Bakewell Children's Walk

The walk begins from the Bakewell Bridge Car Park. Walk out of the car park heading west towards Bridge Street, the main road through the town. Carefully cross over the road and take the public footpath through a metal gate immediately opposite. The path leads into Scot’s Garden and passes through fields with the River Wye alongside. Go through two further gates and continue straight on through a second field, still walking with the river to your left.

Take care by the river, but you can enjoy exploring and running around here. Scot’s Garden was gifted to the people of Bakewell in 1933 and it’s a wonderful wild meadow on the edge of the town. It’s home to lots of different birds and animals that live along the riverbank and in the water. How many can you spot?

After approx 150 metres, go through a gate in a stone wall to emerge onto Holme Lane. Turn left and walk for approx 200 metres until the pavement ends. Turn left and follow the bridleway over the pretty Holme Bridge.

Holme Bridge is almost 400 years old and was built to allow horses to cross the River Wye. Now it’s a great spot for Poohsticks! Find a nearby twig, drop it in the river on one side of the bridge, then rush to the other side and see how quickly it emerges. If you can persuade someone else to join in, you can have a competition to see whose stick will win.

Continue across the bridge and walk on to meet the road (A6). Turn left and walk carefully on the pavement. It’s a busy road so keep your wits about you, but you’re only walking along it for a short distance. After approx 175 metres, look out on your left for a large mill, with its huge water wheel now standing out of the water alongside it.

Victoria Mill was built 200 years ago to grind corn and was in use until the end of World War II. The wheel dates from around 1850 and once turned with the force of water from the River Wye, powering the machinery to grind the grain.

Very soon after passing Victoria Mill, carefully cross over the A6 and take the quiet lane on the right (Bagshaw Hill) which leads uphill. Follow this road as it curves around to the right, giving wonderful views over the town. When you reach the top of the road, go straight on at a crossroads, taking a narrow lane called Cunningham Place. After approx 75 metres, you will reach the Old House Museum on your right.

The Old House Museum contains fascinating information about the history of Bakewell. It also tells the story of the people who once lived in this lovely old building, which dates back to 1534 and was originally built as a tax collectors’ house. The Museum is open between April and November, Tuesday to Saturday, 11am-4pm.

Continue past the Old House Museum and then turn left on the footpath, signposted to Bakewell. At the bottom of the path, turn right onto Church Lane, with the beautiful All Saints Church directly in front of you. Walk as far as the stone lychgate on your left, then turn left and walk through the gate into the churchyard.

If you have time, it’s well worth exploring the church. There has been a church here for more than a thousand years, and the one you see now is around 900 years old. Propped up to the left of the huge entrance door you’ll find five spooky, stone, body-shaped coffins that date back to medieval times. There are lots of very old graves in the churchyard too, as well as two crosses that are more than 1,000 years old! Can you find them?

To continue the walk, retrace your steps back to the path through the churchyard and walk downhill with the church on your left. Where the path forks, take the left hand fork. Follow the path down to a set of steps and then join North Church Street. Turn right and walk downhill back into the town centre.

When you reach the road junction at the red telephone boxes, continue straight on, crossing over the road carefully. After approx 50 metres take the footpath on the left (roughly opposite the roundabout) to walk into Bath Gardens.

These beautiful gardens once belonged to Bath House. Bath House was built in 1697 and still stands at the far edge of the Gardens next to the War Memorial. Nobody lives in it now, but it still has a bathing pool in its basement that is fed by a warm natural spring! Bath Gardens are the perfect spot for a picnic on a sunny day.

Follow the path through Bath Gardens. At the end of the path, turn right on the road (Bath Street). When you reach the end of Bath Street, turn left. Ignore the road immediately on your left (New Street) and continue towards The Castle pub. Turn right and cross over the main road here (Bridge Street) and then turn left. Don’t go over the bridge but instead take the footpath to the side which leads down to the river, and follow the path alongside the water.

There are usually lots of hungry geese and ducks along the river waiting to be fed, and look out in the water for huge trout too!

Continue straight on the path, keeping the river on your left, until you reach the entrance to Rutland Recreation Ground. Carry straight on into this pretty park and walk along the tree-lined avenue to find the playground on your right. Once you’ve enjoyed the playground you can either retrace your steps back to the park entrance or follow the clear path that leads back alongside the river, past the cricket pavilion.

Continue heading back towards the town centre, now with the river on your right, until you reach the ‘Love Locks Bridge’, covered with thousands of padlocks. Turn right and walk over the bridge, crossing the River Wye.

Continue straight on, following the path and crossing a second bridge. Immediately after the second bridge, take the path on your left signposted to the Monsal Trail. Follow this path for approx 200 metres until you emerge at a quiet road, Coombs Road. Turn left on Coombs Road and walk for approx 100 metres until you reach the car park and the start of your walk on the left.

Don’t forget to return into Bakewell to try some Bakewell Pudding as a reward for your walk!