Browse through our blog posts to find out what life is like at Hoe Grange Holidays along with some great ideas for days out in the Peak District.
Accessible Peak District film locations: A guide for movie lovers
February 24, 2025Archives
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An accessible film tour of the Peak District: Visit the real star of the show
From the drama of the drawing room in Pride & Prejudice to the daring stunts of Mission: Impossible, the Peak District has provided the backdrop for many iconic films and TV series. With grand stately homes and stunning landscapes, the area has long captivated filmmakers and audiences alike.
Even better, many of these famous film locations are accessible, making it easier for everyone to step behind the scenes with features from Changing Places toilets to sensory packs. So it's time to get out and explore one of Britain's best national parks with an accessible film locations tour!
Our insider guide will take you on a journey around the Peak District, from the "polluted shades" of Pemberley to a railway in India.
Your accessible film tour getaway
Perfectly positioned in the centre of all the drama, our accessible log cabins here at Hoe Grange Holidays offer the perfect base for a film tour holiday, whether you're looking for romance, history or adventure.
After a long day exploring, cosy up in your cabin with a film or soak away your stresses in a hot tub on your decking under the stars.
Accessible film locations in the Peak District & Derbyshire
Chatsworth House: Pride & Prejudice, The Duchess, The Wolfman and Peaky Blinders

Start your tour by stepping back in time at the majestic Chatsworth House, famously starring as Mr. Darcy's Pemberley in Pride & Prejudice (2005), alongside Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen.
The grand rooms and sweeping grounds have also played their part in The Duchess (2008), werewolf thriller The Wolfman (2010) and even the Shelbys have spent time here in Peaky Blinders.
Travel: A 25-minute drive from Hoe Grange Holidays
Accessibility features:
- Step-free access and wheelchair-friendly routes in the house and gardens
- Changing Places bathroom
- Visual story
- Sensory bags and ear defenders available
- Mobility scooters available for hire
- Touch tours available
- Free carer ticket
- Detailed accessibility information on the Chatsworth website
Places to eat & drink:
- The on-site Carriage House and Cavendish restaurants are fully accessible if you fancy a tasty treat!
Lyme Park: Pride & Prejudice and The Awakening

If Colin Firth in a dripping wet shirt set the blueprint for your perfect man, then there's no better place to visit than National Trust Lyme Park - the setting for THAT lake scene in Pride & Prejudice (1995).
Image credit: Visit Peak District & Derbyshire
There's something for everyone here though - if a thriller is more your scene, parts of Lyme Park also starred in The Awakening (2011) alongside Dominic West and Rebecca Hall.
Travel: A 50-minute drive from Hoe Grange Holidays
Accessibility features:
- Step-free access to parts of the house
- Accessible toilets
- Trampers available to explore the grounds
- Free carer ticket
- Detailed Access Guide on the AccessAble website
Places to eat & drink:
- The on-site Timber Yard Cafe has level access if you want a legendary National Trust scone to fuel your explorations
Hardwick Hall: Harry Potter and Mary Queen of Scots

