Buxton - town in Derbyshire, England

For other places with the same name, see Buxton (disambiguation).

Buxton is an ancient spa town in the Peak District, England. It is in the county of Derbyshire which is classified as part of the East Midlands but it is probably more associated with the North West of England. It is the main place for the High Peak Borough, for both administrative and for retail.

Buxton is known around the world for its bottled spring water which is marketed by the Buxton Mineral Water Company (owned by Nestlé Waters UK). During the summer months, the local economy benefits from an influx of tourists who visit the surrounding Peak District region. Buxton also plays host to a number of summer festivals which draw large numbers of visitors too.

Get in

By train

Buxton station 📍 is served by Northern Rail, the last station on the line from Manchester Piccadilly; however, Buxton is served by regular trains from Blackpool North and Preston which run through Manchester Piccadilly and Stockport. Visit Northern Rail for timetable.

By bus

High Peak buses (dead link: January 2023) provides services from a number of locations including Manchester, Manchester airport, Matlock and Derby.

By car

Buxton is not close to Britain's motorway network. However, it is a crossing point of some major trunk roads, such as the A6 from Both Manchester and Matlock, the A54 from Congleton, the A537 from Macclesfield, the A53 from Stoke-on-Trent and the A515 coming in from Derby and Ashbourne. Each route is very picturesque, but be wary of the A537, as it is rated as the road with the most “persistently higher risk” in the UK (as of 2017). Since all of these routes are high-level they are frequently affected by snow and ice in winter and subject to closure.

By plane

Buxton does not have its own airport, but is easily accessible from Manchester Airport (IATA: MAN), via rail (see getting there by train) and bus, and East Midlands Airport (IATA: EMA).

Get around

• Buxton Trams, +44 1298 79648. A novel way to see the sights of Buxton, and the only public transport option for Poole's Cavern, is this new service using a converted milk float. Leaves every hour on the hour from Pavilion Gardens main Car Park from March 2013 onwards. £5

See

• Buxton Crescent, 53.259°, -1.914°. Built for the Fifth Duke of Devonshire between 1780 and 1789. Also in the area:St Anne's Well; The Slope and Pump Room; Natural Mineral Baths; and Buxton Thermal Baths, restored as the Cavendish Arcade.
• Pavilion Gardens, St. John's Road, SK17 6BE, 53.256838°, -1.918859°, +44 1298 23114, paviliongardens@highpeak.gov.uk. Landscape garden and lakes
• Poole's Cavern, 53.249771°, -1.926001°. Show cave. A pleasant (and free) walk through woodland from here leads to Solomon's Temple, a folly on a limestone hill with elevated views over Buxton and the surrounding area. Another interesting and little-known local curiosity lies in a small valley between Solomon's Temple and the village of Harpur Hill, where water issuing through lime-rich waste rock has created an intriguing area of white calcite deposits.
• Solomon's Temple, 53.242657°, -1.920701°. Victorian folly tower on top of a Bronze Age barrow.
• Stained glass barrel vault of the Cavendish Arcade, Cavendish Arcade, Buxton Baths, Terrace Road, 53.258981341386374°, -1.9158822460253386°. 2022-08-11

Do

• Buxton Opera House, Water Street, SK17 6XN, 53.2585°, -1.9167°, +44 1298 72190, admin@boh.org.uk. There is always something going off, from stage productions to fairs. This include the Buxton Opera Festival, running for two and a half weeks in July. The building was constructed in 1903. 2018-09-29
• Buxton Hitmen Speedway, 53.2211°, -1.9145°. The Buxton Hitmen are in the National League in the United Kingdom's motorcycle speedway. 2018-09-29

Buy

There is a large selection of shops on the main pedestrian street.

• Spring Gardens, 53.259643°, -1.911784°, +44 1298 79320.
• Brierlow Bar Bookstore, Ashbourne Road (On the A515 south of Buxton.), 53.224561°, -1.871417°, +44 1298 71017. Stocks a good range of local-interest titles as well as a wide range of general-interest titles at bargain prices.

Eat

• Columbine Restaurant, 7 Hall Bank, 53.257213°, -1.914821°, +44 1298 78752.

• No. 6 The Square, 53.258441°, -1.915894°, +1 1298 213 541. tearooms

Drink

Buxton is the home of Buxton Spring Water which is sold round the world, but if you are in town make sure you get some free water from the well that is in the centre by the Royal Crescent.

• Buxton Tap House, The Old Court House, George St, SK17 6AY, 53.25919012021133°, -1.9152291610712988°, +1 1298 214 085. Brewery tap for Buxton Brewery featuring their beers and food. 2022-03-09
• RedWillow, 1 Cavendish Circus, SK17 6AT, 53.259638390362596°, -1.9141709236314879°, +1 298 807 582. Attractive bar featuring beers from Macclesfield's RedWillow brewery. 2022-03-09

Sleep

Buxton offers a wide range of accommodation, from Bed and Breakfast establishments to luxury hotels. However, during the more popular summer festivals, all accommodation within reasonable walking distance of the Opera House may be booked well in advance.

• The Palace Hotel, Palace Rd, SK17 6AG, 53.260823°, -1.914831°, +44 871 221 0253.
• The Old Hall Hotel, The Square, 53.258096°, -1.915357°, +44 1298 22841.
• Lee Wood Hotel (Best Western), 30 Manchester Road, 53.261549°, -1.920592°, +44 1298 23002. 2022-03-09
• The Roseleigh, 19 Broad Walk SK17 6JR, 53.255°, -1.918°, +44 1298 24904. Stylish small B&B looking onto gardens, open Feb-Nov. No children under 6 or dogs. B&B double £100 2020-07-02
• Peak District Holiday Cottage, Rockfield House, Flagg Lane, Flagg, 53.220392°, -1.789705°, +44 1298 85202. Two two-bedroomed holiday cottages appointed to a high standard with breathtaking views of the surrounding Peak District. £345–£630
• The Barn at Ivy House Farm (Peak District Cottages), Warslow (9 miles from Buxton), 53.1223°, -1.8733°, +44 1298 687006. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 10AM. Luxury Peak District cottage sleeping 6 in three bedrooms with three bathrooms. Contemporary style open plan barn on a quiet no-through road with walks from the door. from £300
• Wheeldon Trees Farm (Peak District Cottages), Earl Sterndale (5 miles from Buxton), 53.1929°, -1.8476°, +44 1298 83219. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 10AM. 8 4-star holiday cottages near Buxton, Bakewell in Derbyshire Peak District sleeping up to 28. Dog, pet, children, family, group friendly from £195
• Biggin Hall, Biggin-by-Hartington SK17 0DH (Off A515), 53.133°, -1.774°, +44 1298 84451. Welcoming hotel in 17th C manor house, good cooking. No children under 12. B&B double £120 2020-07-05

Go next

• Bakewell
• Derby
• Macclesfield
• Leek
• Whaley Bridge