Bakewell

• Monday is market day, with stalls around Market Place and Granby Road, plus specialist markets through the year. If you want the town at its liveliest, come on a Monday; if you want it quieter, come on another day.
• Try a Bakewell Pudding, the town's namesake local food tradition, from one of the town's bakers or cafés.
• Call in at the Bakewell National Park Centre in the atmospheric 17th-century Old Market Hall on Bridge Street for park information, maps, local guides and walking books. It is fully accessible and has a mezzanine gallery and interpretation area.
• Walk the riverside. A family-friendly route from the centre and Market Place links Brookside, Holme Bridge (built in 1664) with its historic sheepwash, the River Wye and Bakewell Bridge, and the town park.

Nothing is guaranteed, but the Wye rewards patience. Along the water people spot large trout, kingfishers and water voles, and ducks and other waterfowl are regulars near the benches and open grass. In summer, a breeding colony of Daubenton's bats uses Bakewell Bridge and can sometimes be seen hunting under the arches at dusk.

There is pay-and-display parking next to the National Park Centre and other car parks in town, which makes Bakewell an easy place to leave the car and walk. Be realistic about the crowds: the centre and the riverside paths get busy at peak times with families and dog walkers, so early mornings and later afternoons feel calmer. The prettiest, most peaceful stretches of river take a bit of walking beyond the shops, so allow more time than a quick stop suggests, and treat the town as a starting point for walks and the surrounding villages rather than a single attraction to tick off.