Accessible Buxton

 

Buxton has welcomed those with reduced mobility and disabilities for centuries and we look to continue to do so for many years to come. Please use this page alongside the content in the rest of the site. More detailed information can be found on the websites of each attraction/venue. Please also visit the Accessible Derbyshire website for further advice.

Due to the geography of the town and the age of some of its buildings, many of which are listed, full accessibility is not always available. But the town continues to work to improve its facilities and opportunities. If you have any suggestions, please let us know!

Tourist Information

Tourist information is available at Buxton Visitor Centre in The Pump Room opposite The Crescent. Both sets of entrance doors have access ramps and there are no steps in the area open to the public. The service desk has a low service point for those in wheelchairs and of short stature.

Toilet & Changing Facilities

Public Toilets

  • Buxton Town Hall (Market Place, Higher Buxton)
  • Pavilion Gardens Car Park (off Burlington Road, Lower Buxton)
  • Sylvan Car Park (far end of Spring Gardens, Lower Buxton)

Other Accessible Toilets

Adult-Changing Facilities

A Changing Places space is available in the Pavilion Gardens complex opposite the ice-cream parlour by the main entrance off the promenade. Access is via a radar key (available to purchase at The Pump Room). More details here.

Baby-Changing Facilities

Other Toilets

The following establishments are happy for you to use their toilets:

Accessible Parking & Transport Facilities

Lower Buxton Parking

There are limited disabled parking spaces by the Buxton Opera House but it is possible to offload adjacent to the forecourt. There are 8 disabled car parking bays on the lower level of the Pavilion Gardens car park off Burlington Road. There are 4 at Sylvan Car Park at the end of Spring Gardens and 26 in the car park behind The Springs Shopping Centre.

Higher Buxton Parking

There are 5 disabled parking spaces outside the Town Hall on the Market Place Car Park, 15 outside the Town Hall by The Slopes and 6 on the Cattle Market Car Park at the top of Market Street.

Wheelchair Hire

  • One wheelchair is available for day hire from Connex Community Support (Buxton volunteer centre) (Higher Buxton). Please call 01298 23970 to arrange.
  • A wheelchair is available for emergency use within the Pavilion Gardens (Lower Buxton)

Town Buses

The main bus station is found on the Market Place where there are five stands either side of the main road.

All of High Peak’s buses are low floor and wheelchair accessible. Customers wishing to travel with a mobility scooter on the buses must have a permit. Further information is available on the High Peak buses website.

Buxton Railway Station

The town’s railway station is on the flat with a slight incline to the entrance from the car park. There is a pelican crossing adjacent to the station providing a safe route to/from the town centre.

At the station, there are two accessible parking bays, ramped entrance way to the ticket office, flat and level access to both platforms, automatic entry doors that operate by pushing a large button, induction loop facilities at the ticket counter and on the platform, a RADAR-operated accessible toilet on the platform with ramped access, an accessible ticket machine and a 24-hour information/help push-button service accessible from wheelchair height. Benches are available along the platforms.

Tours & Attractions

Buxton Opera House & Buxton Cinema

Buxton Opera House offers a range of accessible performances and film screenings including subtitled/captioned, signed (BSL), audio-described (PIR), autism-friendly, dementia-friendly and touch tours prior to screenings. There are also relaxed performances of the annual pantomime.

There are three wheelchair spaces in the stalls area of the theatre and an accessible toilet. There is access to the box office via a door on Water St – just ring the bell for attention. There are also accessible toilets in the Pavilion Arts Centre, home of Buxton Cinema. Free companion tickets are often available. Please ask for details. Assistance dogs are welcomed.

For further, detailed information, see the BOH website here.

See a listing of the accessible performances at Buxton Opera House and Pavilion Arts Centre on the BOH website here.

The Devonshire Dome

The route to walk under the magnificent Devonshire Dome is fully accessible with ramps and disabled access doors at the main entrance. There are also lifts should you wish to visit the upper floor.

The Forest Distillery

There are two disabled parking bays near the entrance of the Cat & Fiddle, which houses the distillery. Wheelchair access is via a side door (advanced notice required). Tours of the distillery involve steps, narrow staircases, outdoor areas. Accessible toilet with baby changing facilities. See full accessibility information on the Forest Distillery website here.

Discover Buxton Tours

Discover Buxton has two accessible walking tours. An accessible natural history tour through the Pavilion Gardens, a more gentle version to the four-hour hike up into the hills. All paths are metalled and predominately flat with slight inclines in places. The Lower Town History & Heritage tour follows town pavements with dropped kerbs at road crossings and takes you into buildings with flat or ramped access or otherwise with wheelchair-accessible route available. For information about their character guide experience tours, please get in touch, as these are centred round buildings and so have further considerations. All tours can be customised to meet your needs.

