Large Houses to Rent in Derbyshire for Groups

Choosing the right big house

Start with your numbers. Big houses in Derbyshire sleep from a dozen guests to more than thirty, so there's a right size for a family reunion and a different one for a big birthday. With a reunion of old friends or three generations of family, bedrooms and a bed for everyone are only half the story though. A large group lives around the kitchen table, so look for space to eat together and enough bathrooms to keep the morning queue moving. Friends and family who stay together need somewhere to land at the end of the day.

Look for a large holiday home that's properly sized for a group holiday, not a large cottage stretched to fit.

Plenty of the properties across the Peak District are within reach of a village or town pub. That suits anyone who'd rather head out for dinner than cook for a crowd every night. A self catering house means you set the menu and the bedtime. Some are luxury stays with an open fire, a garden or a hot tub.

Bringing the dog? Some houses welcome them and some don't, so read each house's rules before you book. If four legs are coming along, start with large dog friendly cottages in Derbyshire. A dog friendly house with a garden gives them somewhere to stretch out after a Peak District walk.

Where are the large houses to rent Derbyshire has?

Derbyshire is bigger than it looks on the map. Where you stay in the Peak District changes your week more than the house does, because the hills, dales and market towns each have their own feel for outdoor days. The right accommodation depends on what you want within reach.

Around Matlock

The biggest houses of all are around here, from fourteen guests right up past thirty. Down in the Derwent Valley you've got the Heights of Abraham cable car overhead at Matlock Bath. At Darley Dale there's a luxury house with a swimming pool. It suits a group who'd rather have a pub or a cafe close by than total quiet. Our group accommodation in Matlock page lists the lot.

Buxton, Chapel-en-le-Frith and Tideswell

Up at the High Peak end the moors start fast and the views turn properly wild. Houses around Buxton, Chapel-en-le-Frith and Tideswell sleep a dozen to fourteen. From the town house Castleton is about 19 minutes away. The trade-off is the south, where the theme park is about 41 minutes off. Have a look at group accommodation in Buxton if you want a market town base.

Biggin and the White Peak

Biggin is a quiet base in the White Peak, a small village with a barn that sleeps up to nineteen. The southern dales are 15 minutes away. Bakewell is 16 minutes and Haddon Hall 19. There's less on the doorstep than around Matlock, so bring the board games.

Ashbourne

The house here is a proper crowd-pleaser, sleeping twenty-two, with a garden and an open fire. From Thorpe you're a minute from Dovedale and about 23 minutes from Alton Towers. Chatsworth is the long haul at 39 minutes.

Belper and Derby

These two sit at the southern edge of Derbyshire, so the Peak District hills are a drive rather than a doorstep. The pay-off is a garden to spread out in and gentler countryside views.

Drive times from the houses

Here's how far three big attractions are from a house in each base. We measured from one house in each place, so allow a few minutes either way.

Check opening days on each attraction's own website before you build a day around it.

Walks, trails and days out

Most of these houses sit in or close to the Peak District National Park, which became Britain's first national park in 1951. Boots by the door and a path between the stone walls is the whole routine, with views over the dales and outdoor days on foot or by bike.

• The Monsal Trail follows a former railway line, so it suits walking and cycling for a mixed-age group.
• Dovedale is run by the National Trust with a riverside walk a short drive from Ashbourne.
• Carsington Water is about 14 minutes from our biggest house, with a long circuit of the reservoir for walkers and bikes.
• Cromford Mills is about 20 minutes from Biggin.

Rainy day? Chatsworth and Haddon Hall are both under half an hour from Biggin. The cafes and shops of Bakewell are 16 minutes from there. Keep one indoor plan for the whole group of friends or family.

When to go and what to sort first

Spring and autumn are lovely for walking in Derbyshire and the Peak District, when the views open up over the dales. Summer suits the cable car and a ride round the reservoir. A wet November weekend is where an open fire earns its keep. Thinking of the festive season? Large Christmas cottages in Derbyshire have their own page.

Next to small holiday cottages there are fewer large houses to rent Derbyshire visitors can choose from, so enquire early for a milestone party or a school holiday week. For twenty or more, start with houses that sleep 20 in Derbyshire.

Parking matters more than you'd think. A group of fourteen rarely arrives in one car, so ask how many cars fit in the parking.

You can compare every house on Derbyshire Group Cottages and filter by sleeps and bedrooms until one fits. Each property has its own page. Then it's down to who gets the big bed.

Questions people ask

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