Home > Teashops > Peak District

Adrian’s Random Guide to Tea Shops
and other places to spend money

Peak District, Derbyshire, UK

(Page last updated - 5/10/02)

BIG BIG BIG BIG CAVEAT ...
Much of the information on these pages is out of date. Please treat it with caution - some places mentioned have since changed hands or no longer exist!!!!!

Most of the following places can be found on the OS 1:50,000 Landranger Map sheet 119 (Buxton, Matlock and Dovedale), some are on sheet 110 (Sheffield and Huddersfield). To help you find the places mentioned I have given 6-figure grid references with links to ‘Multimap’ (http://uke.multimap.com) - an excellent site where you can browse street maps and OS maps at a variety of scales.

If you don’t even know where the Peak District is, just click on a this multi-map link! Then come and see for yourself!!

Browse the text below - or use the links within the list of place names - or use my interactive map of the area to link into the text ....

Bakewell (Byways Cafe & Treeline) Treeline added 23/2/02
Bamford (High Peak Garden Centre and Bay Tree Coffee Shop)
Baslow (Goose Green Tea Rooms)
Calver (Derbyshire Craft Centre, Derwentwater Arms, Outside) Outside added 23/2/02
Carsington Water (Vistors Centre)
Castleton (Cinnamon Bear) Updated 22/8/02
Chatsworth (Garden Centre)
Cromford (Scathin Books)
Edensor (The Post Office
Eyam (Eyam Hall)
Fairholmes (Kiosk)
Grindleford (Station Cafe)
Hassop (Country Book Store) Updated 23/2/02
Hathersage (Outside/Longlands, Millstone PH)
Hope (Woodroffe Arms)
Lea (Lea Gardens) Added 22/9/02
Longshaw (Visitors Centre)
Longnor (Craft Centre)
Matlock Bath (Masson Mills)
Millers Dale (See Taddington!)
Monyash (Tea Rooms) Updated 23/2/02
Over Haddon (Craft Centre) Updated 22/8/02
Pilsley (Chatsworth Farm Shop) Revised 23/2/02
Rowsley (Caudwells Mill)
Stoney Middleton (Moon Inn) Added 23/2/02
Taddington (Queens Arms)
Tansley (Scotland Nurseries) Added 23/2/02
Wirksworth (Heritage Centre and Cafe)

(Though I'm going to describe places in a sequence, I would not suggest that you follow the route and visit every tea shop as you pass - you won't enjoy them at their best if you overdo it. The route is just a way of guiding you round the map!).


Starting (for no apparent reason **) at Taddington - off the A6 between Ashford in the Water and Buxton - and not with a ‘tea shop’ but a pub. Coming up from Ashford, turn off left into Taddington. The Queen’s Arms ( SK147711) is on your right as you come into the village. The food is excellent - so good that I suspect you may have to book in evenings. We’ve only been for Saturday lunch - the Lamb Casserole and Minted Dumplings was aimed at dedicated carnivores - the Baguette stuffed with Fillet Steak, Mushrooms and Onions (with chips) was excellent.

(** There is a reason really. We often go to Millers Dale to Craft Supplies (SK138732). If you like turned wood, give them a visit (perhaps after eating at Taddington) - parking is difficult, if their small car park is full (as it often is) you can try tucking in where the road crosses the river. They supply wood turning equipment, blanks, etc., but also have a gallery of turned wood for sale. I have now added some of my turnings to this site, so if you like turned wood, please take a look.
If you fancy a walk, you can park up at the old station by the Monsal Trail. You could even try the 'Wriggly Tin' Cafe after walking off the lunch. Its opposite the station car park - it is many years since I went there so I can't really comment on it - I think it only opens at weekends.
[^^ TOP]

