Our weekend base is the historic city of Derby which, despite having a cathedral since 1927, didn’t gain city status until 1977.
We are staying in the Leonardo Hotel (www.leonardohotels.co.uk/hotels/derby), set in the heart of the stunning Cathedral district, surrounded by bars, restaurants and plenty of retail therapy outlets.  We have secured excellent rates of £80 per night for a single person and just £90 per night for a twin/double room.

Friday
Those who can arrive early, please meet at the hotel at 2.00 pm for a tour of the Cathedral district by none other than our very own Clare Ashton. Stopping off at the “Museum of Making” (www.derbymuseums.org/museum-of-making) for refreshments. The tour is free, and food/drink is at your own cost.
An evening buffet awaits you in the hotel from 7.30 pm, giving you the chance to meet up with friends old and new and enjoy an evening of conviviality with fellow senators and guests.

Saturday
Meet in the hotel lobby at 9.45 am to board the coach for a short journey to the morning’s activities. The first stop is the delightful Carsington Water where you can go for a walk in the meadow or round the reservoir, enjoy bird watching in one of the many hides (Buzzards, Great Crested Grebes, Kingfishers and Lapwings, as well as lots of ducks), visit the exhibition or have a stroll round the shops in the lovely courtyard. (www.visitcarsington.co.uk).
If you would prefer to get your tastebuds going, remain on the coach for the short trip to White Peak Distillery, the county’s first full-scale craft distillery, making award-winning Wire Works Whisky, Shining Cliff Gin, and Rum. A guided tour of the distillery will be followed by a sample of all three tipples. (www.whitepeakdistillery.co.uk).
Tipplers will then return by coach, to Carsington, for lunch.

Lunch is at your own cost and can be taken in the Mainsail restaurant with stunning views of the reservoir. We will do our best to reserve a spot in the restaurant and you can order what you want – depending on how hungry you are but spare some room for afternoon tea…

After lunch, at approximately 1.45 pm, we will hop back on the coach which will whisk us off to Croots Farm Shop (www.croots.co.uk), established by senators Steve & Kay Croot back in 2016. Here the group will split into two with one visiting the shop and food production area, with a talk by Kay and the other going with Kay’s Dad, Jim, who will introduce you to his stunning Shire Horses and tell you a bit about the Cowerslane Shire Horse Stud – www.facebook.com/JimYatesShires/.  It should be lambing time so you may have the chance to see the lambs being fed. The groups will then swop over.

During this time, we will also have a light afternoon tea with sandwiches, sausage roll, cake and scone.

We return to the hotel by approximately 5.30 pm, with time to freshen up before embarking back on the coach at 7.00 pm for a 25-minute trip to Morley Hayes where we will have a glass of prosecco and a delicious three-course meal. Drinks with the meal to be purchased at your own expense. The venue is a AA4* hotel and golf club with beautiful interiors and spectacular views of the Derbyshire countryside. They also have a helipad but use of that is also at your own expense!
We return to the Leonardo hotel at 10.30 pm and you can have a drink in the bar, retire to your room or discover the nightlife of the cathedral district bars which are on the doorstep.

Sunday
After a leisurely breakfast in the hotel, we ask that people make their own way to the morning’s activities which will take place from 10.30 to 12.15.  There is small, hourly charge to park on site. For those coming by train we will arrange for lifts to be provided. We are spending the morning at Great Northern Classics (www.greatnorthernclassics.co.uk), based at the former Rolls-Royce Heritage Centre at the Victoria Ironworks foundry, which is where Senator Andrew Thompson now works. The site includes: a fully equipped training school, workshops for around 30 specialists, a car storage area, exhibition and entertainment space. An introductory talk and time to visit the exhibition will be arranged (we are not yet sure what this will be, but there will be themed cars and bikes, and aero engines). This will be followed by a hot and cold buffet style lunch from 12.30 before setting off home from c. 1.30, having experienced the delights of Derbyshire.

Accessibility
If you would like an accessible room, please contact the hotel directly.
Unfortunately, the coach doesn’t have any specialist facilities, but they can store wheelchairs in the luggage area. Carsington Water is fully accessible, but the brewery tour is unfortunately not. Some aspects of the farm visit may be a bit tricky for those with limited mobility, but there will still be plenty to see and do. Both the Saturday night venue, and Great Northern Classics, are both fully accessible.

Hotel: please make your own booking at the hotel by following these instructions. You can either use this shortened URL to take you to the established senate page (https://tinyurl.com/47ccv5ja) or just go to www.leonardohotels.co.uk/hotels/derby. Go into the header bar at the top and click Search Again. Make sure you are in Derby hotel, select the dates, select how many adults, check (or add) the promotion code LHBRIT160525 and click Search Again. The room sizes are standard with some having option of double/twin bed plus a single. Costs are £90 a room per night for twin/double or £80 a room per night for single. For any specific requirements please email the hotel on moc.sletohodranoel@sdnaldimpuorglanoiger.

Travel: if you are intending to come via public transport, and need a lift on Sunday, please let us know. Equally if you are just coming for one aspect of the programme and do not need the coach, please confirm.

Deposit (50% per person please). All bookings after 1^st February 2025 to be paid in full. Any cancellations after 1^st March 2025 may incur a cost. Details of how to pay will be confirmed once you have booked. Don’t forget to book your hotel room

Derby Info