Blogs from Buxton, Derbyshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

The Peak District can be a tricky place in winter. The weather can change in an instant in the high altitude – well high altitude by UK standards. The Other Half seemed keen to have a day out, so I scoured the fixtures for inspiration within a sensible mileage. I checked the weather forecast to see if the relatively mild and dry conditions would forecast would continue into the weekend. I didn’t fancy the prospect of snow. I sent her a link to the Visit Buxton website, which carries some carefully selected photography that highlights the town as a cross between Harrogate and Bath. I knew full well that she would bite on the possibility and then I causally mentioned, that Whitby Town were also scheduled to be making an appearance in town. We ... read more

Mam Tor Wednesday was still a glorious mid 20’s sunny day with very little wind. Mam Tor is a famous landmark in the Peak district only about 20 minutes drive from Buxton. The hills here suffer from frequent extensive landslips so Mam Tor derives its name from mother hill. We walked up to the top of the tor and along the ridges and saddles between the hills. There were many hang gliders on the top, launching into the updraughts. Strange seeing them just fill their sail like a kite and lift off. In the evening we saw Idomineo, Mozart’s opera seria. Again very well produced with a well matched cast of singers. Before each of the operas in this festival there is a talk by the director and usually the conductor to give some insights into ... read more

Weekend with Laura and Nigel. Today we met up with Laura and Nigel. Laura is my cousin from Barnsley, an hour and halves drive away on the other side of the Pennines. They are staying with us in our apartment which was a real pleasure to have some extra time catching up. Laura is so much like her mother Pat. The spa town of Buxton with its grand promenades and venues all in use for the festival was showing off all it’s former glory. We had brunch on Sunday at a tea house before I had to fly off for Mass. I am not normally religious but the opportunity to see a Mozart mass in context was too much of a temptation. The Missa Brevis in D major with full choir, soloists and orchestra. This is ... read more

Original plan was to visit Lyme Park, but it was closed so looked at map and said let's try this route and we came to Buxton. In a valley but it must be a wealthy one by the looks of the homes and the fact that the place used to have its own Baths and a giant palatial hotel (The Palace). Several big homes are now used by solicitors, consultants etc. None were converted to model railways.... read more

We organised a final training weekend to do some hiking in the Peak District over the Bank Holiday. Unfortunately we don't have any lofty mountains in England on which we can emulate the heights we will have to climb in Tanzania so the Peak District would have to do! The first day we completed a 15 mile hike which including walking along 'The Great Ridge'. It included summitting two 'peaks' but at only 462 metres (1516 ft) and 476 metres above sea level it isn't quite the same as the 5,895 metres (19,341 feet) we will be doing in Tanzania!! It was a stunning walk and one we would recommend anyone visiting the Peak District. The hike was only supposed to be 12 miles but we covered an extra 3 miles after some errors in navigation ... read more