Buxton Swimming Pool

The Buxton Swimming & Fitness Centre building in the Pavilion Gardens has ramp access via the front entrance and flat access from the adjacent car park which has a bay of disabled parking spaces close to the centre.

Access to the pool is all on one level with a ramp onto the actual poolside. To get into the pool there are ladder steps and a pool hoist which can be used at anytime upon request. This pool hoist lowers the customer into and out of the water at the shallow end and is operated by one of the members of staff.

Please contact the Centre for details about dementia-friendly, 50+ and women-only swimming. Full accessibility information is available on the Centre’s website here.

Outdoors & The Peak District

Pavilion Gardens

The Pavilion Gardens complex includes the Winter Conservatory, Pavilion Restaurant & Bar, gift boutique, Gallery in the Gardens, ice cream parlour, the Octagon Concert Hall and the Pavilion Arts Centre, home to Buxton Cinema. The whole complex is on the flat, other than the Pavilion Arts Centre however, there is an accessible lift in the building (opposite the ice cream parlour) and flat access from St John’s Road entrance.

The gardens have a network of pathways with variable inclines and the promenade, which stretches the entire length of the gardens, is a wide, flat open space. Benches are located throughout.

There are eight disabled car parking spaces in the lower level of the car park (accessed from Burlington Road). Blue badge holders can park for free in any of the parking bays. Coaches can drop off passengers (and park) on the promenade but this must be arranged prior to visiting.

There are disabled toilets and a Changing Places within the Pavilion Gardens building and disabled toilets in the car park and the kiosk in the gardens by the lake. Assistance dogs are welcome. For more detailed information, visit the Gardens’ website here.

As well as the Pavilion Gardens, there are other accessible parks and gardens in Buxton. Click here.

Go Ape

High ropes adventures in the tree tops are not for everyone, but Go Ape Buxton offers additional support for those with disabilities so as many as possible are able to enjoy an experience (if they want to!). Hearing impaired visitors can watch subtitled and BSL safety films. Additional companions can assist those with visual impairment and learning difficulties. Those with prosthetics should have no problem completing the full course. The ropes course begins at ground level so you can give it a go and see how far you can get. General information is available on their website or call for information specific to the course at Grin Low.

Poole’s Cavern

The main chamber of the cave is accessible by wheelchair for 100m. There are a total of 28 steps along the remaining cave path, 14 up and 14 down. The longest descent is 10 steps which lead to the final chamber 300m/1000ft from the entrance. Groups return along the same route. Guide dogs are permitted on the cave tour.

There are dedicated car parking bays for blue badge holders and level access throughout the visitor centre. Toilet facilities are fully accessible. Baby-changing facilities are also available.

Read the full information on the Buxton Civic Association website here. 

Serpentine Community Garden

A community garden and allotment by the Serpentine Walks. Some paths around the site are suitable for a wheelchair and there is an accessible toilet.

Peak District National Park

Buxton is a great base from which to explore the Peak District. The Peak District National Park have devised routes – Miles without Stiles – which are suitable for people of all fitness levels and those with limited mobility, including wheelchair users, families with pushchairs and scooters, and those who are visually impaired. There are three tiers: For All, For Many, For Some. More information and details of the routes are available on the PDNP website here.

For accessible attractions elsewhere in the Peak District, please see the Accessible Derbyshire website.

Horse Riding

Helen Atkin Riding for the Disabled, a local charity, provides riding therapy for disabled children and adults using selected horses and ponies at Buxton Riding School (Fern Farm, off London Road).

Shopping

Spring Gardens

The main shopping street in Buxton, Spring Gardens, is on the flat and pedestrianised but traffic does have access for loading/unloading. There is some street furniture – benches, blocks, lamp-posts – and there are often pop-up stalls.

Cavendish Arcade

The Cavendish Arcade, in the old Hot Baths, has ramp access from both main entrances. Some exterior shop doorways have small steps but they are accessible by interior doors.

Fairs & Markets at the Pavilion Gardens

Regular fairs and markets are held in the Octagon Hall and along the promenade in the Pavilion Gardens. These are all on the flat with wide spaces between rows enabling wheelchair access.

Springs Shopping Centre

The Springs Shopping Centre is fully accessible and on one level. There are no steps into shops.

Higher Buxton & Buxton Markets

Buxton Markets are held on Tuesdays and Saturdays on the car park. There are dropped kerbs enabling access from the pavement. The shops lining the Market Place and High Street have wide pavements in most places, dropped kerbs with most doorways on the flat. Those by the far end of the High St do have steps as the pavements are on a slope.

