and bars there’s lots to keep you occupied. The Cathedral Quarter boasts historical hotspots aplenty. Get lost in the magic of these medieval lanes and discover fascinating and quirky retailers. We continue to our hotel for a 3-night stay.
Day 2: Today we travel to Cheshire and visit The Silk Museum and Paradise Mill which tells the story of Macclesfield’s world-renowned silk industry.
The museum has an internationally significant collection of silk textiles and machinery with a pattern book archive of nearly 1,000 volumes. It also displays the ancient Egyptian artefacts collected by Macclesfield silk heiress, Marianne Brocklehurst.
We take a guided tour of Paradise Mill, a beautifully preserved working silk mill, with 26 restored jacquard looms. It is built in brick with Welsh slate roofs, a visit offers the opportunity to step back in time to Macclesfield in the 1930s. The mill was built in 1860 and was operated by tie manufacturers Cartwright and Sheldon until it closed in 1981.
Day 3: Travel to Crich and to the Tramway Village, a lovingly restored period village that is also home to the National Tramway Museum.
Exhibitions bring to life the history of the tram and visitors can ride on the restored tramways. Other attractions include a workshop and viewing gallery, an old-fashioned sweet shop and a restored public house.
Day 4: After breakfast we make our way to the market town of Bakewell. The combination of independent shops, cafes, and its location on the River Wye, makes Bakewell a hugely popular destination. It is also famous for the Bakewell Pudding, the result of a cook misunderstanding a recipe in the 19th century.
You may also want to browse what’s on offer at the Bakewell Monday Market, held in Bakewell town centre every Monday. It’s the largest market in the Derbyshire Dales and occupies two sites and has over 100 regular stalls. Afterwards we make the return journey to North Wales.