Elvaston Castle

Elvaston Castle is just outside of Derby, and we are staying nearby while we visit Tina and Matt. 
We thought that we their were house was nearby,  so we set off to cycle to them for Sunday lunch.
It was an undulating route that was quite pleasant, but much further than we first thought, and then the rain started pouring down. By the time we got there we were soaked through, and I had to borrow Tina's clothes and sit on a towel throughout lunch.
We had a lovely meal with the main course of Coca Cola Chicken, (thank you Tina), and baked cheesecake (cheers Matt). They also very kindly drove us back to the van afterwards, as although we were drying out, the return journey didn't hold much appeal.
Later we set out to explore the local area and found the Castle, although it is actually a country house set in a large park.
There was very few people around, and the grounds were filled with amazing oversized topiary, with some huge overgrown bushes still waiting for a haircut.
I read on a noticeboard that the whole estate had got very dilapidated, but recently renovation work has started on the house and gardens, so it should get even better in the future.