The first time we went to Chatsworth was for my mum’s birthday, many moons ago. We took her on a tour of Mr Darcy’s house after she fell in love with the film version of Pride and Prejudice. We had afternoon tea on the grounds and laughed at the ridiculousness of the shop, which had marble busts of Mr Darcy for sale. We visited the house a couple of times as a family at Christmas, because there is always a theme and the house is dolled up accordingly. I remember The Nutcracker being so festive. The year they did Narnia was promised to be just as magical, but finding Aslan dead in the library was not what I had in mind. It made me rather sad. I may have declared that that particular installation ruined Christmas (exceedingly quietly, mind- I was respectful of the hard work of the staff, one of whom was delightfully dressed as Mr Tumnus). I’m scared of crowds, so I’ve never been to the Christmas craft fair they host every year, but I’ve been told it’s rather jolly.

These days we take family trips to wander the grounds. It’s always nice to be among the sheep and deer. And last time I met the most delightful Samoyed. It’s definitely a good place for spotting adorable dogs.

There’s something rather magical about it that makes you understand why it was chosen as a Jane Austen filming location. It’s not just the house and formal gardens. The windswept fields and ancient tree- lined horizons feel romantic and timeless. A nice walk in the countryside really does shake the cobwebs away.