Hi everyone, Graham here – one of Bullocks' coach drivers.
It's a dry and sunny Monday morning and I am off to Bakewell, in Derbyshire, for the weekly Street Market and then on to Buxton, for the afternoon, in one of our luxury Neoplan Tourliner Coaches.
This trip is very popular and there are two full coaches today. Romero is driving Coach 1 and I am driving Coach 2. We first check our coaches over, fuel them up and set off to collect our passengers from various pick up points around the area.
All passengers settle into their reserved seats and we are off along the scenic route into the Derbyshire Dales. We head south along the A6 passing Lyme Park, the ancestral home of the Legh family, and catch a glimpse of Lyme Cage through the trees to our right.
We then head towards the A623 to Sparrowpit, Peak Forest and then Tideswell before leaving the main road onto the B6465. We pass through the beautiful villages of Wardlow and Monsal Head to Ashford in the Water. This is a lovely scenic route with stunning views of the Monsal Dale Viaduct and Valley below.
We then rejoin the A6 in Ashford and enter the town of Bakewell in the sunshine. I point out the Rutland Arms on the right, where Jane Austen wrote her famous novel Pride and Prejudice, with Pemberley Mansion being based on Chatsworth House, which is nearby.
It is busy here today as the Monday Market is in full swing, but the monthly Farmers Cattle Market is also on so the town is buzzing with shoppers and farmers. It is a warm and sunny day today and Bakewell is looking at its best.
We park our coaches safely in the coach park and everyone gets off to explore the town. Bakewell is famous for its Bakewell Puddings and Tarts and is beside the picturesque river Wye. We are staying here until 2.45pm, so ample time for shopping and lunch.
Romero and I pay for our parking spaces and then enjoy a late breakfast in the farmer's cafe, at the Cattle Market, close to the coach park.
We now have time to tidy the coaches and explore the market and town centre ourselves, as well as discuss our route to Buxton this afternoon and the feeder coach system for later this evening.
The passengers arrive back at the coaches for 2.40pm and we are on our way.
It's not far to Buxton along the A6 but the scenery is again beautiful via Taddington and Blackwell. We park in the coach park close to the high street and stay here until 5pm. Buxton is famous for the Spa Waters, the Opera House and the Pavilion Gardens, and the high street has lots of independent shops to browse, as well as cafes for tea and cakes.
Romero and I enjoy a stroll around the town and an ice-cream before getting the coaches ready for the return journey back to Cheadle.
We leave Buxton on time and follow the scenic route through the Goyt Valley, via Long Hill to Whaley Bridge. This road is the original A6 and has some spectacular views of the Errwood and Fernilee Reservoirs in the Goyt Valley.
Feeder coaches meet us in Hazel Grove, as planned, and we successfully transport everyone back to their local pick up points in good time.
Another great day out was had by all.
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