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.
Sunshine, blue skies and sparkling snow - the Peak District looks spectacular when covered in a delicate dusting of snow. This week Hoe Grange has been transformed into a winter wonderland.
There's s"no"w excuse for sitting inside by the fire. Why not wrap up warm, get your hat, gloves and scarf on and head out with the family for some festive fun? There's plenty of snow here in the Derbyshire hills, so here’s some fun ideas of things to do in the snow over the Christmas holidays.
10 Family fun things to do in the snow!
1. Build a snowman – find some twigs for arms and stones for eyes and a carrot for the nose, which the horses can then eat once the snowman has melted! A favourite with all ages.
2. Make snow angels – Caroline’s favourite – little bit chilly if you’re not properly wrapped up as snow gets up your sleeves, down your neck and fills your wellies!
3. Sledging and snowball fights - good old fashioned – Michael and Elliot's favourite.
4. Build an igloo – not as easy as you think – David’s sister’s favourite - Sheila even had a for sale sign sticking out the top, (her husband is an estate agent) but be warned you might get less than you bargained for!
5. Frolicking fun! It may be too slippy to go riding, but you can still exercise the horses by running with them in the snow - they love it!
6. Follow the animal tracks - who made the footprints in the snow – who came along, and where did they go? Fudge's favourite - she just follows her nose!
7. Feed the birds – when snow covers the ground the wild birds need a little extra help - don’t forget some water too – Felicity’s favourite
8. S"no"w excuse not to BBQ - treat yourself to a fire pit experience - toast marshmallows and warm up with some delicious homemade mulled wine or a mug of hot chocolate - our Norwegian friends do it all the time!
9. Roll in the snow! Be brave - take a roll in the snow after a dip in our authentic Swedish hot tub, brrrr... extremely exhilarating I believe!
10.Get the snowplough out to clear the drive for guests - David’s favourite - you know what men are like with their machines!
Hope you all have as much fun as we have!
Happy New Year to everyone
Felicity
David and Felicity are very friendly and helpful hosts, and this part of the Peak District is beautiful. Loved our visit to the pub (Ye Olde Gate) on the other side of the hill, with its excellent food and Pedigree beer!
This was my 5 th visit to the amazing Hoe Grange. I had visited before with my husband who had Multiple Sclerosis and was wheelchair bound. He could not weight bear and had to be hoisted. For many years we did not take holidays as we were apprehensive about leaving our extensively adapted home. The facilities and equipment available at Hoe Grange were fantastic and gave Phil the confidence to enjoy holidays again.
Sadly Phil passed away in January this year and having reminisced about our lovely Hoe Grange holidays my family were eager to visit.
We were a party of 3 adults and two children aged nearly 4 years and 17 months.
This time it was a different kind of stay. I had always viewed Hoe Grange from the accessibility point of view but this time it was a whole new experience.
My relatives were blown away by the location and interior design of the cabin.
Everything is quality and it is fantastically equipped.
The children loved the animals and were delighted by the chickens on the decking and the visiting dogs.
The welcome pack was delicious, wonderful home made bread, biscuits, milk etc.
They all thought Felicity must be superwoman to do all she does.
There were lots of toys for the children and a play area with climbing frame and slide.
It's a perfect base for Carsington Water, Matlock and CBeebies land. All of which we visited.
A new addition was the shop on site, fabulous locally sourced produce and interesting gifts.
We did not want to come home and will return next year.
One further example of David and Felicity going the extra mile was their search for a precious teddy bear who we had left behind( lucky him he got a few extra days stay).
He was found and posted home in his own little bed labelled " Handle with Bear". Typical Of the lovely couple that David and Felicity are.
I felt I had returned to see old friends and my family loved it.
I saw Hoe Grange from a new perspective as a brilliant place for a family holiday.
