Months ago, when we were asked to kid-swap with our close friends, the Ashton’s, we jumped at the chance. The only hard part of that decision was deciding where to go!
Dallin & Caleb
The Ashton’s took their trip first as they celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary in Paris. The kids were so excited to see each other, after not seeing each other for months. With taking a couple family holidays together, the kids naturally fell into a routine and felt right at home with us.
Hannah & Madeleine
The weather didn’t cooperate very well so when we had one day of dry weather, we took the chance and went to the park. You shouldn’t let Hannah’s short-sleeves fool you – I was bundled up!
Cami & Trevon
In some ways, it is nice going to the park on a cold day – you may end up being the only ones there and have full use of it!
Hannah, Madeleine, & Cami
Me – Sticking it Out in the Cold!
Cami had a couple of dance performances in the city over the weekend, so we took the kids to the church building around the corner from the performances to enjoy some play time . . . and to get out of the house. We didn’t realize that one of the wards would be setting up for their Christmas party during the day, so we opted for playing soccer on the stage . . . at least a form of soccer.
Soccer?
Having two outliers in our group – Emma (15) and Trevon (6), we found they coped with their positions quite differently. Emma stayed mostly hidden for the entire weekend and Trevon took charge! It’s great that the kids can play so well together that sometimes it was almost easier having more kids to entertain each other! Of course, ‘entertain’ may be too strong of a word. After many late nights, we found the older boys taking lots of naps!
Napping Teenagers
After Christmas, when our trip arrived, Chris and I just took a couple days to drive up to the Peak District of England, just a few hours away.
Village Drinking Fountain
We stayed in a cute little village called Rowsley, just down the road from Chatsworth House, “Pemberly” from Pride and Prejudice fame.
Peacock Hotel
We found out that Keira Knightly actually stayed in the same hotel we were, while she was filming the movie!
Weekend for Two
When we arrived, we enjoyed some delicious homemade shortbread and hot chocolate in front of a fire in the common room. The staff in the small hotel were very friendly and helpful the entire time we were there. The food served in the bar was amazing and we wished it had been open every night we were there!
Nighttime Chocolates
During the couple days we had, we explored the Peak National Park as well as scoped out some great pottery outlets in the area. We were able to replace our 16 year old dishes with some cute English pottery.
Even in the winter, the grass stays very green and the sky was beautiful. In warmer weather, we would have loved to do some hiking or bike riding. We may have to go back!
We took many drives past Chatsworth House and its grounds. The house, itself, was closed for the holidays so we didn’t get to go inside. We’ll leave that for our next trip back.
Nothing but Sheep Fields
All around the Chatsworth Grounds, there were fields and fields of sheep, but one field stood out as it was covered with fallow deer – an entire herd! We would have thought that was a lucky sighting but they were there all weekend!
Field of Fallow Deer
We continued to think we could make it back from our daily excursions with plenty of daylight left to stop at Chatsworth House for pictures. But, when the sun goes down at 3:30 p.m., that never happened. We tried to get as much light as we could, but we were always racing it and never really had a calm, relaxed time to be there.
Chatsworth House at Dusk – Attempt 1
The first day saw me racing up the hill to snap a shot while Chris was stopped roadside, until a security guard pulled up next to him and told him to leave.
Trekking Through the Sheep Fields to Chatsworth House – Attempt 2
Our second attempt at the House was spent trekking through a sheep field to get to the house. It was a truly British experience – wellies and all!
Sheep
Dusk at Chatsworth House
Chatsworth House – as Close as We Got
By the time we made it back to our car, around 4:30 p.m., it was pitch black! Sometimes it’s hard to tour in England during the winter months! It was a still an amazing weekend, full of relaxation and fun! The kids had a great time at the Ashton’s . . . and we decided we just may have to do this again!
Leave a Comment