Well, I’ve done it again, what started out as an innocent weekend away became another opportunity for me to marvel about the wonders of public transport in Britain. And to tell all and sundry about it of course…
I went to the picturesque Matlock Bath (am I sounding like a tourist guide yet?) with my partner where we spent most of the weekend wandering around the town enjoying all of its (many!) eccentricities. On the Saturday we decided to venture further afield and go to Chatsworth, until then I’d only ever been to the adventure playground and farmyard, as I’ve not been there since I was little. And the place was amazing, we ambled around the gardens in relative privacy cos few others had braved the rain. The house was stunning and when we decided to be terribly English and have traditional afternoon tea it was delicious.
However a lasting memory of the day had to be the ease of travelling by bus. Not only were they frequent and easy to find, but our neighbours in Derbyshire have come up with a county-wide integrated ticket, much like our own kangaroo. So we only had to buy one ticket – between us – even though we changed bus, and more importantly, bus operator. It made green tourism that little bit easier, if you’re planning any summer activities remember you really don’t have to drive so you can enjoy the journey as much as the destination!