Last year’s gold award-winner in the Enjoy England Excellence Awards, Shardaroba Camping and Caravanning Club Site won because of its exceptionally clean facilities and helpful staff. On a grassy site not far from Chesterfield, it is a good base for visiting Chatsworth - one of Britain’s best-loved stately homes - the National Tramway Museum near Matlock and the National Trust’s Hardwick Hall. Families can take a walk through Sherwood Forest country park to search for the hollow Major Oak - according to legend, the hiding place of Robin Hood. Byron lovers will enjoy poring over the poet’s mementoes at Newstead Abbey, while thrill-seekers can find more than 100 rides at the American Adventure Theme Park. Despite its rural aspect, the whole site is a wi-fi zone, so you can research the history of the places you visit.
Tel: 01623 551838; www.shardaroba.co.uk
Go it alone Everyone envies teachers in summer, but if people in other jobs can’t get away, who are you going to go on holiday with? Thelma and Louise club, a newly launched personal adventure service run for and by women, might provide a solution for female teachers. The founders, Christine Davies and Grace Frankel, hope that being able to find travel partners - or just someone to have a drink with when you turn up alone in a strange place - will encourage women worldwide to keep on travelling. It’s free to browse the website, membership costs pound;9.99 a year.
www.thelmandlouise.co.uk
Renata Rubnikowicz
