Time finally sprung forward last Sunday. The countryside basked in glorious sunshine to celebrate, as I pootled off to Chatsworth for my first ever InstaMeet. Husband, being the wonderful sort that he is, offered to drive me since I had been at work until 2am that morning. We enjoyed the winding roads of the pass in relative quiet. Most of the world was still asleep, it seemed.

Sat on the banks of the River Derwent, Chatsworth is the ancestral home of the Duke and Duchess of Derbyshire. 16 generations of the Cavendish family have lived in the property which, over the years, has hosted royalty, survived the great wars, was almost lost to death duties and has had starring roles on screen, both big and small.*

The last ten years have seen £32m and hours of craftsmanship spent carefully restoring and conserving the property’s 500 years of history. The scaffolding is finally down and the house is crowning in her full glory. To celebrate this renewal, Chatsworth and Visit England kindly provided some Instagrammers with the opportunity to frolic around  the house and grounds, and take pictures to our hearts content.

We were able to nosey around a few of the 126 rooms which are open to the public – the Duke and Duchess still live a private, closed off part of house.

The clocks all told the new summer time.

I loved the way little nuggets of information were displayed throughout the house.

We posed for a group shot before lunch.

{photo by @projectyasir}

And after all that walking around, it was time to enjoy a scone and some bubbles in the old stables, with new friends.

{photo by @tea_and_wanders}

Before spending an hour in the gardens.

Interesting shape to choose for your shrubbery, no?

A quick turn about the maze and it was time for me to head off and meet my in-laws in Bakewell for a spot of Sunday lunch.

{photo by @tea_and_wanders}

Thank you @igersmcr and @igersderbyshire for organising such a fantastic day. I can’t wait for the next meetup, or my next trip to Chatsworth. I’ve got my eye on the afternoon tea for next time.

*Although the less said about the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice, the better – Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle for life!!