New Year Celebrations in the Peak District

After joining the coach, we make our way to our hotel and check in.

New Year Celebrations in the Peak District

Crossing the stunning Peak District National Park, we first head to Eyam, known as the ‘Plague Village’ due to the events of 1665-66 when the plague was brought from London to this tiny community. Learn more in the museum, or the village has craft workshops, a gift shop and tea rooms to enjoy. We then continue to the beautiful market town of Bakewell, set on the banks of the River Wye. Best known for its Bakewell Pudding (be sure to treat yourself in The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop!), the town boasts an ancient five-arched bridge, riverside walks, independent shops and cosy cafés: it’s a lovely place to spend the last afternoon of the year. Later, we enjoy our New Year celebrations at the hotel, including a Hogmanay buffet dinner.

New Year Celebrations in the Peak District

Our New Year begins with a scenic drive through the Peak District National Park on our way to the picturesque spa town of Matlock Bath, set in the beautiful gorge of the River Derwent with wooded hillsides and rocky limestone crags. The riverside promenade offers a lovely space for some fresh air, while the Temple Mine and the Peak District Mining Museum provides a fascinating glimpse into the region’s rich heritage, or the historic building once used to house Victorian thermal baths now boasts a range of unique exhibitions, from one of Europe’s largest public displays of holograms to the gemstone and fossil collection plus the natural wonder of the petrifying well. The town is also renowned for its abundance of fish and chip shops – so go on and treat yourself! Our next stop is the market town of Ashbourne, known as the gateway to Dovedale, with its historic architecture (think old coaching inns, Elizabethan buildings, Georgian facades, elegant townhouses and quirky statues) along with independent shops, cobbled marketplace and hidden alleys. This evening we enjoy the chef’s buffet dinner back at the hotel.

New Year Celebrations in the Peak District

After breakfast, we check out of our hotel and spend some free time in Buxton before heading home.

Return to the Palace Hotel on day 2 and celebrate New Year’s Eve with a festive Hogmanay buffet dinner. Graze through hearty seasonal dishes, savour desserts and raise a toast with fellow travellers as the atmosphere builds.

After dinner, the hotel’s light entertainment keeps spirits high — think live tunes, a friendly quiz or a dance or two. With nods to Scottish Hogmanay traditions and the cosy glow of a winter night in Buxton, it’s a warm, convivial way to welcome midnight.

Ease into day 3 with a leisurely New Year’s Day brunch at the hotel before a scenic run through limestone valleys to Matlock Bath. Stroll the riverside promenade along the Derwent, framed by wooded slopes and crags, and soak in the riverside atmosphere of this Victorian spa resort.

Continue to Ashbourne, the gateway to Dovedale, where Georgian facades, coaching inns and narrow yards tell of centuries of trade and travel. Browse antique shops, admire St Oswald’s soaring spire and enjoy time at your own pace — a gentle first afternoon of the year that blends natural drama with market-town charm.

Round off day 3 with the hotel’s chef’s buffet dinner, an easygoing spread showcasing comforting winter favourites. Share stories from the day and enjoy a free evening in the lounge or bar, where the atmosphere remains mellow and sociable.

With the Palace Hotel’s Victorian details and garden views, it’s a fitting end to a holiday spent amid Derbyshire stone villages and rolling uplands — a quiet, convivial close before tomorrow’s journey home.

After breakfast and check-out on day 4, enjoy a free morning to wander Buxton. Stroll the Pavilion Gardens by the serpentine lake, admire the crescent-shaped Georgian masterpiece of The Crescent and its Pump Room, and pause for photos and reflection at St Ann’s Well.

Glance up at the Opera House, designed by theatre architect Frank Matcham, and the vast Devonshire Dome. You’ll feel the spa-town calm and refined air that drew visitors for centuries, a graceful farewell before returning home.

While in Eyam on day 2, step inside the Eyam Museum to explore the village’s extraordinary response to the 1665–66 outbreak. Exhibits trace how villagers chose self-quarantine to protect their neighbours, with displays on the boundary stone, Rev. William Mompesson’s letters and personal accounts that bring the story to life.

Interpretive panels, maps and objects evoke the daily reality of the time and the enduring legacy of communal sacrifice. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, with tickets arranged locally and subject to opening hours during the festive period.

In Matlock Bath on day 3, don a helmet and follow a guide into Temple Mine to learn how miners once chased veins of lead beneath the hills. Back above ground, the Peak District Mining Museum showcases tools, working models and hands-on displays that reveal the grit and ingenuity behind Derbyshire’s industrial past.

Expect damp tunnels, the ring of metal on rock and stories of families whose livelihoods lay underground. This combined visit is at additional cost and bookable on tour; pay locally. Tours and museum hours may vary over the New Year period.

Discover a Victorian curiosity inside the former thermal baths as you explore the Matlock Bath Aquarium & Exhibitions on day 3. Wander past tanks of cold-water species, then step into galleries featuring a petrifying well, gemstone and fossil collections, and one of Europe’s largest public displays of holograms.

The building’s tiled halls whisper of 19th-century spa days while the quirky exhibits offer a playful counterpoint to the gorge’s rugged scenery. Entry is at additional cost and bookable on tour, with tickets purchased locally and hours subject to seasonal schedules.

While in Bakewell on day 2, slip into the Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop to sample the town’s famed dessert. Watch as pastry is filled with almondy custard and jam, then sample the warm pudding — rich, buttery and sweet — perhaps paired with cream or custard as locals prefer.

Staff will share how a 19th-century kitchen mix-up birthed this Derbyshire classic, now a beloved regional treat. Tasting is at additional cost and bookable on tour, paid locally during your free time in town.

On day 2, cross the Peak District National Park along frost-tipped moors, dry-stone walls and gritstone edges en route to visit Eyam ‘Plague Village’. Stroll by the plague cottages, the church of St Lawrence and the boundary stone where villagers once traded safely, and pause for photos and reflection in this quiet place of courage.

Continue to riverside Bakewell, famed for its five-arched bridge and market-town bustle. Wander lanes lined with independent shops, amble the River Wye’s footpaths and perhaps call at the Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop. With the last afternoon of the year to explore, you’ll feel the town’s warm, Derbyshire welcome.

Settle into the grand surroundings of the Palace Hotel & Spa and meet your Tour Director over a relaxed reception as you enjoy a welcome drink on day 1. Hear a short orientation outlining the days ahead and tips for exploring Buxton’s elegant heart — The Crescent, the glasshouse promenades of the Pavilion Gardens and the soaring Devonshire Dome.

Buxton’s waters drew visitors from Roman times, later flourishing as a Georgian and Victorian spa. As evening falls, soak up the hotel’s period charm and enjoy a free evening to unwind after your journey, with the town’s spa heritage right on the doorstep.