A minor deviation into Staffordshire before we go on to Monyash - to Longnor (SK089649). The Craft Centre is in the centre of the village (parking on the market place). It is small but worth a detour for the hand-made furniture and some nice enamel jewellery - and the cakes!! Not a major 'tea shop' but welcome refreshment. The scenery is also splendid - and more rugged than most of the peak (there are real 'peaks' here!). If you are a wood turner, they sell offcuts from the furniture making ready cut as bowl blanks.
[^^ TOP]

Moving on to Monyash (east from Longnor). There is a rather good tea room on the Bakewell road. Going out of Monyash towards Bakewell, having passed the church on your right, there is a small shop also on your right (SK153665). You go through the shop to the tea room. We first went in summer and had excellent soup and sandwiches in the garden. My colleague Peter recommends the bacon sandwiches and the ice cream.
The bad news is that the shop has had to close because it is no longer a viable enterprise - BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS - the tea shop continues to operate and continues to provide excellent service.
[^^ TOP]

Heading back towards Bakewell, Over Haddon is off to your right. Once upon a time I would have directed you to the Lathkill Craft Centre, but after some years of decline it has now closed and is being converted into housing. The best of the workshops was possibly that of Romey Brough - I don't know where she has moved to with her paintings.

If you go on through the village (or if you approach from Monyash) there is a public car park on the side road that drops down into Lathkill Dale. There used to be a house almost opposite the car park (SK203664) that did cream teas in summer - its many years since we went there so it may no longer be an option. Failing that, just park and have a walk down into Lathkill Dale - then struggle back up the hill to Monyash for a reward!
[^^ TOP]

Dropping down into Bakewell, I would not even try and describe where you can eat there - there are so many places - including Fish and Chips, Bakewell Puddings and Austrian Sausages (not all in one shop). I will just mention a few places.
The first is ‘Byways’ (SK219685) - its entrance it tucked away almost opposite the Nat West autobank. If anyone likes cheese I would recommend their Hawaiian Rarebit (Welsh Rarebit plus pineapple) - if you don't like cheese I would not recommend it!!! The Cottage Pie is also good (and interesting - it comes with a pot of Pickled Red Cabbage!).

The second place is ‘Treeline’ (SK218684) - its entrance is tucked away behind the swimming pool (but its probably easier to find Treeline first! - its signed down an alley off Water Street). If the weather is fine you can sit out and drink your latte and eat your cake under the grape vine - then make sure you go inside and look at the furniture upstairs (Treeline are furniture makers, and display various other local makers) and the crafts downstairs (yes - more wood turnings).

A new location worth a mention is the cafe above the Farmer Market Shop on Market Street (SK219685). A latte worth a visit - it needs another visit to try the food.
[^^ TOP]

Leaving Bakewell on the A6 southbound, you pass Haddon Hall - its a long time since we ate there, so I can’t really comment, but I have a recommendation from my colleague Judi - 'pea soup as good as Mum's, and the scones scored ten out of ten (and Lee [Judi's husband] isn't easily impressed)".

You then come to Rowsley. There are a couple of pubs, but we head for Caudwell’s Mill (SK257657). You can walk to the mill from the main road, but its car park is off the side-road that runs south to Stanton in the Peak - its well signed. Another craft centre - excellent hand made glass (Greenhalgh Glass) (the other work shops seem to come and go) and a craft shop that stocks a few less usual items. And there’s the working turbine-powered cylindrical-roller flour mill (one for the industrial historians) - they even sell the flour, and if you pick your time they also do demos of bread making.

And ... there’s a cafe. Very vegetarian - not much joy for dedicated carnivores. Excellent (and filling) cakes - though I have to confess that their capuchino was not the best I’ve had! I would go for a pot of Earl Grey and Ginger and Pineapple Cake - look at their web site for more about the food.
[^^ TOP]

Now for a detour to the south - to Carsington Water - look for a patch of water south west of Matlock on the map - but only if you have a fairly recent map.

