[Hookbill the Goomba]

(Quoting Lal's excellent posts for those of you who, like me, hate flicking between pages)

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Don't include us in the numbers staying anywhere because they're all so near that we can come over in the car for the day - or meet up wherever adventures are being had nearby etc.

To the houses listed...

I know exactly where the bunk barn is, it's on the High Peak Trail and we had a picnic and walk there a few months ago. It's pretty isolated, but also popular and very nice. There may well be a decent bus route there because it's deep in hiking territory but I will have to check - I usually zip past in the car. It's very close to Arbor Low, Gib Hill barrow, Youlgreave, Chrome Hill (the Dragon's Back) and the Silent Woman pub in Earl Sterndale.

The one in Sherwood looks like they'd be flexible with numbers, it's not rented via a holiday agency and in my experience they're more flexible/open minded. Retford, bizarrely, is not an easy trip to Loughborough by train - you need to go into Sheffield and then out again to Loughborough. Though would you only need to do the Loughborough trip the once? Hmm - think about that one!

The one in Turnditch, Belper is 4 miles from Belper station, which is then only 43 mins to Loughborough on the train - an easy trip, you change at Derby. And a group in a taxi for a 4 mile journey would be cheap.

Anyway, I never told you about a dining opportunity none of you would want to miss in the Peak District: Wurst!

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Sorry, not editing a post because it'll look messy

I looked up public transport for the barn at Hurdlow (which looks a fab option if you're unsure of numbers and likely to be noisy geeks ) and there is a bus service up the road on the A515, bit of a stiff walk. Though pubs always know about good taxi services! You can get a bus to Buxton, and from there you can get trains to Manchester or buses around the Peaks and out to Sheffield which has excellent rail links. You may find you have willing car owners or renters though - was there talk of a minibus? I'm also fairly certain they wouldn't mind you having a tent there too as they have a campsite, which is very nice and green. My mate's dad used to regularly spend the night in his van behind a pub near there when he'd had too much to drink.

My dad's caravan is in Longnor, a mile or two from there and the people on the site might know some more about it (no, you can't stay there, it only sleeps two!). And the pub in Earl Sterndale is actually the Quiet Woman (she has no head). Gah.

This is useful: East Midlands Journey Planner

And even though you've found some good ones, I've been scouring and this never came up until tonight when I was nosing on the Chatsworth website. This sleeps 12 and is in Bakewell. Works out at £95 each if full occupancy is reached, and they are obviously set up for groups as they rent to stag parties.
Victoria Cottage

Just checked on the second cottage near Retford, and though it's a beggar to get to Loughborough from there, Retford is also on the East Coast Main Line, which is notoriously efficient and it's a 90min trip to Kings Cross from there - work colleagues who live that way out usually catch trains to our London office from there as it's quicker than the Midland Main Line.

If we go for the barn (my preference) we'll probably organise a meeting spot and time and then get the drivers to take as many people there as possible. We'd just find the nearest train station, I suppose.
Wherever we chose, though, it may be a good idea for those of us who drive who live in the south to perhaps pick people up from the airport? This is something we can discuss later on, though.