Buxton

Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park".[1] A municipal borough until 1974, Buxton was then merged with other localities including Glossop, lying primarily to the north, to form the local government district and borough of High Peak within the county of Derbyshire. Buxton is within the sphere of influence of Greater Manchester due to its close proximity to the county.

Buxton is home to Poole's Cavern, an extensive limestone cavern open to the public, and St Ann's Well, fed by the geothermal spring bottled and sold internationally by Buxton Mineral Water Company. Also in the town is the Buxton Opera House, which hosts several music and theatre festivals each year. The Devonshire Campus of the University of Derby is housed in one of the town's historic buildings. Other attractions for visitors include two motorcycle speedway stadia, two golf courses, a pedestrian-only street with small shops, and an indoor shopping mall.

Buxton is the home of Buxton Spring Water which is sold round the world, but if you are in town make sure you get some free water from the well that is in the centre by the Royal Crescent.

To the southwest of the town centre is the show cave of Poole's Cavern [8]. A pleasant (and free) walk through woodland from here leads to Solomon's Temple, a folly on a limestone hill with elevated views over Buxton and the surrounding area. Another interesting and little-known local curiosity lies in a small valley between Solomon's Temple and the village of Harpur Hill, where water issuing through lime-rich waste rock has created an intriguing area of white calcite deposits.

There is always something going off at the Opera House from stage productions to fairs. These include the Buxton Opera Festival, running for two and a half weeks in July, and the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, running for the better part of three weeks in August.