Chatsworth: I took a trip to one of the finest tourist attractions in the UK and got a bit of a surprise

And you don’t even need to go in the house - home to the Duke of Devonshire - because in the summer you can easily spend a day in the grounds or gardens.

The huge estate is free to enter and you can walk for miles in parkland that has been designed and maintained for hundreds of years.

But pay the entrance fee to the gardens - as we did - and you see so much more.

Our stroll took in a lake and magnificent fountains with views of the house - more a palace really - a charming little valley with tinkling stream, mini-stepping stones and the beginnings of incredible colour from interesting and exotic flowers.

Continuing, we came open a collection of huge pine trees and a fairytale grotto, before landing up at the entrance to the yew maze.

The challenge is always irresistible and we strode in, attempting to remember the route from last time and confident of a quick completion.

Thirteen minutes later we were relieved to be at the centre, although with somewhat bruised pride.

On then to another small lake surrounded by statues before we ended up in front of the Cascades.

Here, the atmosphere changed. This 325-year-old water feature is currently dry, awaiting a staggering £7.3m repair - and the duke is asking the public to help pay for it.

He wants people to chip in an initial £250,000 to unlock nearly £5m from the Heritage Lottery Fund, on top of the £422,000 it has already paid, an information leaflet titled ‘We Need Your Support’ says.

There’s no mention of how much the duke - estimated to be worth £910m and 174th richest person in the country, according to the Sunday Times rich list this very weekend - is putting in himself.

I pondered all this as we enjoyed a picnic on the clipped grass on gentle slopes above the house.

Chatsworth, as well as having many impressive features, also manages things very well.

There are plenty of car park stewards, staff are personable and knowledgeable and all dogs have to be on leads, it’s great.

But this request for cash seems to me a rare mis-step, reminding us of the £7.50 for parking, the £18 to enter the gardens and £10 for the farmyard and playground, not to mention £4.70 for an ice cream, albeit with a flake.

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Maybe it’s the route we took which put us in front of the so-called centrepiece last. And it’s not as if the Cascades have gone, they just don’t have running water.

So I think if they are that important, find the money to do the job now and don’t beseech hard-pressed visitors, already paying into the Devonshire estate, to cough up even more.

But apart from that, this stately home guarantees visitors a grand day out and it’s less than an hour from Sheffield.