Travel: A perfect holiday cottage break in the heart of the Peak District
Being able to escape into the lush rolling hills for a few hours is great for the mind, body and soul.
But what is even better is a few days away in this fabulous natural playground - away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
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Hide AdThere are a plethora of holiday cottages for rent in the country’s largest national park, available for weekend breaks or even longer breaks.
Our weekend in the wilderness was spent at a two bedroom cottage in the Dark Peak - a few miles outside Castleton.
The five of us (four grown-up humans and one dog) arrived at our cottage - Top Tack - on a Friday evening.
We were pleased to find our hideaway was nice and secluded, well away from any main roads and a good drive up a narrow country lane.
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Hide AdTop Tack is situated amongst a small cluster of charming holiday cottages of various sizes at Rushop Hall.
There is also a coffee shop within the grounds
Our home for the weekend was a two bedroom cottage - both rooms and and a bathroom on the ground floor - with an upstairs living area, kitchen and further bathroom.
We found the cottage to be clean, comfortable and extremely well-appointed.
It was the end of a long working week so we decided the first evening would be spent lazing around in the living room sitting in front of the TV and eating pizza.
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Hide AdThe wood burning stove made the evening even more relaxing and cozy.
After a good night’s sleep I flung open the curtains in our bedroom early on the Saturday morning to be met by a sight to behold - the rolling green pastures of the surrounding farmland. Idyllic.
After a cooked breakfast we were then ready for a day of exploring.
Our holiday cottage proved to be a fantastic base for exploring the Peak District.
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Hide AdWe headed to nearby Edale and put our dog Hugo through his paces with an exhilarating two hour hike around the stunning hills.
Following a well-deserved drink and lunch at the end of our walk at the excellent Rambler Inn in Edale we then headed to Castleton for a potter around the shops.
The day was rounded off with another cozy evening in front of the fire, this time with a delicious curry from a takeaway in nearby Chapel-en-le-Frith.
The next morning it was time to leave our idyllic little bolthole and return to real life.
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Hide AdJust half an hour or so drive from Sheffield and about an hour from Manchester, Top Tack is a great place for city slickers to escape to for a few days in the great outdoors.
For more information about Top Tack, and other Peak District holiday cottages visit www.peakcottages.com