Draw your wands ready to defend yourself from the Death Eators hiding round every corner at National Trust Hardwick Hall, which starred as Malfoy Manor in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010).
Didn't receive your Hogwarts letter? Hardwick was also used as Hampton Court Palace in Mary Queen of Scots (2019). With real-life links to the imprisoned queen, it's the perfect place to step back in time to the Elizabethan era. Just bear in mind you won't be able to ponder life from the rooftop like Margot Robbie as it's not open to visitors.
Travel: A 50-minute drive from Hoe Grange Holidays
Accessibility features:
- Step-free access to the ground floor only
- Accessible toilets
- Trampers available to explore the grounds
- Free carer ticket
- Detailed Access Guide on the AccessAble website
Places to eat & drink:
- The on-site Great Barn Restaurant has step-free access to the ground floor
- Finish off the day with a visit to The Hardwick Inn for a pint and a pie (step-free access and an accessible toilet available)
Kedleston Hall: The Duchess and Jane Eyre
Discover the 18th-century glamour of The Duchess (2008) with a trip to National Trust Kedleston Hall, which starred as Georgiana's family home. Borrow a tramper to explore the gorgeous grounds where Keira Knightley set her many admirers off on a race to win her favour.
Travel: A 25-minute drive from Hoe Grange Holidays
Accessibility features:
- Step-free access to the ground floor of the house, but be warned that the ramp is steep
- Accessible toilets
- Trampers available to explore the grounds
- Free carer ticket
- Sensory packs available
- Detailed Access Guide on the AccessAble website
Places to eat & drink:
- The on-site Great Kitchen Restaurant has step-free access - but is up the same steep ramp as the main house entrance
- Call in at Carsington Water on the way there or back for a bite to eat at the accessible Mainsail Restaurant, with views over the reservoir
Sudbury Hall: Pride & Prejudice and The Scandalous Lady W
You won’t find the grand rooms inside Pemberley from the 1995 version of Pride & Prejudice at Lyme Park or Chatsworth – head instead to National Trust Sudbury Hall to find the setting of some deliciously witty flirtation between Jennifer Ehle’s Lizzie Bennet and Colin Firth's enigmatic Mr. Darcy.
This grand stately home also starred in The Scandalous Lady W (2015). The site is now home to the Children's Country House, so expect lots of interactives!
Travel: A 30-minute drive from Hoe Grange Holidays
Accessibility features:
- Step-free access to the house via a steep ramp
- Accessible toilets
- Off-road mobility scooters available to explore the grounds
- Sensory packs and ear defenders available
- Free carer ticket
- Detailed Access Guide on the AccessAble website
Places to eat & drink:
- Stop for a coffee on the way at Prestons Coffee Bar in Ashbourne
- Finish the day with a stop at The Knockerdown near Carsington for a delicious pub dinner
Ecclesbourne Valley Railway: Cuttputli
Journey halfway round the world with a trip up the road to the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway in Wirksworth. This small local railway recently provided the backdrop for a nail-biting murder mystery in Bollywood blockbuster Cuttputli (2022) starring Akshay Kumar.
Travel: A 15-minute drive from Hoe Grange Holidays
Accessibility features:
- Accessible railway carriages on steam train services
- Step-free access to platforms
- Accessible toilet
Places to eat & drink:
- There's ramp access to The Station Cafe, inside a railway carriage at the station
- Stop off on the way home at The Miner's Arms in Carsington for a yummy pub meal
Ladybower Reservoir: The Dam Busters and Mission: Impossible

For more action and adventure, head to the still waters of Ladybower Reservoir, where Tom Cruise bravely leaps into the giant plughole in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015).
Image credit: Visit Peak District & Derbyshire
Famously, the reservoir was also the backdrop for iconic war film The Dam Busters (1955). Inspired by real events on the reservoir during the Second World War, the film tells the story of the bouncing bombs.
Travel: A 45-minute drive from Hoe Grange Holidays
Accessibility features:
- Level path around the reservoir suitable for wheelchairs and mobility scooters
- Accessible viewpoints for enjoying the scenery
- Accessible parking available nearby
- You can even get out on the water with Accessibility at Ladybower Fisheries
Places to eat & drink:
- Just down the road from the dam, The Yorkshire Bridge Inn offers hearty pub grub
Hoe Grange Holidays: Peak Practice
If you're a fan of comforting and familiar TV soaps, you might remember long-running medical drama Peak Practice. The series was filmed all over the Peaks - including one memorable episode on this very spot at Hoe Grange, starring Con O'Neill and Eva Pope.
You can see the full episode online – though please note the storyline features suicide and a medical model of disability, as well as some very outdated 1980s décor in our farmhouse!
The film crew wanted to make it feel as authentic as possible, so kept borrowing more and more props from the farm. We love watching this clip featuring our first chocolate labrador Wispa – her first and only acting role.
Visit the real star of the show
Inspired to step behind the scenes with a trip to the Peak District? Now is the perfect time to book your getaway at Hoe Grange. Choose one of our three cosy accessible log cabins, all with roll-in wetrooms, and add on any specialist equipment you need from our extensive store when you book online.
VisitBritain's Starring Great Britain campaign shows some of the other amazing film and TV locations right across the UK - so you can plan a longer accessible itinerary with a full tour of the beautiful British Isles!
-Caroline







