Young children are welcome, however, we ask that you respect the house and grounds and supervise children appropriately for their own safety and the protection of our home. There is a pond in the garden on the upper lawns and although there is a lot of undergrowth and shrubs on the boundary it is possible to get through into neighbouring property. The sweeping staircase is a beautiful wide feature and hence guests with young children will understand that we cannot provide stair gates. However, all reception room doors can be closed to prevent access to the stair hall area. There are stone floors throughout the ground floor and carpet upstairs.

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You really will be spoilt for choice for places to visit and experience in the Peak District. Here is a flavour:

· Chatsworth House, the acclaimed stately home of the Devonshire’s is a must see and is about 15 mins drive away. There are many events held at Chatsworth throughout the year, which always make a special day out whether visiting the house, gardens, park of farmyard.

· Haddon Hall is a romantic manor house, dating from the 12^th century, popular with filmmakers and is 10 mins away. It is a lovely contrast to Chatsworth, small and inviting, it has one of the best-preserved medieval kitchens and they do fabulously refined spook-tacular evenings.

· Alton Towers – the best theme park in the country so my grandmother and now our children say. Home to Smiler, Rita, Oblivion, Air, Nemesis – to name a few of the rides and set in the stunning grounds and parkland. 50 mins away.

· Lovely towns to visit – Matlock Bath, Bakewell, Buxton, Ashford in Water, Eyam (plague village), Castleton

· Other attractions: Gulliver’s Kingdom, Heights of Abraham Cable Car, Crich Tramway museum, Cromford Mill, Cromford town, Blue John Mines, John Pool Cavern, Go Ape.

· There are stunning walks and we can provide you with a choice and description of some of our favourites.

We also love the amusement arcades at Matlock Bath, along with the illuminations which run through most of September and October.

There are a selection of children's books for most ages.  

There is an XBox 360 player in the TV room with a few games, which you are welcome to use but we also recommend that you bring your own. There are numerous DVDs, Blu-ray discs and board games. There is a games room with a table tennis table, bats and balls and there are also a number of outdoor games including a croquet set, petanque, footballs and frisbees. 

We have two travel cots, which can be put up in any of the rooms, and two high chairs. We do not provide baby linen. There is a microwave in the utility area for warming bottles and washing machine and tumble dryer.

Yes, we can put you in contact with some local baby sitters.

The house is a delight to stay in.  Here is some further information that you might wish to know about in advance.  There is a library of books in the entrance hall and the TV room. There are maps and books about the Peak District, list of walks and many good fiction books. There is a TV in the kitchen on the mezzanine area and TV and DVD in a separate TV room. There are open fires in the living room, TV room, dining room and wood burning stoves in the kitchen and entrance hall. A basket of logs is provided on arrival and extra logs can be ordered if required. There is a music system in the kitchen.

All the bedrooms are upstairs, however, there is a downstairs toilet and shower room for those who find stairs a challenge.

There is Wifi throughout in the house.  

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The Thorn Tree in Matlock is a small and friendly pub serving real ales. You can sit outside and enjoy stunning views across the Derwent Valley. Wednesdays are Pat’s Pie night – made to order pies, with your own choice of filling and crust, are served 6 – 8pm. This is about a 15 mins walk from Darley House up hill.

Or enjoy a lovely 20 – 30 mins gentle walk down to the river Derwent, along the Peak Railway line and across open fields to either the Three Stags or the Square and Compass, at Darley Bridge. Both are friendly pubs serving simple and good food.

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There is a great selection of places to eat in the area to suit all price ranges. Most notable are probably Fischers at Baslow and The Peacock at Rowsley. Our children particularly love Thai Number 1 in Matlock and one of other favourite is Stones Restaurant, also in Matlock, which had a good write up in the Daily Telegraph in 2014. The nearest fish and chips shop is in Darley Dale going towards Bakewell.

Please note these are our favourite places but we cannot guarantee the standard of any meal you may order.​

The nearest super market is a large Sainsbury in Matlock (5 minutes drive).  There is a traditional butcher , E W Coates in Two Dales (again 5 minutes drive but in the opposite direction) and two more butchers in Matlock.  

Matlock has plenty of other shops and a Costa Coffee.​

There are plenty of markets in the area too and Bakewell has a farmers' market on the last Saturday of the months and a weekly market.​

You can order a welcome pack in advance. We offer locally sourced fresh products for breakfast, fruits and snacks. Guests who arrive late or are pushed for time find this convenient. Full information and prices are available upon booking.

No. It is worth checking whether your own home or personal insurance policies provide you with cover. If this is not the case, then we strongly advise that you arrange your own holiday  insurance with cancellation cover.

We are really sorry but we cannot cater for pets at Darley House.

All linen and towels are provided, with the exception of baby linen for the travel cots. For clients staying a week or more, a midweek change of sheets and towels is also available for an extra charge. Otherwise the cost of linen and laundering is included in the rental price.

Please leave the house clean, neat and tidy with all items in the place where you found them on arrival, particularly in the kitchen. Our cleaners will do a thorough clean, however if they have to clear the decks or unpack a dishwasher before they can start they will struggle to prepare the house in time for the next guests.

No, the cost of cleaning is included in the price, however we do ask, as mentioned above, that when you vacate, you leave the house clean and tidy and put all your rubbish in the appropriate outside bins.

Please talk to us about your requirements in advance. Our change over days are on a week day due to availability of cleaning staff. Our week breaks start on Fridays or Mondays (7 nights) and our weekend breaks run from Friday to Monday (3 nights). It is possible to do other lengths of stay. The minimum stay is 3 nights. Guests can arrive from 4pm on the day of arrival and must depart by 10am on the day of departure. It is essential that you vacate at this time, as the cleaning ladies will be coming in at 10.30am. We thank you for your consideration on this matter.

We ask that guests remove their shoes when going upstairs and that muddy shoes and wellies are left in the entrance lobby or on the stand in utility room. We provide hotel style one-size only slippers for adults, within the price, to be found in the bedrooms on arrival.

Darley House is strictly a no smoking house and we would ask that future guests don’t encounter evidence of ‘outside smoking’ on patio or garden areas.

There is parking for four/five cars on the front drive. If extra parking is required we can make arrangements for more spaces at the rear if requested in advance.

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Whilst we do have some spare wellies, which you are welcome to use if they fit, we recommend that you bring your own.

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