The visitors centre (SK241517) has a few shops (nothing wildly exciting (in my opinion)), an exhibition (worth a look) and a cafe - but head upstairs to the Barrowdale Restaurant. Excellent food and a view across the water. And you can walk it off by doing the circuit of the reservoir (I think its 8 miles (I trust whoever said it)). (Or just head a few hundred yards north along the track and sit in the hide watching the wild life).
[^^ TOP]

From Carsington, head east through Wirksworth - the market place (SK286539) is a car park when there isn’t a market - but it is on a 1 in 3 hill so you need a very good hand brake. You can head through an archway on the north side of the market to the heritage centre where there is a cafe, but we have never tried it. (My colleague Peter has tried it and recommends it highly.)
[^^ TOP]

Or you can head on to Cromford and Scarthin Books (SK294570). Parking is not easy, you may get in on the road outside the shop - note that it is narrow and one way (east to west). There is parking outside the pub and shops on the main road (SK295569).

Its worth going just to see the location - the shop overlooks a splendid mill pond. But if you like books, it is a gold mine. They now do more new books, but they still have lots of second hand (I could mention the art section but Hilary has already bought much of it!).

And they have a cafe hidden away on the first floor. A bit wholemeal and good for you, but worthwhile when one of you is tired of looking at books. (I notice that they have a menu and maps on their web site along with lots more about the place and the area - 22/2/01).
[^^ TOP]

Heading back north, before you really get into Matlock Bath there is Masson Mills (SK294573). It was built in 1783 by Sir Richard Arkwright as a cotton mill, but is now a museum and shopping ‘centre’ - but not in the Meadowhall mould. There are three or four floors of shopping, plus (you guessed it) a cafe and a restaurant. You pay for parking, but can claim the full cost back when you eat. Its not a ‘tea shop’ as such, but worth a visit.
[^^ TOP]

I won't dwell on Matlock - its not somewhere we go often (other than passing through) - but I will digress (as is my habit) to Tansley and Scotland Nurseries (SK334597) where the ‘Heathers’ tea room (at the garden centre) does excellent cakes, meals, etc.
[^^ TOP]

But in spring I would recommend a visit to Lea Gardens (SK323572). If you come west through Lea village, be prepared for a sharp turn to the left as you reach the brow of the hill. If you come up the hill from Cromford, the turn is VERY sharp to the right - watch for their signs. The gardens specialize in rhododendrons and azaleas - hence they only open from mid-March to the end of June. I have to confess that if they are open I would go here rather than Tansley (above) - the home baking wins! Did I mention they have a tea room? Check out this link or this link for details.
[^^ TOP]

Back down to Matlock and heading north (homewards) through Chatsworth, I could mention Chatsworth Garden Centre (at the southern end of the park) (SK259683) - the cafe is (or certainly was) pretty good and you can spend lots of money on plants, tools, books, gifts, etc! Chatsworth itself is also worth a visit, but doesn't need me to sing its praise. So lets move on the Edensor, Pilsley and Baslow.
[^^ TOP]

At Edensor (pronounced ‘Ensor’) there is the Post Office (SK251699) - go over the cattle grid into the village, and bear left and left again as you reach the church. There is parking through the arch by the garages. And through the Post Office is the tea room. Not the cheapest (in the opinion of my colleague Gavin), but pretty good - we usually end up with soup and sandwiches, but they also do the full cream tea thing.
[^^ TOP]

Pilsley has the Chatsworth Farm Shop (SK242709) - excellent sausages and cheese (among other things) - and a cafe (round the back). We hadn't been to the cafe in years, so we went to check it out and found that it had been totally revamped. They do meals, but we have only been for coffee and cakes - though I did resort to the Apple Pie and cream (V V Good) and Hilary thoroughly enjoyed the (not cheap) fruit tart.
[^^ TOP]

Before we move on to Baslow, I am adding a detour to Hassop - well, not actually to Hassop itself, but to the Country Book Store at the old Hassop Station (SK242709). Excellent selection of books (and they sell online), and they have recently opened a small cafe in the store. We sampled it for the first time after a bitterly cold walk along the Monsal Trail (i.e. the old railway that was the reason for the station) - we had Hot Chocolate mainly to thaw out our fingers. Another place to sit and have coffee while you decide whether you can afford all the books you have selected.