Food Shopping

Morrisons (Bakewell Road) (flat access) holds an autism-friendly shopping hour, 9am-10am on Saturday morning.

Accommodation

Full accommodation listings are available here. Those with accessible bedrooms are denoted with an (A).

The Palace Hotel

The Palace Hotel has wheelchair accessible bedrooms. Access is via the hotel’s side entrance. There are 14 disabled parking spaces in the car park in front of the hotel. See the access statement on the Palace Hotel’s website here.

Old Hall Hotel

The Old Hall Hotel is wheelchair accessible although its lift is only 67cm wide. Dogs are welcome in certain bedrooms. Parking is available immediately outside the hotel. A mobile loop hearing aid system situated in reception.

Lee Wood Hotel

The Lee Wood Hotel has rooms with walk in showers and widened doorways and there is a disabled toilet on the ground floor. Access to the hotel is by the rear door. 

Hope Cross Cottage

Hope Cross is a fully accessible, ground floor, two-bedroom, self-catering cottage for guests with a range of disabilities from mild/moderate to more severe. Situated just to the east of Buxton at Vicarage Farm, Wheston, the cottage was designed with accessibility in mind. Assistance dogs are welcomed.

Wheeldon Trees Cottages

Located in Earl Sterndale, to the south-east of Buxton, Wheeldon Trees Cottages has 10 self-catering cottages. Sheldon Cottage, which sleeps up to 4, features two super-king or twin bedrooms, open-plan living with lots of room and two bathrooms – a wet room and en-suite shower room. The cottage is all on one level and is wheelchair accessible. It is rated Mobility Level 2 under the National Accessibility Scheme. Walker’s Rest is also all on one level but the internal layout means it’s not so easy to negotiate in a wheelchair. There is a separate shower, with a single step up. Additional mobility equipment is also available. Read the access statement on the Wheeldon Trees website here.

The Lookout, Flash

Located in the highest village in England, The Lookout is a converted barn holiday apartment which sleeps up to 3. It is located up a flight of stairs but there is a wheelchair lift giving access to the first floor. The double bedroom has an en-suite wet room. Find out more and book via Holidaycottages.co.uk.

Food & Drink

Full listings of pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants are available here. Those accessible by wheelchairs are denoted with an (A).

The Vault

This cafe-bar in Higher Buxton has a flat, double-door entry (110cm wide) and an accessible toilet with handrail and pull cord, all on the one level. Disabled parking is available on the nearby Market Place car park, accessed via dropped kerbs. The main floor of the pub is one flat surface which is wide and not cramped, for easy mobility. There are three steps up to a lounge and one to the stage but, on booking, accessible tables can be guaranteed. They host a large range of different groups, from those with learning difficulties to pensioner groups, and their staff have personal experience with different learning difficulties making us them accommodating. See the FAQs on The Vault website here. 

Help & Support

Helping Hands

If you ever need help, the following establishments are able to offer support and answer questions:

Derbyshire Safe Place Scheme

A Safe Place is somewhere you can go if you feel scared, are lost or need help when you are out and about.

Overviews

Autism-Friendly

  • Buxton Opera House – offers relaxed, autism-friendly performances of select shows and film screenings. See the listing on the BOH website here. 
  • Morrisons – holds an autism-friendly shopping hour, 9am-10am on Saturday morning.
  • Poole’s Cavern – holds a quiet hour and SEN tours on the first Saturday morning of the month, 9.30am-10.30am. Book via their central bookings system on the BCA website here. 

Visual Impairment

Hearing Impairment

Physical Disability

Dementia-Friendly

Buxton aims to become a dementia-friendly town. 

Dementia-Friendly events:

Dementia Friends:

Health

Accident & Emergency

Chemists & Pharmacies

  • Boots Chemist – 62 Spring Gardens, SK17 6BZ
  • Clowes Chemists – 4 Cavendish Circus, SK17 6AX
  • Lloyds Pharmacy – 2 Temple Rd, SK17 9BA
  • Peak Pharmacy – 3A Scarsdale Pl, SK17 6EF
  • Superdrug – 11-12 Springs Shopping Centre, SK17 6BJ
Useful Information
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From November 2025, this website is owned and managed by Buxton Civic Association Ltd - Charity No. 258163.

Buxton Civic Association logo

Buxton Civic Association celebrates the natural and human heritage of Buxton including its outstanding buildings and wildlife. We conserve and enhance this heritage and advocate its importance in making Buxton a special place to live or to visit.

Buxton in the Peak District
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