I decided this afternoon that I ‘needed’, sorry wanted to up my intake of calories, so where to go? I headed off westwards & over the county boundary into Staffordshire & to the delights of Ilam. I did a brisk but short circular walk along the river near the church & cut back across the fields to the tea rooms. It is a walk ideal for anyone, even the slightly infirm (as Ben can vouch using one crutch). We were amazed to see that amongst the swathes of wood anemones, the first bluebells open, whilst frolicking lambs played to our left.
Usually we sit outside & I have to say that the views from the tea garden are probably the best anywhere – overlooking Thorpe Cloud and the start of Dovedale. I am delighted to say that the National Trust has purchased many more chairs & tables so even more of us will be able to sit outside & soak up the views. We were too late for lunch this time, but I do highly recommend it, however the tea & chocolate cake were delicious. The tea rooms are open every day except Wednesday’s & Thursdays, but in the summer they open daily.
Ilam Park N.T is an ideal place to pop down to as it is so local, so if you haven’t been recently or got friends or family coming down to stay, do go and visit.
Ilam Park N.T
PARWICH.ORG 
It has been ages since we went for tea at Ilam, and I do remember tables and chairs being in short supply back then. Yes, gorgeous views indeed.
I’d like to encourage people to take the bus, but it only runs once a fortnight and you have to wait another fortnight for the return service!
It is a while since I was there, but impressively last time I was there they had a gluten free cake option, so Helen this may also be one for you.
Chatting with Jane about the idea of star ratings, we could not decide what rating we would give this tearoom as it depends whether you are able to sit outside or not. One of the best features is the view, so we decided on a four star rating sitting outside, but possibly dropping it to a three star if you need to sit inside as the interior lacks character.