Getting to Bakewell when the trains stopped in the 1960s

Bakewell had a railway station once, on the Midland line between Manchester and London. The line closed in the late 1960s, and the station is now a stop on the Monsal Trail for walkers and cyclists. So the first thing to know about getting here is that the train does not come into town. The good news is that the bus links are frequent by Peak District standards, and the station that does the job, Matlock, has its bus stand right outside.

By train to Matlock

Matlock station, National Rail code MAT, is managed by East Midlands Railway and sits in Station Yard, Matlock. It is about 11.5 kilometres south-east of Bakewell in a straight line. National Rail's station page lists bus and taxi connections and an onward travel information sheet.

Matlock to Bakewell on the TransPeak

The TransPeak, run by High Peak, crosses the Peak between Derby, Matlock, Bakewell and Buxton. In Matlock it leaves from Matlock Interchange, Stand 1, which is about 30 metres from Station Yard: step out of the station and you are at the stop. On the weekday timetable published from Bus Open Data on 13 September 2026, buses leave Matlock Interchange roughly hourly through the day and reach Bakewell Matlock Street about 23 to 25 minutes later; Haddon Hall's own travel page gives the journey as 25 to 30 minutes. Trentbarton's 6.1 is the other bus between Matlock and Bakewell, and it too stops on Matlock Street in Bakewell. Check Saturday and Sunday timetables separately; the frequencies here are for weekdays.

In Bakewell the southbound stop for buses back to Matlock is Matlock Street, Stand E, about 200 metres from the Square. Northbound TransPeaks for Buxton use Buxton Road, Stand A.

From Sheffield on the 218

If you are coming via Sheffield, the 218 is the simpler route. TM Travel runs it from Sheffield Interchange, Bay D3, to the Square in Bakewell. Haddon Hall's travel page gives it as every half an hour and about an hour's journey, and on the timetable we read some journeys go by way of Chatsworth House. From Chesterfield, the 170 runs hourly and takes about 45 minutes, again per Haddon Hall.

By car

Bakewell is on the A6 between Matlock and Buxton. Haddon Hall is on the same road, two miles south of the town by its own figure. Monday is market day and the busiest day for parking, so come early. The Old House Museum says there are three car parks in town plus other parking around the centre; coaches park at the Agricultural Business Centre.

Flying in

Manchester and East Midlands are the two nearest big airports, about 43 and 49 kilometres from Bakewell in a straight line respectively, both further by road. From Manchester the rail route is via Sheffield and the 218; from East Midlands, get to Derby and take the TransPeak north. Use a journey planner for the first leg of either.

Chatsworth and Haddon Hall

Most visitors to Bakewell also want to see one of the two great houses nearby, and neither is in the town, which is why this guide does not list them. Both are easy by bus.

• Haddon Hall is on the A6 two miles south of Bakewell. Its travel page says the TransPeak, the 6.1 and the 172 run from Bakewell's Stand E to its driveway in about five minutes or less. Its 2026 programme closed the hall from 8 to 25 October, reopened it for the last week of October, and then closes it until its Christmas artisan market, so check the hall's own page before you go.
• Chatsworth is about 4.5 kilometres north-east of Bakewell in a straight line. Some 218 journeys between Sheffield and Bakewell call at the house. Chatsworth's booking page sells Christmas market car parking from 7 November to 13 December 2026, with entry to the market included; tickets for the house are booked on its site.

Getting about once you are here

The town centre is small enough to walk. The Monsal Trail is reached on foot from the old Bakewell station, about 700 metres from the Square, and bikes can be hired at Hassop Station, about two kilometres up the trail, from 9am to 5pm daily. The Agricultural Business Centre, for the livestock market, is about 400 metres from the Square across the river.