Derbyshire is a scenic English county known for the Peak District National Park, historic market towns, outdoor activities, rich industrial heritage, and notable cultural landmarks.
7 Oct–1 Nov (another 23 days)
Bess’s Dream is a display in Bess of Hardwick’s bedroom exploring her life and the thoughts and memories that may have featured in her dreams near the end of her life. It features her letters, a 400-year-old gown and an eight-minute film.
Hardwick Hall is an Elizabethan country house in Derbyshire notable for its Renaissance architecture, large windows, and rich historical associations including as a WWII parachute brigade formation site. The venue offers house tours with period furnishings and tapestries, plus extensive gardens and the ruins of the Old Hall. Visitors can enjoy a significant indoor historic experience alongside outdoor exploration of the estate grounds.
7–8 Oct, 10–15 Oct…
Explore photographs and photobooks about two generations of the Harpur Crewe family’s children at Calke Abbey. Visitors can read, try a jigsaw and rocking horse, and dress up to act out a play.
Calke Abbey is a historic country estate in Derbyshire offering a unique visit with its Baroque mansion in decline, extensive parkland with ancient trees and deer, a vibrant walled garden, and accessible walking and cycling trails. The venue provides family-friendly outdoor play areas, guided tours, cafés, shops, and accessibility features including wheelchair access and mobility aids.
7 Oct–1 Nov (another 23 days)
An exhibition of recently conserved watercolours explores Thomas Anson’s vision for Shugborough Estate, including paintings of its monuments by Nicholas Dall, Moses Griffith and Edward Jones.
Shugborough Estate in Staffordshire offers a blend of indoor and outdoor experiences including tours of a Georgian mansion, expansive gardens, parkland, and a working model farm. It features accessible facilities, food outlets, family-friendly activities, and dog-friendly grounds across 900 acres of historic and natural landscapes.
7 Oct–1 Nov, 4–8 Nov…
Visitors can explore National Trust places with their dog and collect stamps in a Pooch Passport. Collecting five stamps earns dog treats, and ten stamps earns a pin badge.
Wentworth Castle is a Grade I listed historic country house in South Yorkshire, England, featuring extensive gardens, parkland, and a notable sham ruin folly. The site includes indoor heritage and outdoor landscaped gardens managed by a partnership including the National Trust. Visitors can explore restored historic interiors, formal gardens, and naturalistic landscapes.
17 Oct–1 Nov
Follow an interactive Halloween story trail through the Walled Garden and Farm yard, joining the Witch’s adventure with activities such as spotting pumpkins, casting a spell and pretending to fly on a broomstick.
Shugborough Hall is a Grade I listed historic stately home and museum in Staffordshire, England, featuring opulent 18th-century interiors, a working model farm, rare farm animals, and notable follies with classical and Chinese themes in extensive grounds.
7–31 Oct (another 22 days)
Visitors use the free Stranger Folk app to follow Old Mal’s directions and find folklore creatures around Hardwick’s outdoor estate, solving a riddle to begin and helping to seal a gap between worlds. The activity is recommended for children aged 7–12 and includes spooky themes.
Stainsby Mill is a restored 19th-century flour watermill in Derbyshire, England, now operated by the National Trust within the Hardwick Hall estate. Visitors can experience both the historic indoor milling machinery and the scenic outdoor mill pond and surroundings.
17 Oct (next Saturday)
An open day focused on bonsai, with trees, pots and tools available to browse and buy, and an expert on hand to offer advice. Visitors can also explore the Japanese-inspired garden.
Cascades Gardens is a natural four-acre garden featuring Japanese-inspired water and rock gardens, a historic limestone quarry, waterfalls, and various quiet seating areas designed for meditation, set in Derbyshire.
17 Oct (next Saturday)
A guided walk with a Kedleston ranger exploring autumn colours and how the estate manages its woodlands, grasslands, ancient trees and deadwood habitats.
Kedleston Hall is an 18th-century English country house in Derbyshire, featuring Palladian architecture and Neoclassical interiors. Visitors can explore its grand state rooms and extensive landscaped gardens with architectural follies. The historic seat of the Curzon family, it is now managed by the National Trust as a cultural and heritage attraction.
16–25 Oct
Visitors can wander through Myriad, an inflatable luminarium by Architects of Air, exploring winding tunnels and soaring spaces filled with coloured light. The experience draws inspiration from natural forms, geometry and architecture.
