TOURS · TALKS · WALKS
Welcome to All About Buxton. We are Rebecca and Karey, and we provide guided walking tours, talks and heritage walks through one of England’s original and most surprising historical spa towns. Our beautiful Buxton sits at over 1,000 feet above sea level and is the gateway to the spectacular Peak District. We’d love to show you around.
Buxton, the way a good friend would show you.
Our Guided Walking Tours
A Turn About Buxton
Step back in time and take a classic promenade through one of England’s most celebrated spa towns. On this relaxed, open-air walking tour, we’ll walk and talk you through centuries of Buxton historical stories, from ancient Roman thermal baths and Mary Queen of Scots’ infamous visits to Georgian high society, Victorian elegance and Edwardian grandeur.
Whether you’re visiting for the day or staying for the week, A Turn About Buxton is the perfect way to get your bearings and uncover the town’s most captivating tales.
We keep our group sizes small so that you can comfortably chat, ask questions and take in our stunning town at a relaxed pace.
From the majesty of the Georgian Crescent to Edwardian architectural gems like our famous Opera House, you’ll discover the unexpected stories of what made Buxton famous.
This tour takes around 1 hr 15 minutes. Routes and timings may vary.
The Grand Tour of Buxton
Immerse yourself in the elegance, intrigue and architectural brilliance of Buxton’s incredible history. On this expanded weekend experience, we take a deeper dive into the town’s legendary story – tracing its journey from ancient springs, Roman occupation and Elizabethan paranoia to the Georgian aristocrats, Victorian visionaries and Edwardian architects who transformed this Peak District town into a world-class spa destination.
Bringing history to life inside and out, The Grand Tour combines our classic heritage route with stop-ins at some of the town’s most iconic historic spaces. Step beneath the magnificent ceiling of the Devonshire Dome, discover local secrets, and enjoy access to St John’s (Regency era) Church – unlocked specifically for our group.
With small group sizes, personal touches and plenty of time for questions, you’ll experience the grandest side of town the way it should be seen: with a friendly local tour guide by your side.
This tour takes around1.5 to 2 hours. Routes and timings may vary.
Private Tours
We are able to book a private tour for your group at times other than those given for our regular tours. For private tours, please contact us on hello@allaboutbuxton.co.uk to discuss your group size and when you hope to come. This is ideal for events, corporate visitors or whenever you would like an exclusive tour for you and your guests.
New Tours
New tours are being developed and coming soon. Watch this space.
Our Talks and Walks
If you’d like a speaker for your group or event, please contact us to discuss how we can help. We will do our best to accommodate your request. We have various talks in development.
Karey is currently able to offer the following talks:
Buxton Crescent
John Carr of York
Josiah Wedgwood
To enquire about talks, please contact
Our Talks
Our special event heritage ‘Spa Town Walks’ bring Buxton’s spa history to life from the Georgian fashion of taking the waters to the Victorian water cure that followed. We will follow some of the routes walked over time and discuss the similarities with modern ‘lifestyle medicine’. These walks will touch on health and history.
Our Walks
Your Guides
Rebecca Hyder
Buxton is my home town and I love it. I first lived here as a teenager in the 1980s, where it made a lasting impression on me. I finally managed to come back in 2022.
Not long after that, I was walking between the iconic Grade I-listed Georgian Crescent and the Grade II listed Victorian Pump Room and had the sudden urge to go in and volunteer with Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust. Since then I’ve been privileged to help guide visitors and tour groups through their flagship Crescent Experience within the Crescent building, and have volunteered at various Trust events.
I also work for an NHS Centre of Excellence where I have developed a real interest in modern lifestyle medicine which has 6 pillars (healthy eating, exercise, social connection, reducing stress, good sleep, and reducing harmful substances), that map almost perfectly on to the activities that were recommended to Georgian visitors to Buxton. Well except that they had rather different ideas about what was a harmful substance then.
Karey and I met at the Trust’s Crescent Experience and soon discovered that alongside sharing the history of this wonderful town, we both love showing people around and getting to know the people we meet along the way. So we took a breath and started our own walking tour company. Big stories to tell and a town we can’t wait to share.
We’re very much looking forward to meeting you and sharing our Buxton with you.
Tour Guide
Buxton has been my home town since 2003 and I love it too. When I moved here, The Crescent was a mysterious boarded up building which you could tour with a hard hat if you were lucky enough to get a ticket during Buxton’s famous International Festival.
People told me when I first came that there was a beautiful ‘Adam’ ceiling in what had been the library (it’s actually a John Carr ‘Adam-style’ design, executed by Carr’s York plasterer James Henderson). I had followed the Crescent’s story in The Buxton Advertiser over many years; it was so full of twists and disappointments that when The Crescent was finally re-born it seemed like a miracle! I never dreamt that I might become a small part (a few lines) in the story of this magnificent building and my town.
