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.
The famous poem "The Derby Ram" or "As I was Going to Derby" is a traditional tall tale, with unbelievable elements, which stretches back to Anglo Saxon times and beyond.
The elaborate and gaudy folk song tells of a ram of gargantuan proportions that was ten yards high with enormous horns and a huge flowing fleece!
The song was extremely popular through the Midlands in the eighteenth century and Derby adopted the ram as its mascot. Derby football team is called The Rams and The Derby Ram appears throughout the city in many forms, in statues and architecture.
This summer you can enjoy an extra special celebration of this mythical beast by following The Derby Ram Trail. You will discover 30 vibrant and beautifully painted 5ft ram sculptures throughout the city centre, each with a unique character.
The new flock of sculptures are based on the original stone ram sculpture by Michael Pegler, erected in the centre of Derby City 25 years ago. Each ram has a story to tell, many celebrating the industry and places that make Derby what it is today.
With their vibrant designs and eye-catching colours, each ram has been decorated by one of 28 local, national and emerging artists. From glittering mosaic to cartoon and graffiti, there is a wide range of art on display. Each sculpture is sponsored by a local business, making the trail deeply rooted to Derby.
We loved Royal Ram depicting Royal Crown Derby China and Derby Industries with Rolls Royce Engines as horns.
The rams are on display at strategic points throughout Derby city centre from 27th May until 22nd August, brought to you by Derby Museums in partnership with Wild in Art
Maps of the ram locations can be picked up from the Museum and Art Gallery on The Strand, the Museum of Making or downloaded from derbyramtrail.org
You could do the Bo Peep dash! Take on the challenge to find all 30 rams in just 90 mins and set a sponsorship target to help raise funds to keep the 3 Derby museums open and free for over 107,000 visitors a year to enjoy - you could even win a @Baa’ rilliant prize too!
In addition there will be a final Ram Union weekend from 3rd to 5th September to say farewell to all the rams before they go to auction on 9th Sept and find new homes. It will be interesting to see where they all end up!
We had a fabulous evening discovering all the ram stories.
Our favourite was "Ramble" created by Caroline Coates celebrating our stunning countryside and the Peak District National Park. We also loved "Ar'Baaa'retum" by Kathleen Smith highlighting the importance of green spaces allowing wildlife to thrive. Also "Memories fade but warmth remains" with the stunning sunflowers.
All in all 'Ramtastic'!!! Best seen in real life, so we think 'ewe' should all flock to see them !
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
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
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
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!
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
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
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
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
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
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