Sudbury Hall is a historic Restoration-era English country house in Derbyshire with a renowned Great Staircase and fine art collection, featuring a National Trust Museum of Childhood that offers interactive and child-friendly exhibits within its restored interiors and surrounding grounds.
7 Oct–1 Nov (another 23 days)
A Pokémon-themed art trail at Hardwick featuring 30 Pikachu cards illustrated by different artists, with facts about Pikachu and an opportunity to design a trading card.
12 Oct–1 Nov (next week)
Families and children aged 7 and over can follow a digital folklore adventure at Longshaw, using the Stranger Folk app to complete magical tasks while walking through the woods or across the moors.
Longshaw Estate is a historic moorland and woodland area in the Peak District with outdoor trails, a tea room, shop, and indoor discovery centre offering wildlife and estate-related events. It features ancient settlements, historic guidestoops, and hosts traditional sheepdog trials.
17–25 Oct
Visitors can explore Myriad, an inflatable Luminarium by Architects of Air, wandering through winding tunnels and spaces filled with glowing colour. These quieter sessions offer a calmer, less crowded experience at each visitor’s own pace.
16–17 Oct
Local residents in the S73 and S74 postcode areas can explore Wentworth Castle Gardens and its parkland during these free-entry days. Adults must show proof of address to qualify.
7 Oct–1 Nov (another 23 days)
Explore locations at Calke Abbey used in *Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man*, with information about filming in the historic interiors and outdoor spaces. A downloadable walking trail highlights filming locations across the estate.
Calke Abbey is a Grade I listed English country house in Derbyshire, cared for by the National Trust, showcasing a baroque mansion preserved in a state of decline surrounded by a landscape park rich in natural heritage and historic estate features.
7 Oct–1 Nov (another 23 days)
A digital folklore adventure for groups, recommended for ages 7 and up, in which players follow audio-led prompts and complete magical tasks around Wentworth Castle Gardens. The app guides participants as they encounter fictional folk creatures and decide their fate.
9–12 Oct, 16 Oct–2 Nov
Follow a trail inspired by The Very Hungry Caterpillar, spotting fruits and snacks and discovering facts about the caterpillar-to-butterfly transformation. The trail includes games and activities around the stable-yard and gardens.
17 Oct–1 Nov
A folklore-themed adventure at Staunton Harold Reservoir, where participants use the Stranger Folk app to work together on puzzles and quests involving goblins and other creatures.
Melbourne Hall & Gardens in Derbyshire offers visitors an early 18th-century English garden in the style of Le Notre, combined with a historic family home open to the public in August. The venue features elegant formal gardens, exquisite furniture, antiques, and unique garden ornaments in a picturesque setting.
7 Oct–1 Nov (another 23 days)
An exhibition about Bess and her family brings together portraits and other collection objects, exploring their creation, conservation and investigation. Visitors can learn about the technical analysis used on the portraits, watch a short conservation film and follow displays through the Hall.
17 Oct–1 Nov
Visitors can explore Calke Abbey’s tunnels and encounter spooky surprises, including mysterious potions, creatures and ghosts. The event is particularly suited to children aged 4–7, with a quieter first hour each day.
7 Oct–1 Nov (another 23 days)
A museum room display at Calke Abbey showcasing the Chinese silk hangings from the State Bed. Visitors can look at the hangings and explore the symbolism and meanings in their imagery.
Foremark is a 230-acre nature reserve in Derbyshire featuring diverse woodland, heathland, and open water habitats including a reservoir. Visitors can enjoy walking trails including a wheelchair-accessible bridleway, a playground for children, outdoor family activities, and refreshments at the kiosk. Dogs are welcome on leads in designated areas.
8 Oct–14 Nov (another 36 days)
An exhibition in the Old Hall presents handmade quilts created by a local sewing group to support veterans, sharing the project’s craftsmanship and stories.
16–18 Oct (next weekend)
Adventure Cinema presents a programme of film screenings outdoors on the West Front Lawn, including family films, cult classics and blockbusters. Attendees can bring a picnic and watch screenings from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 October.
The RHS Partner Garden at Wentworth Woodhouse offers restored historic gardens with a formal Italian Garden, canal pond, woodland, Japanese garden, and a maze, providing a scenic outdoor experience. The garden is accessible, dog friendly, and has refreshments and plant sales on site.
17–31 Oct
Families can take part in Hallowtide-themed half-term play activities at Hardwick, including witches’ hat hoopla, a barefoot broomstick walk and traditional apple games. Visitors with a House and Gardens ticket can also follow the Apple Jack trail in the orchard.