The first thing you notice about The Cavendish Hotel in Baslow is that it’s green. Very, very green. Walls, doorways, staircases, corridors are all painted various shades of green: olive, emerald and other types I’m not knowledgeable enough to identify. Even the menus are green. Then you glimpse the dales of the Peak District through the window and, well, they’re fairly green too.
The second thing you notice is the artwork. It’s everywhere, encompassing every size and style you can imagine. Maps, portraits, monochrome photographs, Victorian caricatures, landscapes, cityscapes, surrealist, naturalistic – the interiors are a mixture of stately home, Soho members’ club and the National Gallery. (My personal favourite is the gigantic painting of a bull that hangs halfway up the stairs.) You almost feel like you should purchase a ticket simply to step inside.
Stately home is the most pertinent aspect here: The Cavendish is part of Chatsworth Estate, a few minutes walk from the 1,000-acre parkland and barely twenty from Chatsworth House itself. The building has belonged to the Devonshire family since 1830, when the Duke of Devonshire supposedly won it from the Duke of Rutland in a card game. Much of the art comes directly from Chatsworth House; “I recognise that one,” said the current Duke on a recent visit. He was referring to the Jeremy Deller installation that reads ‘You Treat This Place Like a Hotel.’
The reception looking into The Garden Room
And what a hotel it is. A recent £3.5m renovation was masterminded by Nicola Harding, the interior designer also responsible for the wonderful Mitre in Hampton Court. It took two years but produced spectacular results: The Cavendish was crowned 2025 Hotel of the Year by both AA and the Times, the awards proudly displayed on the entrance hall mantlepiece along with several others. (The Times article is also framed.)
No arguments from me – the stay was a joy from start to finish. On arrival, we enjoyed some very nice finger sandwiches in the lounge. It was a miserable afternoon but already the Cavendish was casting a seductive, soothing spell that I was only too happy to fall under. I wasn’t the only one.
“How long have we been here?” asks the lady on a nearby table as she rises to depart.
“About three hours,” replies her companion. Cue a shared chuckle of surprise.
The bar area
The lounge is that kind of place. A log fire, piano music on the speakers, extraordinarily comfortable sofas and chairs that basically absorb you into them. I find myself returning there throughout the stay, often to write this article. On Saturday afternoon, another lady at a different table is surprised by her server with a birthday sweet, on the house.
Rooms are named for a famous person with some connection to Chatsworth. Ours was Capability – after legendary 18th century gardener Capability Brown. Inside there was a four-poster bed with its own little stepladder for access – helpful after a leisurely dinner at the Gallery. One set of windows overlooked the house, the other gave stunning views of the dales.
A hotel isn't only as good as its staff: a hotel is its staff. And the team at The Cavendish might be the best I've had the fortune to encounter – friendly, knowledgeable, unfailingly charming. Take George, our server at the Gallery who clarified my typical indecision on what to order with a simple “what can you make at home?” (Beef fillet so yes, I'll have the venison please.) People tend to stick around. Guest relations manager Poppy has worked here for 14 years, restaurant manager Camille ten. “It's warm and cosy,” she says.
The Garden Room
The Cavendish looks after its own: restaurant supervisor Amelia is getting put through her wine qualifications by the hotel. Her mentor, Stuart the sommelier, has been here for 25 plus. Stuart needs his own paragraph: the man’s a star, not simply for the knowledge but the enthusiasm with which it's delivered, kneeling by the table to reel off playful facts about each vintage like there's nowhere else he'd rather be. He was lost to the teaching profession: whatever his subject, I'd probably be pursuing it right now.
Food is a massive part of The Cavendish’s draw. There are two restaurants, the Garden Room and the Gallery; the latter is a tad more fine dining, currently holding 3 AA Rosettes. Both serve classic British cuisine using locally sourced ingredients, often from the Estate itself. On Friday afternoon, I was flicking through the 2026 AA Restaurant Guide I found in a local pub and there was an extensive profile of Adam Harper, executive chef at The Cavendish. Never a bad sign.
Both supplied a splendid dinner. On Friday in the Garden Room, I enjoyed a beef suet pudding so warm and comforting it should be prescribed on the NHS. The Gallery supplied a crazily good pumpkin veloute and a cut of venison that seemed to melt in the mouth. No meat? No matter: my partner had a featherlight cod on Friday, and a gorgeous pan roasted halibut on Saturday. Amelia, George and Stuart looked after us like we were relatives.
The Gallery
We returned to the Gallery for breakfast. Sitting by the window, the sunlight streaming over the fields to warm you through the glass, a locally sourced full English on its way to your table while you enjoy a steaming cup of Earl Grey – I can't imagine a more therapeutic start to the day. Well, technically it's closer to the middle of the day; breakfast is served until noon, allowing ample time to explore Chatsworth Park and really earn your appetite. Try not to feel too guilty on seeing the deer.
The House was closed during our visit but guests of The Cavendish enjoy exclusive access, along with the opportunity of conservation tours around the estate. The beautiful town of Bakewell – home of the tart and Thornbridge Brewery – is barely ten minutes on the bus, while Baslow itself has a couple of very decent pubs. Should you wish to get your walk on, the dales are right there.
The Cavendish really does offer a countryside escape par excellence. The only hard part is checking out.
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Church Ln, Baslow, Bakewell DE45 1SP; The Cavendish
