Chatsworth offers nature-themed activities for families this summer

Free activities such as drop-in art workshops and spotters’ guides, alongside ticketed events including hands-on ‘young farmer’ days and outdoor cinema screenings, mean there is something for everyone to enjoy.

The art workshops for children of all ages will run every Tuesday and Thursday from July 25 to August 31 and feature nature-themed drawing and craft activities.

Little Pips gardening club, a fortnightly gardening club for pre-schoolers, and the monthly Seedlings gardening club for children aged four to seven, will encourage budding young growers to explore the garden, learn new sowing and growing skills and discover an abundance of wildlife while making new friends.

Those visiting the park and garden this summer can sharpen their knowledge of birds, insects and more with a series of newly launched free guides for spotting birds, wildflowers, pollinators and butterflies across the estate.

And just in time for summer, Chatsworth has opened a new traditional ice cream parlour, serving locally sourced ice cream, gelato and sorbet. The Parlour will serve ice cream sundaes, milkshakes, speciality coffees and homemade patisseries-style cakes and is housed alongside Chatsworth’s shops and restaurants in the Stables.

July also sees the launch of the brand-new Peak Sightseer open top bus tour, operated by Stagecoach and offering views of the national park’s outstanding natural beauty on a loop through many of its most popular destinations. The bus runs every 30 minutes, stopping at Chatsworth, Baslow, Calver, Hassop Station for the Monsal Trail, Bakewell, Ashford-in-the-Water and Pilsley for the Chatsworth Estate Farm Shop.

Anyone travelling to Chatsworth on public transport can take advantage of the ‘car-free discount’, worth £5 off any ticket type. Full details are available on the Chatsworth website.

Paul Hayes, visitor experience manager at Chatsworth, said: “With the summer holidays fast approaching, we’re looking forward to welcoming families to Chatsworth with events and activities that we hope will ignite imaginations, while fostering a greater connection with the natural landscape that surrounds us.

“From free arts and crafts activities to our outdoor cinema screenings of Pride and Prejudice and Top Gun: Maverick, and the promise of delicious homemade ice cream, there’s something to encourage everyone to join us outdoors this summer.”