A new bit of Chatsworth

If you've ever read this blog, you'll know I go to Chatsworth a LOT, (we have an annual membership which makes this possible), but it's mainly to visit the gardens as they change throughout the year; we don't go for longer walks through the surrounding parkland.

So our recent trip to see the Radical Horizons sculptures, heading north from the house towards Baslow, took us somewhere new. We have been here before once, but during the Horse Trials when the landscape is somewhat hidden by jumps, ropes marking the course, and in the flatter areas marquees and the show-jumping ring - and of course the horses and riders are what you've come to see, not the surroundings.

So this beautiful pond was totally unexpected. Practical as well as pretty it was once used to provide ice for the ice house.  

We followed an estate track for a while, with this section giving panoramic views to the north, before turning in a wide arc, and heading down to the river Derwent and walking along its banks to the front of the House.

It was an interesting walk, a slight bit of uphill walking but not strenuous, and giving a new perspective on a place we frequently visit. One to revisit when the gardens are busy.