We are well and truly back into the swing of things now, but on Easter day, we went away to Derbyshire, and here are some thoughts about it.

We had a mad few weeks on the run up to Easter, with birthdays, buzz cuts and our first two-church-two-children Holy Week! So, at the very earliest opportunity, after the services and egg hunts on Easter Day, we got in the car and headed off on an adventure.

We tend to prefer spots a bit further into Derbyshire, like Bakewell and Matlock, but as I knew we’d be very tired, we stuck to the north-west side, and chose to stay in the village of Hayfield, just over an hour away from Aintree. Our little home for the week, Hedgehog Cottage, was small, but big enough for the four of us for a week. It had an open fire, a well equipped kitchen and very comfy beds. Sophia said ‘when I grow up, I want to live in Hedgehog Cottage!’.

On Monday morning, we drove 20 minutes into Buxton. We spent the day in the Pavillion Gardens where there was a little fair and lots of craft stalls in their incredibly beautiful park. They have a special swing in their play area, where a baby or small child can sit facing an older child or adult on the other side. Sophia and Aidan absolutely loved it, as we haven’t been since they’ve both been big enough for swings!

My favourite moment of the day was sat eating lunch on the grass in the park, as Disney music from the fair played in the background. We always listen to Under the Sea on a roadtrip, so when that came on, I absolutely knew we were on holiday!

Next morning, we decided to explore Hayfield itself. We came across a church, and the doors were open so we wandered over to it. As we did so, one lady said ‘are you coming in for coffee?’. So we did!

The lovely people of St Matthew’s were delighted to see the kids and loved getting three boxes of toys out of the cupboard for them. We had a very enjoyable morning. It just goes to show how important it is to ask people if they’d like to come in – we wouldn’t have presumed to join them for coffee if that lady hadn’t have asked us to!

Wednesday involved our annual steam train ride on Peak Rail. This is the third time we’ve been on this train and it’s been great every time, not least because it drops you off for a few hours in the ever-sunny Matlock! If you have read any of my other Derbyshire blogs, you’ll know that we have a real soft spot for Matlock. So we popped into some of our favourite shops, had a chippy lunch, played in the park and me and Soph went for a ride on a boat! It was a full and fun day of various different kinds of transport.

Something Sophia regularly wants to do on holiday is swimming! We booked tickets to a big water park (which it turns out is actually nearer to home than Hayfield, so no doubt we’ll be going again!). This place had the most slides I’ve ever seen at a baths (that wasn’t in America) including one which landed you in a pool with a hole in the middle, and then dropped you into a big tank! Nathan and I both had a go on this, and it was brilliant!

Sophia enjoyed the wave machine more than anything else. When Nathan was taking his turn on the crazy slide, Aidan was well past his best and insisting on a feed because he was shattered. So I found myself feeding him in the waves – is that my breastfeeding bingo card now complete?!

We had a much more chilled day on Friday, with a visit to a play cafe and a friendly yarn shop, where I got some brilliant advice on a big project I’m planning. By this point, Sophia was heading downhill. A little red mark appeared on her neck and she had an hour and a half nap. Next morning, she had three proper spots and she was asking to go home. So we packed up in the morning and had a wander down to the park, knowing that Sophia probably wouldn’t feel up to much for a few days.

The last thing we did in Hayfield was to pick up snacks for the journey home from this gorgeous little cake cupboard – how cute!

We do love Derbyshire, and this was, I think, our ninth holiday there! Until next time x