A renovated stone cottage on the hill above Darley Dale, five minutes from Chatsworth, built around outdoor living: a 50-jet hot tub on the lower terrace, five tiers of enclosed garden, fire pits, a pizza oven and a glass globe for a nightcap under the stars. Inside, four double bedrooms, two lounges and a games room with pool table and bar give eight people room to spread out. Up to five dogs welcome, with a secure garden and walks from the door. Bakewell and Matlock are under ten minutes.
Snowdrop is a stone cottage on Bent Lane, renovated top to bottom, sleeping eight in four double bedrooms. Every bedroom has a smart TV, a hairdryer and a wardrobe, and three of the four look straight down the valley. The master has its own en suite shower room; the family bathroom has an L-shaped bath and a walk-in shower with a rainfall head and body jets; there is a third WC downstairs.
Downstairs you get two sitting rooms, so the teenagers and the grown-ups can have one each. The main living room has a log burner in a stone inglenook, two leather Chesterfields and a basket of throws. The end sitting room has a tan leather Chesterfield, two wingback chairs, an electric fire and the window we watch the balloons from when the Chatsworth Country Fair is on. The dining room has a marble-topped table for eight and a second stone inglenook, and the kitchen is a proper one: induction hob, double oven, dishwasher, air fryer, Tassimo machine with pods, and crockery, glasses and pans for a full house. Exposed beams run through every downstairs room and the porch has a stone floor and a boot bench, so muddy boots and wet dogs are no problem.
Outside is where Snowdrop earns its keep. The patio off the kitchen has a timber table for eight, a barrel smoker BBQ and a pizza oven. Below it the garden drops away in five enclosed tiers with seating, fire pits, the glass globe and, on the lower terrace, the six-seat 50-jet hot tub looking out over the valley. It is hot-water fed and refilled fresh before every stay.
The games room stands on its own on the second terrace: a three-in-one games table (pool, air hockey and table football), a dartboard, the VW camper bar with a fridge behind it, a 50-inch TV and an electric fire.
We leave tea, coffee pods, a welcome hamper and a dog pack. Logs, firelighters and gloves for the log burner are supplied, and so is the gas for the pizza oven. Coal is not, so bring your own for the BBQ and fire pits, or pick some up at the Co-op in Darley Dale. The bedroom TVs stream only, so sign in to your own apps; both lounge TVs have live TV. The washing machine is in the kitchen and there is a tumble dryer and a second fridge in the shed.
The whole property is yours: cottage, gardens, hot tub and games room, nothing shared. Self check-in from 4pm with a key safe; the code comes in your check-in message.
Parking on the resin drive for four cars. The lane is narrow, so unload at the house; if you bring a fifth car there is on-road parking round the corner and we will point you to it. There is an EV charger on the drive, £25 for your stay, which you can add when you book or on arrival.
Snowdrop sits on Bent Lane between Matlock and Bakewell, with Chatsworth five minutes by car. Walks start at the gate: Tinkersley and the footpath through to Rowsley for the Chatsworth Farm Shop and the Peacock; Ladygrove for the waterfalls; Hall Dale Woods. Three pubs are on foot and all three welcome dogs: Barringtons in Whitworth Park, the Square and Compass with its open fires, and the Three Stags with a beer garden. Heights of Abraham, Monsal Head and the Monsal Trail are within twenty minutes.
A car is the easy way to see the Peak District from here, though Matlock station (Derby line) is ten minutes by taxi and there are walks and pubs from the door. Satnav can send you up the wrong lane; the what3words for the door and the last turn are in your check-in message.
Things to note
Dogs: up to five welcome. Two are included; for three or more, message us before booking so we can agree the extra dogs and the cleaning bond (£50 per dog above two).
Three steps up from the landing into the master bedroom, and the garden is tiered with steps and drops between levels. Please keep an eye on small children and elderly guests, especially after dark.
The master en suite has a macerator toilet: nothing but paper down it.
Logs for the log burner and gas for the pizza oven are supplied. Coal for the BBQ and fire pits is not.
Three external cameras cover the entrances and the drive. They are not monitored live and there are none inside.
Household and recycling bins are collected weekly; the guide shows which is which.
