After the busier stretch through Oxford and the Cotswolds, Bakewell was a change of pace, literally. It’s a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Longborough into the Peak District, and the town itself turned out to be one of the quietest, most unhurried stops on our entire England road trip.
If Haddon Hall is the reason you’re considering Bakewell as a stop (and it should be), you’ll find plenty more to fill a night or two here. Here’s what we did, what we’d tell a first-timer, and why we’re still thinking about the puddings.
Where to Stay in Bakewell
We stayed at the Castle Inn — rustic rooms, but genuinely comfortable. Our room happened to be right next to the outside bar and the street below, which had us bracing for a noisy night. It never came. Bakewell settles down early, and we barely heard any traffic once evening set in.
The Ashford Arms is located right in town also and has a great garden.
That quietness turned out to be one of the best things about the town. We went for a walk after dinner and found the streets nearly empty — a few people walking dogs, shops shuttered, and a properly good sunset over the rooftops. It’s a small, ordinary moment, but it’s the kind of thing that sticks with you on a road trip full of bigger sights.
Bakewell’s Monday Market
If your visit lines up with a Monday, the town runs a market that’s closer to a flea market than a food market (think tools, clothing, and plants rather than local produce or crafts). It’s worth a wander if you’re around for it, but we wouldn’t build your itinerary specifically to catch it. It’s a nice slice of ordinary local life more than a must-see attraction.
The Real Reason to Visit: Bakewell Puddings (Not Tarts)
Here’s the distinction we didn’t know before we arrived, and one that immediately reoriented our whole approach to dessert in this town: Bakewell puddings and Bakewell tarts are not the same thing, and the puddings are the ones worth going out of your way for.
The traditional tarts, the ones topped with almonds, are good. The iced versions are skippable. But the puddings, which have a completely different texture and history, were some of the best sweets we had on the entire trip.
Head to the Bakewell Pudding Parlour and order one. This isn’t optional if you’re a dessert person; it’s the single food recommendation from this stop we’d repeat to anyone. You can click on their link above and post a pudding if you are hankering for one now.
Haddon Hall: The Highlight of Bakewell
If you only do one thing in this part of the Peak District, make it Haddon Hall.
This is a medieval manor house that’s still owned and partly lived in by the same family that’s held it for generations, and it shows in a way that feels completely different from the polished, roped-off stately homes you might expect. The house was left largely untouched for around 200 years, and the result is a building that feels genuinely lived-in by history rather than restored for visitors. Original tapestries still hang in the rooms, and the chapel has dry fresco paintings dating back centuries.
What you’ll see:
- The Great Room
- The kitchens
- The Long Gallery
- The dining room
- A room with a signature reportedly left by King Charles
- The back gardens
- The on-site café
You have the option of a private guided tour, but we went the self-guided route: each room has a speaker that plays information at set times, so you can wander at your own pace and still get the history as you go. Budget at least two hours, plus time for tea in the café afterward; we didn’t rush it, and we’d tell you not to either.
A few practical notes: there isn’t a traditional gift shop, just a ticket kiosk with a small selection of books. What looks like it might be the gift shop is actually an art gallery featuring a rotating selection of new artists, which was a nice surprise in itself. And if the name Haddon Hall sounds familiar from somewhere other than English history, yes, this is where The Princess Bride was filmed.
Knowing the family still lives on site while restoration work continues added a texture to the visit that a fully “museum-ified” stately home wouldn’t have had. It doesn’t feel frozen in time so much as still quietly going.
Walking the River Wye
Once you’re done at Haddon Hall (or before, if you want to work up to it), the walk along the River Wye is worth building into your day. It’s a genuinely pretty stretch of water, with a Roman bridge crossing it and small canals threading through the town itself. This isn’t a long, structured hike — it’s the kind of unhurried riverside walk that suits a slow travel pace, and a nice bookend to a day spent mostly indoors at the manor house.
What We’d Do Differently
Time the Monday market intentionally, or skip it. It’s a fine detour if your dates line up, but we wouldn’t reroute a trip to catch it — it’s more “nice to have” than “must-see.”
Get the pudding, skip the iced tart. We wish someone had told us this distinction before we ordered our first dessert in town. Save your appetite for the Pudding Parlour.
Slow down even more at Haddon Hall. Two hours felt right, but we could easily have spent longer wandering the gardens and sitting with tea in the café rather than treating it as a single stop on a bigger day.
Practical Tips for Visiting Bakewell and Haddon Hall
- Getting there: Bakewell sits in the Peak District, roughly two and a half hours by car from the Cotswolds area (Longborough, in our case). A car is genuinely the practical way to reach this stop. Public transport options into the Peak District are limited.
- Getting around: The town itself is small and entirely walkable. Haddon Hall is a short drive outside the town centre and there is a town bus that will take you there.
- Best time to visit: Evenings in Bakewell are quiet regardless of season, which is part of the charm. This isn’t a late-night town. Check Haddon Hall’s opening days before you go, as it isn’t open to visitors year-round.
- How long do you need: One night is enough to see the town, walk the river, and spend a proper half-day at Haddon Hall. Two nights gives you breathing room if you want to catch the Monday market or simply slow down further.
A Quick Bakewell Itinerary (1–2 Days)
Day 1:
- Afternoon: Arrive in Bakewell, check in at your accommodation
- Late afternoon: Walk along the River Wye, cross the Roman bridge
- Evening: Dinner in town, followed by a quiet after-dinner walk to catch the sunset
Day 2:
- Morning: Head to the Bakewell Pudding Parlour for the essential pudding
- Late morning: Drive to Haddon Hall, budget at least two hours for the self-guided tour
- Afternoon: Tea in the Haddon Hall café, browse the art gallery, wander the back gardens
- Evening: If your timing lines up with a Monday, wander the market before heading out
Bakewell wasn’t a headline stop when we planned this road trip, but it ended up being one of the most restorative ones — a quiet town, a genuinely remarkable house, and a pudding worth remembering long after the trip ended.
Listen to the Episode
Want the fuller story behind this stop — including the pudding-versus-tart debate and our reaction to Haddon Hall’s untouched rooms? Listen to the podcast episode where Beth and I talk through Bakewell, Haddon Hall, York, and Corbridge together.
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Don’t Miss the Rest of the England Road Trip
This is the fourth stop on our full England road trip series. Catch up on Oxford and The Cotswolds if you missed them, York is coming up next, and stay tuned for Corbridge — our final stop before crossing into Scotland. Want each post and episode delivered straight to your inbox? Join our newsletter.
Shelley is a full-time traveler, writer, and podcaster based in Portugal, where she lives with her wife and their beloved bulldog, Scoot. Originally from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Shelley is a former history teacher who swapped the classroom for cobblestone streets and passport stamps. These days, she explores Portugal and Europe in search of fascinating stories, unforgettable sights, and local flavor—then shares it all through her blog and podcast, Wandering Works for Us, where curiosity meets adventure (and sometimes wine).