2 nights in the Peak District: dog friendly Robin Hood Farm

Before I get started on all my recommendations for 2 nights in The Peak District, can I just fully expose myself for the muck up I made with the weather…

I looked at the forecast the day before and saw 24 degrees and thought wow it’s warmer than Kent. If that sounds unlikely, that’s because it was, I was actually looking at the date (24 September). Real feel temp was 4 degrees. Narrowly avoided freezing to death, so with this in mind, sensible choices were made packing my North Face alongside my ridiculous skirts and white jeans.

*[AD ~ Press Trip] We were invited to stay at Robin Hood Farm – where we were gifted a complimentary stay and breakfast in exchange for blog content.

The drive from Tunbridge Wells to Bakewell was actually lovely and went really quickly considering it was around 4 hours door to door including snack breaks. Mind you I didn’t actually do any driving and spent the majority of the time reading Vogue, sipping rhubarb and ginger gin & being on DJ duty.

2 nights in the Peak District: Robin Hood Farm

Covid check: Mad that I now have a section in my blogs for the hundemic but this year has been wild and Rona is definitely not someone you want turning up to your party.

So the first thing to say here is that Robin Hood Farm was perfectly set up for guests to check-in safely due to the new regulations. We’d already filled in a health questionnaire prior to our arrival, so we immediately felt comfortable collecting our keys and popping on our masks while we walked up to our room.

Top tip: Grab a slice of cake from the hall on the way up to your room. You can thank me later!

The doggy friendly room of dreams

As we walked in the first thing we noticed was the huge bed with a cute folded blanket and chew for Bear. While I was doing a mini tour on my Instagram stories, Bear had taken the opportunity to sneak onto the bed and help herself to the chew as clearly, she thought she’d been a very good girl, debatable!

Top tip: Book The Birchin Room – it’s perfect if you’re travelling with a pooch as you can let them out into the garden first thing without the faff of having to take them all the way downstairs + you can have brekkie outside too so it’s a win-win.

2 nights in the Peak District: Take a hike

You can’t visit the Peak District without going on a hike (NGL I could have just spent the entire time going from cute tea room to pub lunch and back to bed) but Dem & Bear were adamant on the walk. We picked out the Great Ridge & Win Hill hike which was just over 21K. I decided bravely to wear a jumper emblazoned with the word “Positive” and fell flat on my face within the first 15 mins, of course, I did.

It was a lovely sunny day but the wind was intense on the Great Ridge and I kept having to check that my little squirrel of a dog hadn’t blown away. I’m glad we did the walk because the views are absolutely stunning but we did roughly half of the 21.K because we were bloody freezing and I needed to pee…

Highlights included when I got excited to see a wild sheep which turned out to be a large rock, when I was attempting to navigate I found out that West isn’t always left on a compass (who knew). Also, I decided to wear my trusty magnetic lashes for our hike (I know, I am a ridiculous human) and they managed to withstand the gale force winds. Win!

Top Tip: Download an app like Peak Finder which will show you the names of all the different mountains and peaks nearby.

Luxury lounging at Robin Hood Farm

After our hike, it was so nice to get back to the B&B and cosy up in the warm. Robin Hood Farm has unbelievably cool mood lighting so we got straight into the fluffy robes provided and I must have hit the snooze setting as Dem and Bear fell straight to sleep! So I grabbed a complimentary beer from the fridge and made a start on photo editing while enjoying the peace and quiet.

2 nights in the Peak District: Food & drink

The food in Bakewell deserves its own section – so here I’ve detailed everywhere we ate, what to order, and anything extra you need to know. FYI every one of these places was doggy friendly which made eating out with little Bear a total breeze!

Robin Hood Farm

No need to look anywhere else for brekkie as this is included with your stay and delivered to you in bed (the dream). Whether you’re a croissant connoisseur, a full English enthusiast, or a bagel buff they have you covered. Bear was given her very own bowl so it was only fair that we snuck her a little bit of sausage for brekkie.

The Robin Hood

A 1 min walk from the B&B we didn’t actually eat here but the menu looked fab, they have a gorg log fire, kids eat free & they also have a jar of treats for your pup. Plus they make a mean Aperol Spritz!

The Devonshire Arms

This place looks spectacular from outside and it feels as if you’re walking into a castle for dinner – booking is advised due to madam Rona. Expect a varied menu, both the hanging chicken kebab and moules-frites are delish and make sure you explore the cocktail menu after dins!

The Rutland Arms hotel

We only stopped here for a drink but the gin selection and decor is gorgeous. Also, fun fact: this is the hotel that Jane Austen stayed when she re-edited her transcript of Pride & Prejudice after a visit to Chatsworth.

The Chequers Inn

Fave dinner during our stay. A lovely cosy pub with top notch eats, the risotto was probably the most aesthetic rice I’ve ever eaten, think floral decoration and the chicken & chorizo gnocchi came with Dem (& Bear’s approval).

The Peacock

I was so impressed with all the food in The Peak District, everything we tried was delicious. I’d recommend the cannelloni or the pie here and prepare for your pup to get all the attention because there are dogs for days around here.

The Old Hall Hotel

We swung by after our hike and ordered some small plates to share. The plates were in no way small but we managed to eat everything – highlights include tasty truffle fries and a yummy prawn cocktail + Bear was made to feel like a total princess!

The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop

You can’t visit Bakewell without visiting the home of the original Bakewell Tart – and having taste tested them I can vouch for how good they are. You can also book in & have afternoon tea here – but no pups are allowed in.

A must visit: Chatsworth House

She is beauty, she is grace, she is… Chatsworth House (you find something that rhymes with it then). A gorgeous stately home nestled in green countryside, I’ve never wanted to live somewhere more in my life. Pups are welcome in the garden and park but unfortunately not in the house. I’d love to come back at Christmas because I’ve heard it absolutely stunning.

They’ve got a restaurant and shop to check out or you can pack a picnic to enjoy whilst taking in the scenery as there’s plenty of benches dotted around. And if you’re an insufferable photo-taking pain in the ass like me you’ll want to keep your camera handy because this place is bloody gorgeous.

Top Tip: Due to the C that can’t be mentioned you’ll need to book a ticket to visit before you arrive- but same day tickets are available.

In summary

I think this was our most doggy friendly trip to date! Hope you found my 2 days in the Peak District blog useful and if there’s anywhere that we didn’t visit that you’d recommend, feel free to drop them in the comments xo

More doggy friendly guides available below: