We have now developed and written an Accessibility Statement for Darwin Forest.  You may access it by clicking the link at the bottom of the following page http://www.pinelodgeholidays.co.uk/darwin_forest.ihtml.  This should help all guests with mobility problems assess the suitability of the park’s facilities for their own particular needs.
This is a new venture for us so please give us any feedback that you may have on any aspect of the document to help us improve it’s content for the benefit of future guests.  In particular if we have missed out any important information please let us know. Or let us know if you have any suggestions for improving the accessibility of our facilities for all.

A similar Accessibility Statement is being developed for Sandybrook and will be published shortly.

There is no doubt that the way Easter school holidays have fallen this year, spread over 4 weeks, there will be plenty of accommodation available for everyone.  If you are still looking to get away for a few days in the Derbyshire Peak District, we have a couple of 4 and 6 berth lodges available for this coming weekend and into next week.   During Easter week, commencing Saturday 22 March, we also have a few lodges available for the 7 days and several more from Easter Monday.  With the weather hopefully picking up, Chatsworth House and Gardens, Haddon Hall, Heights of Abraham and Alton Towers are all open for business, making this a great time to fit in a short break to Darwin Forest or Sandybrook Country Park.

The top historic houses in the area open their doors to the public shortly.  Stately Chatsworth House and Gardens opens from 12th March and the romantic Haddon Hall is open from 20th March, just in time for Easter.  All the various National Trust properties including Hardwick Hall, Kedleston Hall, Calke Abbey and Sudbury Hall open up for visits from 1st March.  So if historic houses (and lovely gardens) are your thing, then take an early break with us (at bargain prices) and enjoy these delightful establishments while they are still quiet. Oh, and do let us know which is your favourite historic house in Derbyshire…

This year’s festival runs from 19th-27th April and offers a series of walks that allows you to explore the Peak District from a different perspective.  Walks are lead by local experts, with a variety of themes such as heritage, food & drink, ghosts and geology.  To receive your copy of the Festival Guide email helen.critchlow@derby.co.uk and she will send you a copy free of charge.   This period also coincides with our lowest rental prices of the spring, so why not make a full week of it? 

We are delighted to be able to provide private hot tubs for your own use on the decks of a number of lodges at Sandybrook.  Hot tubs will be available on certain Riber, Riber Skyline, Peveril and Tissington lodges from this Easter, for the payment of a modest premium.  

In response to customer feedback we have now completed the surfacing of the roadways around the whole of Sandybrook Country Park.  So now….you can walk to privies lodges in the rain, and never wet your feet!  We’ve gone about as far as we can go….. Yes Sir! 

Over the relatively quiet winter period we are pressing on with refurbishing all the Hassop lodges at Darwin Forest.  The whole interior of each lodge is being upgraded with new furniture, bathrooms, kitchens, flooring etc.  The new contemporary styled interiors will be finished off with  flat screen televisions - FAB.  The new look will be unveiled in time for the February half-term holidays.  

Kate and Bryan, local birders from Derbyshire Ornothological Society, recently paid us a visit to check out their wood they sponsored in our top field to celebrate their 50th anniversary.   They soon observed a variety of birds including buzzard, kestrel, jay, goldcrest, siskin, bullfinch, fieldfare, brambling and chaffinch and finished off their morning with a coffee in Evolution.  It is always nice to welcome our friends from DOS.  

The Hideaway lodges at Darwin were totally refurbished in time for Christmas…and the guests who stayed in them certainly seemed to appreciate the contemporary styling, flat screen tvs, new kitchens and bathrooms.

These cosy lodges are now available for couples to rent for three night weekend breaks (or 4 nights mid-week) for just £189 per lodge, until 8th February. You can even bring your pet dog with you if you wish.

…to all our guests, lodge owners and staff. Let’s hope that we get a bit of the white stuff this Christmas that we can all play around in!