Off to Derbyshire for a break

After calling at the exhibition in Darwen, we began our journey to Derbyshire for a weekend break where hopefully we can combine plenty of fresh air and exercise with some relaxation in the hotel's spa and pool.

On the way, we'd planned a stop in Buxton, where we planned a short walk, and then Bakewell, where Carole was determined to try a genuine authentic Bakewell tart. But more of this later.




Buxton is a grand and historic spa town nestled in the hills of the Peak District, occupied by the Romans throughout their stay in England. The town's natural spring bubbles up continuously at St Anne's Well, just across the road from Buxton's most celebrated building, The Crescent. Sadly the banners proclaiming some kind of European festival which adorned each archway spoiled a good photo, but there were countless parked cars there too which didn't help.

The planned walk would have taken us up into the countryside for a view across the town, but apart from a brief spell of blue skies, the rain was never far away and we soon abandoned the idea. Instead we strolled into the Pavilion Gardens, laid out in 1871, one of the first planed and landscaped parks in the country. On a cold early March day it was much too early to see it at its best, but it wasn't difficult to imagine how it might be in the middle of summer.

So with our planned walk shelved, we headed back to the car and continued on our way to the hotel, with one more stop scheduled further along the way, at Bakewell. Our interest was partly culinary; after a look around the village we were keen to try an authentic Bakewell tart, but whilst there we discovered that the true taste of Bakewell lies in its pudding instead - of course we had to try both!