THE FOOTNOTES
Every print from Marking The Wild comes with its own trail story, this is yours.
Here you’ll find sketches, route details, reflections from the walk, and a few extra notes I couldn’t quite fit on paper.
Think of it as a companion to the artwork; a small way to step into the moment with me, and maybe take the journey for yourself.
Chatsworth: A Walk of Gentle Grandeur
It’s not the rush of the wild but a composed and measured stillness that greets you at Chatsworth, (if you can look beyond the crowds at the house). It’s a place where rolling parkland, ancient trees, and wide open scenery come together under the time and attention of a guiding human hand.
Paths sweep through grassland shaped by herds of semi-wild deer. Oaks stand like old guardians, upright, seasoned, with stories bound into their bark, and the river curves through the scene like a long, thoughtful sentence.
I’ve visited Chatsworth estate quite a few times, but the first time was at the age of 4 on a summer’s day back in the nineties; when the Emperor Fountain both frightened and excited me. More recently I have come to appreciate the surrounding estate.
As you wander, it’s easy to be carried away to the romance of Regency England. Or, perhaps indulge in some Miss Marple vibes in the village of Edensor, whose Tea Cottage I’d highly recommend. Both the architecture and the land hint at a world where time stretches slower than everywhere else.
But beneath the estate’s poise & majesty lies something simpler: the steady pulse of land that has been tended, walked, admired, and trusted for generations. An invitation to slow your step, lift your gaze, and move through a place that feels quietly sure of itself.
Waypoints Through The Wild
Note: This walk is equally good in an anti-clockwise direction, first visiting Edensor Tea Cottage for a pit stop before a climb, and ending back at Chatsworth for a meal. However, this clockwise route offers a stunning view ‘reveal’ which I think is worth delaying the scone.
Start: Begin at Chatsworth House, turning immediately toward the river and following the path with Derwent River on your left. It’s a steady start as you go with the flow before the climb ahead. Continue until the path begins to draw you away from the river’s edge.
Walk alongside Calton Lees Car Park and past Chatsworth Garden Centre before veering right and beginning your ascent toward New Piece Wood. The climb unfolds steadily at first before passing through the farm house and rising toward the woodland’s shaded entrance.
Enter New Piece Wood, where the canopy steadies the air and the ground softens underfoot, offering shade and a quiet enclosure. On exiting the wood over the stile, the skies open up and as your eyes adjust the house uncloaks itself in a stunning elevated view -there are benches nearby to admire this scene.
Take the descending path across the grassland and the village of Edensor reveals itself gently as the slope eases, its stone cottages and church tower appearing with a composed charm. This is an opportunity for tea and scones at the Tea Cottage or save yourself for a meal in the House Restaurant.
Finish: Walk through the village before turning onto the broad parkland track that curves back toward Chatsworth House and either the Carriage House Restaurant or Cavendish Cafe.
Sense The Scene
See: sweeping parkland, distinguished old oaks, deer moving with quiet certainty.
Hear: murmuring, roaring river, calls of sheep & deer, soft drift of wind across open ground.
Smell: clean grass, cool water, earthy woodland shade.
Feel: old stone, gnarled bark, crisp cool water, bone china tea cups.
Taste: sweet grass, mature earth, clotted cream & jam.
Practical Parts
Parking: Available on the grounds at the main house and at Calton Lees Car Park to the south.
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Facilities: Cafés, shops, toilets, and seasonal stalls within the estate grounds and village of Edensor.
Hazards: livestock and deer present, riverside paths may be muddy after rain, estate can be busy during peak seasons.
Have you been here? What's Your Story
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