This year, we were keen to plan a weekend away with my brother and soon to be sister-in-law, and had considered Center Parcs. When we found out I was pregnant, I thought Center Parcs might not be the best idea given its focus on constant activity! So, we started to have a rethink about other possible locations for a relaxing weekend away.

After picking it as a suitable destination for our weekend, we spent some time thinking about where to stay in the Peak District. We didn’t want to stay in an overpriced, charmless Peak District hotel and also wanted the flexibility of having our own cooking facilities and communal areas for playing games etc.

After a quick Google for cottages near Bakewell, one of the gems of the Peak District, we happened upon Hassop Cottage, a property managed by Peak Cottages, and decided to go for it.

The beautiful Peak District

The booking process couldn’t have been easier. It was all completed online and, once payment had been taken, instructions regarding arrival and departure, along with directions to the cottage’s exact location in the Peak District, were emailed to us. I thought the price was reasonable as well, weighing in at under £400 for a Friday to a Monday, which between the four of us worked out at less than £100 for the three nights. Imagine what a similarly located hotel in the Peak District would have cost!

We arrived at Hassop Cottage around mid-afternoon after stocking up on supplies (mainly ingredients for fry-ups and a stack of biscuits!) at the nearby shop and eating a light lunch at the pub down the road (the Eyre Arms, a short walk down the road from the cottage).

Our first impressions were very positive; the cottage was attractive from the outside and modern, cosy, and welcoming on the inside. A small hallway full of cute touches like Downton Abbey-esque ringing bells led down a couple of stairs to an open-plan kitchen, breakfast bar, dining table, and living room.

The cottage from the outside

The kitchen was modern and well equipped, with a shiny oven and grill, electric hob, toaster, kettle, dishwasher, and so on. The living space had some of the comfiest sofas and armchairs that you’ll ever come across and we spent many hours curled up there playing games. It also had an electric fire that gave the space a cosy touch in the evenings.

Upstairs were two large bedrooms, with huge, comfy beds. One of the rooms was en-suite, and the other made up for not having an en-suite option by boasting one of the biggest, genuinely comfiest beds I’ve ever slept in!

One of the two bedrooms

Outside, there was a cute little garden which we enjoyed sunning ourselves in on our last morning at the cottage.

The garden at Hassop Cottage

In terms of location, the cottage was brilliant. We were within walking distance of the pub, and only a few minutes away in the car from attractions like Chatsworth, Bakewell, and smaller Peak District villages like Baslow. The cottage was set back slightly from the quiet road, which gave it a peaceful touch; at night and during early morning, the only noises were the birds and the ringing church bells.

Hassop Cottage boasts exactly the right mixture of traditional touches and modern facilities to make it a fantastic option if you’re looking for Peak District cottages online, so if you’ve been wondering where to stay in the Peak District, perhaps caught between self-catering options and hotels, you could do far worse than heading to the Peak Cottages website to check out their options in and around this area.