Inspiring experiences

There are so many chances to get hands on in Chesterfield Area, not just to see but to taste, smell, touch, not just to go sight-seeing but to experience…

Start your day at Barrow Hill Roundhouse Railway Centre in the Foreman’s office and choose your character to find out about working at the Roundhouse in its heyday.

Can you decipher the mystery objects at Chesterfield Museum? Pick them up, think about what they’re made of, what you can press, switch, move. If you still don’t know, get a clue from our friendly staff. Tour the discovery spots to have a go at brass rubbing, try on a miner’s helmet, weigh fruit and veg at our shop counter - there’s lots to have a go at.

Go on a tour of Brampton Brewery to find out how their award winning beers are made. Sample some of the brews and choose which one (or two or three) you really have to take home with you.

Renishaw Hall Vineyard is one of the most northerly vineyards in the country. Take a tour and try out some of their wine. Climb the Tower of the ‘Crooked Spire’, learn about the legends, find out the truth, and get a close up view of the Spire and a bird’s eye view of Chesterfield.

Well dressing is an ancient custom only found in Derbyshire and several well dressing teams invite you to come and watch them work. Learn about puddling the clay, pricking out the design, barking and building an intricate picture using only natural materials. Well dressings have smells and texture – chamomile flowers, lavender, thistle seed heads, egg shell. If you’re lucky, they might let you put a few things into the clay yourself. Then you’ll be asking why they do such back aching, fiddly, thankless work – and where they get their patience from!

Enjoy a show at the Winding Wheel or the Pomegranate Theatre and check if you can meet the cast. Walk through the lemur enclosure or feed the lambs at the Tropical Butterfly House, or follow one of our scenic driving routes - Hidden Villages or Rags, Riches and Renaissance Halls - round the area.

How long do you need to stay to be in-Spire-ed?