Peter (ex boss) tells me that he and Jill often go to the Eyre Arms in Hassop village (SK224724) - not one I have tried, but I am happy to pass on his recommendation. They went on a warm summer evening and it was not too busy. Peter commented that there was a good menu and more on the blackboard - he added that the lamb was for dedicated carnivours, but that there was a good selection for veggies.
[^^ TOP]

And so to Baslow and the Goose Green Tea Rooms (SK259721). Park in the public car park (not free I’m afraid) - the tea rooms are on the corner of the green. I seem to remember a wonderful Lemon Meringue Pie. And to walk it off, you can follow the road to the right of the tea rooms, bear right at the bridge and into Chatsworth Park. (If you go right down to the house and Queen Mary’s Bower, turn right over the bridge, and follow the path over the brow, you come to Edensor - see above).
[^^ TOP]

Heading north out of Baslow (past the church) takes you to Calver. On the main road by the Mill is the Derbyshire Craft Centre (SK245745) - another place to spend money, and another place to eat. The 'Quiche and Salad' is substantial - the cakes are excellent - and the capuchino is fine (try it with cinnamon). If you want to walk it off, park on the road (there’s usually space by the church) and head up the lane to the right of the craft centre - past the farm, parallel to the ‘Goit’, and up to the road at Calver Bridge - cross the river and take the path back on the far side that brings you to the side-road behind the Mill - a pleasant stroll. Our alternative is to park up by the bridge and do the circuit with coffee or lunch half way round.

Off the main road (to the left after the craft centre when coming north from Baslow) and in Calver village is the Derwentwater Arms (SK240747). We used to go there regularly for lunch but have not been since the people running it moved to the Moon Inn at Stoney Middleton (see entry below). So if anyone fancies lunch out, they could try the Derwentwater and let me have their report!

But we do have a new entry in Calver at the cross roads where Outside (see under Hathersage) have opened a new shop ... and a cafe (SK239748). Full Breakfast in a bread cake is on the menu, but we passed on that one - the roast lamb sandwich was good as were the toasties. Its only been open a since Christmas 2001, but is already very popular.
[^^ TOP]

And so to Stoney Middleton - a new entry in the guide since we followed the chef to the Moon Inn (from Calver all of a mile away). Look out for the pub (SK230754) up on the left as you go into the village from Calver crossroads. The quality has not changed since the move from the Derwentwater - but the car park is smaller! The roast is still wonderful - don't be put off when it arrives with a couple of lonely looking roast potatoes - the veg comes is a separate bowl, piping hot and cooked to perfection (i.e. cooked but still with a bit of bite) - what you get depends on what's in season. The Roast Sandwich is also excellent (with chips!).
[^^ TOP]

Heading straight through Stoney Middleton, and taking a right turn after passing through the village brings you to Eyam and Eyam Hall ( SK216765).

Coming from the Stoney Middleton, past Eyam church, the Hall is on your right, but its car park is on a side-road to the left. Another craft centre - not large but some interesting bits - and a cafe. Worth a visit. The hall itself is said to be worth seeing as well.
[^^ TOP]

Heading northeast from Eyam brings you to Grindleford. I have been berated for omitting Grindleford Station Cafe (SK251787) from the original version of the guide. (Sorry Jez! but I did say that it was a 'Random' Guide.) To correct the error I include it now - though I have to confess to having only visited it once. Straightforward and substantial are the words that come to mind - its aimed at walkers and climbers, and it has a dedicated following. And if you want to buy a cafe, I think it is still for sale at about 1 million pounds (GBP) including the spring water bottling plant.
[^^ TOP]

North again through Grindleford to Hathersage (off OS sheet 119 and onto sheet 110).

