Bakewell
Bakewell is a very pleasant market town in the Peak District, in the county of Derbyshire.
The town is probably best-known for Bakewell pudding, invented by mistake by a cook at the Rutland Arms in the centre of the town. Several places sell Bakewell pudding, including the Original Bakewell Pudding Shop, which also contains a fine restaurant.
All Saints Church dates from the 12th century, and contains memorials to various members of the Vernon family, including George Vernon, known as the King of the Peak, and his daughter Dorothy, who eloped with John Manners to what is now a suburb of Leicester, where they were married at St. Andrews Church, Aylestone.
In the churchyard are two Anglo-Saxon crosses. Beneath one of them, Prince Arthur dreamed that he would marry a princess from over the sea, and that she would soon be a widow. He married Catherine of Aragon, but died not long afterwards at Ludlow.
There is a fine mediaeval bridge, which still carries traffic over the lovely River Wye.
Just outside Bakewell is Haddon Hall, and a few miles away is one of England’s most famous stately homes, Chatsworth House.
Blue Badge Guide Colin Crosby is available to lead Guided Walks around Bakewell for groups.