And walk off into the country, ridiculous country.

My love of photographing stately homes seems like such an old lady thing, yet I never fail to find them fascinating - and there are positively tons in Derbyshire. One of my all time favourite people, Ali, lives in Matlock, so every time I stay with her, we tend to visit somewhere new. If you remember, a couple of weeks ago I visited Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. We've been to Chatsworth a couple of times before, but never actually been inside. So it seemed like high time we did.

Derbyshire is one of my all-time favourite places to visit. It's only 2 hours up the M1 from Hertfordshire, and it's absolutely stunning. It's all rolling hills and dramatic landscapes. Sadly, because I normally drive up there, I never get much of a chance to photograph the best bits. Unfortunately, other motorists don't really understand it if you stop in the middle of the road and hang out of your window to take photos. Shame, really.

The house is gorgeous, but I don't know, I like something a little more shambolic, if I'm honest. It was so shiny and, er, groomed inside. My favourite part was the Trompe l'oeil of the violin. So realistic! I was sad we didn't get more time to go round the gardens this time around, as they're huge and awesome. There's even a maze! (Amaze!) Maybe next time.

PS - Lots more photos are up at my Facebook page!