Buxton

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.

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

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.

Understand

Visitor information

Get in

By train

🌍 Buxton station is served by trains from Northern, the last station on the line from Manchester Piccadilly via Stockport; Visit Northern for timetable.

By bus

High Peak buses provides services from a number of locations including Manchester Airport, Stockport, Matlock, Derby and Macclesfield.

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 (MAN IATA), via Skyline 199 bus or rail via Manchester (see getting there by train), and less easily East Midlands Airport (EMA IATA).

Get around

Bus service radiate out from the Market Place in Higher Buxton.

See
  • 🌍 Buxton Crescent. 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, ☏ +44 1298 23114, . Landscape garden and lakes 
  • 🌍 Poole's Cavern (southwest of the town centre). 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. Victorian folly tower on top of a Bronze Age barrow. 
  • 🌍 Stained glass barrel vault of the Cavendish Arcade, Cavendish Arcade, Buxton Baths, Terrace Road. (updated Aug 2022)

Do
  • 🌍 Buxton Opera House, Water Street, SK17 6XN, ☏ +44 1298 72190, . There is always something going off, from stage productions to fairs. This includes the Buxton Opera Festival, running for two and a half weeks in July. The building was constructed in 1903. (updated Sep 2018)

Buy

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

Eat

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, ☏ +1 1298 214 085. Brewery tap for Buxton Brewery featuring their beers and sometimes there is street food available. (updated Mar 2022)
  • 🌍 RedWillow, 1 Cavendish Circus, SK17 6AT, ☏ +1 298 807 582. Attractive bar featuring beers from Macclesfield's RedWillow brewery. (updated Mar 2022)
  • 🌍 Ale Stop, Chapel St (Higher Buxton, Close to Sainsburys). M-Sa noon-10PM, Su noon-9PM. Popular micropub near market. Real Ales & Ciders. (updated Aug 2023)
  • 🌍 Cheshire Cheese, 37-39 High Street (Higher Buxton). Beers from the Titanic brewery and a good dining option. Onsite parking. (updated Aug 2023)

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.

Connect

As of March 2024, Buxton and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and 5G from Vodafone.

Go next


Routes through Buxton
Manchester ← Whaley Bridge ←  N  E  → Bakewell → Matlock
END ←  N  S  → Leek → Stoke-on-Trent
Congleton ←  SW  NE  → merges with



This article is issued from Wikivoyage. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.