Visiting Bakewell, Derbyshire

During my recent trip to the UK over July/August 2013, I travelled a lot; mainly, as a lot of my friends and family are so spread out.

Towards the end of my trip, I travelled to Chesterfield in Derbyshire, to see a good friend who I lived with for a few years.

I met up with a number of friends during this trip, and in the end we decided to go off and explore the nearby market town of Bakewell, for a good pub lunch and a look around.

What and where:  Known as the ancient capital of the Peak, Bakewell, is a small and quaint market town set in the Derbyshire Dales/Peak District. East Midlands, England. It is close to larger towns of Chesterfield and Sheffield

Getting there: Bakewell is off the beaten track, but accessible by car. There is a bus service that runs from Derby https://www.trentbarton.co.uk/services/sixes/timetable

During both my visits, I traveled by car.

Things to do in Bakewell:

1. Visit the Bakewell Pudding Shop!

For those who have lived in or travelled to the UK or Ireland, you may be familiar with the Bakewell pudding, or Bakewell tart – if you haven’t – you must try it. A sweet almond treat, which can be eaten hot or cold, or as a tart with icing.

So the town of Bakewell is where these sweet treats actually come from.

In the town itself, there is the world famous Bakewell pudding shop, where you can buy a pudding, tart, as well as a range of baked goods, other foods and gifts. It is quite small, but very old and quaint.

 

2. Visit the Saturday Market

I visited Bakewell on a Sunday, so missed this, but I have heard that it is very popular – a little farmers market, with fresh produce from the local area. I always love markets, and buying direct from the growers, rather than giving to over commericalised super giant stores.

 

3. Visit the green spaces and take a walk by the river

There are quite a few of green spaces around – being set in the Derbyshire Dales, and close to the Peak District, it is in a perfect location for if you want to go hiking.

4. Buy a Bakewell pudding Ice cream

In summer, there is a wee ice cream van (truck) parked nearby, that sells a bakewell pudding flavoured ice cream – definitely recommended.

5. Visit Chatsworth House

A short drive away from Bakewell, is the nearby Historic Chatsworth House – used in the filming of the modern Pride and Prejudice, as well as the Duchess.

This place is stunning, set in acres and acres of green land – with the Derbyshire hills as backdrop – you could spend hours here, pretending you were in your own 1800’s fantasy land.

We visited here for a few hours after being in Bakewell – I was reveling in the history again, after having a huge lack of it with being in New Zealand.

As well as the house (which was closed when we visited), there is the stables area, with a cafe, a lovely river running through and several areas you can walk around.

A lot of people were sat by the river having lunch – it was so quaint and beautiful. To my knowledge, I have never been there before – but it is definitely a place I would like to return to, when back in the UK.