A week or so ago, Nathan and I got back from a few days in the gorgeous Derbyshire town of Wirksworth. As usual, the week of the holiday snuck up on us and we ended up booking a cottage a few days before through Last Minute Cottages.

When looking for a cottage, we have a few criteria. We like it to be within easy distance of a pub, have good cooking facilities and, most importantly, have a nice bath! We usually like a log fire as well, but as it was July, we didn’t think there was much point putting that into the search engine.

So, we picked The Counting House, Wirksworth which ticked all the boxes, and the icing on the cake was that the decor was absolutely gorgeous. It was a combination of classic (which suits Nathan) and arty (which is more to my taste). We arrived on Sunday evening and stayed for five nights.

Due to covid restrictions, the arrival and departure times were slightly different to what we are used to so that there can be extra time for cleaning. But the cottage was so clean and I felt completely safe knowing that the extra time had been taken between guests.

Before booking our cottage, neither of us knew anything about Wirksworth itself, but it is such a lovely town and even in lockdown it was a delight to explore.

With beautiful old buildings and stunning hills surrounding it, what’s not to love? There were cute corners and little roads to explore as well as lots of history all over the place. Everybody we spoke to was lovely and happy to help by giving pointers about how best to enjoy our time in Derbyshire. One morning there was a market, which of course, being from Retford, is one of my very favourite things!

On the first morning, Nathan went out in search of coffee (which I stupidly I forgot to pack!) and came back with, not just coffee, but two incredibly tasty full English breakfasts! A cafe had started doing take out breakfasts during lockdown and they have been so popular that the owner plans to keep going even when restrictions are lifted.

After a couple of days resting, not doing a huge amount and Nathan’s traditional first day of holiday migraine, we went and explored the town. We spent many a wander feeling nostalgic because we were really reminded of our time in Durham. From the hills to the architecture, Wirksworth brought back some very fond memories. We came across gardens, churches, coffee shops, a zero-waste store, a nursery and all sorts of other things to look at. And apparently, once a year the whole town turns into Hogwarts when Wirksworth hosts ‘Wirksworth Wizarding Day’! We will definitely return one year to join in the fun and see Death Eaters sat outside the pub having a pint!

And speaking of pubs, as it was Nathan’s birthday while we were away, we had a couple of meals out. We had a gorgeous meal on the day at Le Minstral, which was absolutely delicious. The tables were spaced out, everything was really clean and the staff all wore masks. We also had food and drinks at the Hope and Anchor which was lovely. We felt very safe there too. It was so great to spend time just the two of us after a really busy couple of months.

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Wirksworth is a great space for exploring other towns like Matlock and Bakewell and, of course, the beautiful Chatsworth House. The surrounding scenery is beautiful so it would be a perfect base for a walking holiday as well. Although we didn’t go very far afield this time, we would love to return to explore the area some more.

Until next time, Wirksworth!