The last NT Group trip of 2025 will be to Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire, with an optional lunch at the Hardwick Inn afterwards.

The group will meet at Jubilee Hall at approximately 9.30am for car sharing, with the aim of leaving at 9.45am. Our timed entry to the house is for 11.00am. There is a cafe/restaurant at the hall for coffees etc. However tables have been booked at the Hardwick Inn for 1.30pm for those wishing to stay for lunch. You can decide on the day as no pre-ordering is required.

Please note that it is likely to be rather cold in the house, so appropriate warm clothing is recommended.

Hardwick Wintertide  

Wintertide is celebrated every year at Hardwick to share Elizabethan winter traditions around themes of community, celebration and connection. These winter traditions include Yule (Christmas), the Feast of Fools (New Year Day), as well as gift giving and carol singing, and are centred around Elizabethan characters and folklore like the Lord of Misrule and the Holly King. 

This year’s theme is The Tale of Misrule and the Holly King. 

The Lord of Misrule invites you back to his festivities as his esteemed party guests at Hardwick. Along your journey through the gardens and hall, expect to hear stories of Wintertide past through the Tale of Misrule and the Holly King. A time when the mischievous Lord of Misrule chose not to adhere to tradition and favoured himself & playfully preparing for his party, over taking care of the annual offerings to the Holly King and winter spirits.  

As you step into the hall this Wintertide all is not what it seems, the house has been turned upside down as the natural world runs riot. Will the Lord of Misrule make merry with the Holly King and help un-muddle Hardwick before it’s too late?