It was a chance meeting in Lockdown at an open-air pub garden that led to me hearing about guides being hired for Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust (BCHT). I dropped my CV off almost the next day.
I have learned so much over the last 5 years working as a guide with BCHT, and have met so many amazing people, who share what has become my passionate obsession.
I am delighted to also now be working with Rebecca to provide outdoor tours through All About Buxton and to develop new ways to share Buxton’s fascinating stories.
Tour Guide
Karey Lucas-Hughes
Plan your trip
When planning a visit to the area, we always recommend starting with award winning Explore Buxton.
For the latest events and what’s on, Explore Buxton has extensive guides and listings for things to do in Buxton.
Explore Buxton
When you first arrive in Buxton it is useful to orientate yourself with a visit to the Visitor Centre in the Pump Room where you will find a wealth of information, VERY friendly staff, and a range of refreshments and gifts. All our tours start and end at St Ann’s Well which is next to the Pump Room for your convenience.
Buxton Visitor Centre, The Pump Room, The Crescent, Buxton SK17 6BQ
01298 214577
Pump Room & Visitor Centre
Buxton is wonderfully walkable, and most of our tours begin at St Ann’s Well by the Pump Room. If you’re driving, there’s pay and display parking a short stroll away at the Pavilion Gardens, the Market Place, Spring Gardens and the Pavilion Gardens. Our Tours page has more information.
Getting here and parking
On the day…
By car: There are pay and display car parks within a short walk at the Pavilion Gardens, the Market Place, Spring Gardens, and Sylvan Road and more around town and also on road parking in a variety of locations. Find parking information here.
Disabled Parking in Buxton can be found in the Pavilion Gardens car park close to the Promenade and there are also some places close to the Opera House. Vehicles can drive in front of the Crescent building and drop you off right opposite St Ann’s Well. The Pump Room has an accessible toilet and the Pavilion Gardens have a Changing Places toilet. Other accessible toilets are available with a radar key at the Pavilion Gardens car park, Pavilion Gardens, Devonshire Dome and Old Hall Hotel en route.
By train: Buxton Station is a 5-10 minute walk from The Crescent, with regular direct service from Manchester Picacdilly.
By bus: The main bus stops are at the Market Place in Higher Buxton, about 5 minutes walk away.
By Air: There is a direct bus from Manchester Airport, the 199 Skyline Bus which runs every 30 minutes during peak times.
Visit the Visit Buxton website for more information on ways to get here and arriving by other forms of transport such as bicycle, motorhome etc.
Arriving in Buxton
St Ann’s Well has provided a special meeting place for centuries. People have come to St Ann’s Well to seek better health and give thanks for recovery, to drink our natural mineral water and to gossip and intrigue. We can’t promise the first one, but we invite you to meet us at the Well 5-10 minutes before your tour so that you can fill up your water bottles before we get going. We can’t wait to see you.
You can find St Ann’s Well right next to Pump Room and Visitor Centre making it an ideal point to start any visit to Buxton.
Where to find us…
Buxton’s weather is notoriously… interesting. We would recommend you bring seasonal layers: waterproof, windproof, sunproof, and comfortable footwear. If you want to fit in with the locals, we love getting our bobble hats out as soon as the summer is over and it is not unknown to see someone in a bobble hat and shorts.
Clothing
We want everybody to be able to wander Buxton with us. Our tours follow pavements around the town centre and are largely step-free, though Buxton is known for its slopes. Our Highlights Tour is outdoors throughout and can be made step free, Our Grand Tour steps inside available buildings and has more steps although again, we can plan a more accessible route if we know in advance.
Please do contact us in advance to discuss your specific needs at hello@allaboutbuxton.co.uk. We can often adapt the route so that you don’t miss out – whether that’s finding step free routes round , planning rest stops, or talking through what you’ll be able to see. We’d always rather have the conversation than have anyone feel they can’t join us.
Dogs are welcome on the Highlights Tour and assistance dogs only on the Grand Tour.
Do get in touch with any questions. Nothing is too much trouble.
Accessibility
“We’re local born and bred and didn’t think there was much we didn’t know about our beautiful town. How wrong we were.”
— Buxtonian, The Grand Tour“Fabulous tour...I’ve lived in Buxton my whole life but there was so much I didn’t know.”
— JA The Grand Tour “The two ladies taking the tour were clear, precise and also very entertaining. They had a wealth of knowledge and so many interesting facts.”
— SB, The Grand Tour“Such a lovely afternoon – extremely interesting and well presented.”
— EP The Grand TourGood to know
Your Health and Safety
We aim to look after you to our best ability. We go above and beyond the requirements of UK tour guides.
Our guides have a current first aid certificate, full public liability insurance, a clean DBS record, and our routes are risk assessed.
Accessibility
Please contact us and let us know any accessibility requirements and we will do our best to accommodate them within the natural constraints of a tour. Visit our Tours Page for more information.
Have Questions?
Send us a quick note and let’s chat.