Villas in East Midlands

Buxton, Matlock and Ashbourne put you in the Peak District for walking, and Louth suits a quieter stay near the Lincolnshire coast. Most of our cottages here are in Derbyshire. Expect stone cottages rather than villas, steep lanes, and full car parks at Dovedale and Castleton on sunny weekends. Allow around three hours by car from London to the Peak.

Where

Villas: 39
From, per week: £472
Cheapest month: November
Nearest airports: By road from London, allow around three hours to Matlock or Bakewell via the M1, and about three and a half to Buxton. East Midlands Railway trains from London St Pancras reach Derby and Nottingham in around an hour and a half to two hours, with connections from Derby to Matlock. Buxton is reached by train from Manchester, not Derby. East Midlands and Manchester are the nearest airports.

Where to stay in East Midlands

Buxton and the High Peak

Buxton has more of our East Midlands cottages than anywhere else. It is a spa town with the Georgian Crescent, an Edwardian opera house and the Pavilion Gardens. Poole's Cavern, a show cave, is on the edge of town. Castleton, Mam Tor and the caves of the Hope Valley are around 30 minutes north, and trains run from Buxton to Manchester in about an hour. Manchester Airport is around 40 minutes by car.

Best for: A spa town base for moorland walks and show caves

Not for you if: You want mild weather: Buxton is around 300 metres up, colder and wetter than the towns below, and often gets snow in winter.

Matlock and the Derwent valley (Matlock Bath, Cromford)

Matlock is a market town on the River Derwent, and Matlock Bath lies a mile or so south in a steep gorge. Cable cars climb from there to the Heights of Abraham, with show caverns at the top. Cromford Mills, Richard Arkwright's cotton mill and part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, is just beyond. Chatsworth is about 20 minutes north, and trains run from Matlock to Derby in around half an hour.

Best for: Families who want cable cars, heritage trains and Chatsworth nearby

Not for you if: You dislike motorbikes and crowds: Matlock Bath's riverside is a well-known bikers' meeting place on summer weekends.

Ashbourne and Dovedale

Ashbourne is a market town at the southern edge of the Peak District, about 15 minutes from the stepping stones at the foot of Dovedale. The Tissington Trail, a cycle path on an old railway line, starts in the town, with bike hire along the way. Carsington Water has a sailing centre and a path round the reservoir. Alton Towers, over the border in Staffordshire, is around 25 minutes away.

Best for: Easy walks, a flat cycle trail and Alton Towers within reach

Not for you if: You want empty paths: the stepping stones at Dovedale are one of the busiest spots in the Peak on fine weekends.

Bakewell and the central Peak District

Bakewell is the main town in the central Peak, with a Monday market, shops selling Bakewell puddings and a medieval bridge over the River Wye. The Monsal Trail runs north-west along the old railway, through lit tunnels and over the Headstone Viaduct. Chatsworth is about ten minutes away. Several of our cottages here are listed simply as Peak District, so check the exact village before you book.

Best for: Walkers and cyclists who want Chatsworth and the Monsal Trail close by

Not for you if: You need to park easily in summer: Bakewell's car parks fill early on Mondays, which is market day, and on fine weekends.

Lincolnshire: the Wolds and coast (Louth, Helsey, Sleaford)

Louth is a Georgian market town on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, under the tall spire of St James's Church. Helsey is a hamlet a short drive from the sandy beaches at Chapel St Leonards and Anderby Creek, about 20 minutes north of Skegness. Sleaford is further south and inland, around half an hour from Lincoln's cathedral and castle. We have only a handful of cottages in Lincolnshire.

Best for: Quiet countryside, sandy beaches and fewer visitors than the Peak

Not for you if: You want hills by the sea: the Lincolnshire coast is flat, and Skegness is a traditional resort with amusements.

Nottingham and Bolsover (Sherwood Forest edge)

Nottingham has its castle above caves cut into the sandstone, the Lace Market and plenty of places to eat. Sherwood Forest, with the Major Oak, is about 40 minutes north. Bolsover, in north-east Derbyshire, has a 17th-century castle run by English Heritage, and Hardwick Hall, the Elizabethan house known for its huge windows, is about 15 minutes south. Trains from London St Pancras reach Nottingham in under two hours.

Best for: A city base or country houses, with Sherwood Forest close by

Not for you if: You want the Peak District on your doorstep: from here the hills are around 40 minutes to an hour away.

When to go to East Midlands

Summer weekends and bank holidays are the busiest times in the Peak District, when car parks at Dovedale, Castleton and Bakewell fill by mid-morning. Spring brings lambs, and from May through the summer villages hold well dressings, decorating their wells with pictures made of flower petals. September is quieter for walking once the school holidays end. Winter is cold on the high ground, snow can close the Snake Pass and the Cat and Fiddle road, and on the Lincolnshire coast many seasonal businesses shut.