We will be back. Thank you. More
We stayed in Hipley again which had had a refurbished wet... read more room which looked very smart! Once again, we had everything we needed on site for my husband who is quadriplegic meaning for a change, we travelled light. A rare occurrence. Hoist, shower chair and a profiling bed all awaiting our arrival. Unfortunately the weather wasn't quite as good as three years ago but we dodges the showers. Felicity and David are fabulous hosts and ensure you have everything you need to make sure your stay is relaxed and stress free. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending a holiday here. The scenery is beautiful and the sky at night.. well it twinkles More
Absolutely superb!
We have just returned from a family weekend staying in Daisybank cabin and the Skylark pod.
It was our first trip away with my... read more husband who is wheelchair bound and severely disabled and were naturally apprehensive but all worries disappeared from the moment we arrived!
Everything was just perfect for both his needs and the rest of the family travelling with us.
All the equipment we had pre-booked was in place and the cabin itself was brilliantly designed to enable easy wheelchair access to all areas.
As well as being spotlessly clean and comfortable there were so many ‘little touches’ that really made it a ‘home from home’.
We had a fantastic weekend - our only regret being that we hadn’t booked for longer!
Thank you so much Felicity and David for providing such high quality accommodation for ALL your guests - both able bodied and disabled.
We will definitely be back again!
Trisha Cannon
Whilst in Costa Rica (amongst other areas), we visited Alajuela (one of the coffee regions) and La Paz Waterfall Gardens, also known as Las Cataratas. I was taken aback by the beauty and variety of the wildlife. We were greeted by a huge buffet full of tasty authentic Costa Rican cuisine. Eat well as you will need the energy for a lot of walking and some steep steps to climb at the end!
In Panama one of my most memorable excursions was to the Embera island. If you want to meet one of the seven indigenous tribes of Panama and learn about their history from them, then this is for you. I felt honoured to experience something that I have only ever seen on documentaries over the years. Wear crocs or walking sandals with soles that have good grips on them as you will be walking through muddy terrain and rocks and rivers that could be waist high. Ladies, wear your swimsuit underneath your clothing as you will have the chance to bathe in the river and waterfall before going to the Embera village. More
Though the weather was a little damp on occasion we were very happy to sit and watch the horses, cows, chickens and pygmy goats do their thing.
Though we had no need to use it there is farm shop where you can pick up essentials on a trust basis (you pay at the end of your stay for anything you use)
There is also a secure lock-up for bikes or you can borrow one. We used the hot tub one night and hot it was! Lovely after a 15 mile walk.
Felicity and David were very welcoming hosts and we couldn’t recommend the whole experience enough. 5 stars without a doubt.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time, so much so that there was a tear in my partners eye as we drove away. We will most definitely be back. More
We were welcomed with fresh eggs, homemade bread and cookies which were delicious. We also booked the hot tub experience for the evening which I would recommend - the hot tub is filled with fresh water and the area decorated with candles. It was a clear night and so we had a great view of the stars above.
We both left feeling relaxed and stopped off in Brassington for a pub lunch on the way home! More
The stables and accommodation were very clean and tidy and the paddocks were lovely. The riding around the area was a horse riders dream - we hardly saw a car!
Highly recommend this place for anyone looking for a relaxing weekend.
Rachel and Mike
Thank you David and Felicity - you made us so welcome and your log cabin and Rosehip caravan provided the perfect home for a week.
Felicity & David welcomed us when we arrived to show us around... read more the place. The Skylark pod was excellent, very well equipped for a small space with a lovely welcome pack including milk, bread, cookies and freshly laid eggs.
It was was warm and comfortable inside with enough storage & wall hooks for hanging outerwear. The bathroom was a good size with a large shower.
The kitchen was really well equipped with everything you could possibly need (and more!) for your stay.
We had booked the use of the Swedish hot tub for the evening which was beautiful & hot (having taken many hours of tending to by David to bring it up to optimum temperature) in the windy February weather. We were lucky to get a clear sky so to enjoy the hot tub under the moon and stars on a random Monday night in February was a real treat!
Thank you so much for a wonderful experience, we will definitely visit again! More
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