Parking is dire in the centre of the village, but there is a car park opposite the swimming pool (SK231814). If you do park there are a couple of cafes on the main road (~ SK231815). The Corner Cupboard I can’t comment on having never tried it - then there’s one above a little craft shop - good coffee and scones I remember. And across the road (and with its own parking!!) is ‘Outside’ - a place to spend serious money on outdoor gear - and a cafe upstairs (‘Longlands’ I think) that is a bit wholemeal/vegetarian, and a bit of a ‘hang out’ for the local climbing fraternity. I feel unfit just going up the stairs!

But if you want to spend more serious money in Hathersage (this time on cutlery and the like), visit David Mellor’s workshops and shop on the Grindleford road (SK232809). The circular workshop is a listed building, and the cutlery is pretty good!

Heading back towards Sheffield you will find the Millstone PH (SK241808). Another place for a filled baguette or more. And I seem to remember a good glass of Guiness!
[^^ TOP]

Another detour while we're in Hathersage - above the Millstone, to Longshaw (SK265799). The land belongs to the National Trust, and there are some excellent walks - and in autumn there are some splendid fungi. There are two car parks, one near the Visitor's Centre (SK267801) and one near 'Wooden Pole' (SK267789). We usually park at the latter, and walk down through the park to the pond, then up the Visitor's Centre for coffee and cake (after all, there has to be a reason for all that exercise). Then its back along the edge to the car park.
[^^ TOP]

Head west out of Hathersage along the Hope Valley and it brings you to Bamford and the High Peak Garden Centre (on the right immediately after crossing the river) (SK204826).

Needless to say, there's another tea shop (actually The Bay Tree Coffee Shop, and not actually part of the Garden Centre). Get there mid morning and hope for scones straight out of the oven! (Scone Heaven at just gone eleven!) Failing that, try the scones anyway or resort to the cakes. They also make a decent capuchino.

And if you want to spend some more money, wander through the garden centre to Hitch and Hike - another place to get your pitons and ice axes (and woolly hats). And buy someone you love a plant (even it is only for yourself).

Then head further up the valley to Hope and Castleton.
[^^ TOP]

In Hope there’s the Woodroffe Arms (SK171835) - yet another nice roast! (and there’s the public car park next door, and its free!). Almost opposite is another outdoor gear shop (another branch of Hitch and Hike, and I recall that it too has a cafe at the back. I seem to remember that it is frequented by the mountain bikers (fitter than me!), so watch for muddy bits!

There is also a couple of galleries - you may see some paintings by a friend of ours - Jenny Mather - at Hope Arts and Ceramics on the left. The other - The Hope Gallery - specialises in carvings and sculpture. Both are worth a visit.
[^^ TOP]

Moving on to Castleton, another place with lots of places to eat - but I have had to remove the Cinnamon Bear tea rooms - it has closed - there is now just the gift shop.

While you’re in Castleton (if you can get in the car park) just beyond the bends (into the centre) is a nice second hand book shop. And if you wind your way into the back lanes up behind the youth hostel, there is yet another place selling outdoor gear, and several rather nice little shops - bric-a-brac and glass beads included. And there is a small cafe (SK148828 by the path up to Peak Cavern) that we must try - any reports welcome.

There are several other places to eat in Castleton, but the only other one we have frequented is the Cheshire Cheese PH (on the Hope side of the bends). They used to do excellent pies, but that was few years ago. (They also have their own parking across the road).
[^^ TOP]

One final offering while in this northern part of the Peak - if you want a picturesque ride, head north through Bamford, past Ladybower Dam, turn left as if heading for Glossop, then turn right off the main road immediately after the second bridge over the reservoir. If I havn't lost you, the road brings you to Fairholmes (and at weekends, it stops there) (SK173893). During the week you can drive on up to where the road ends at ‘Kings Tree’. If you are energetic you can walk to Kings Tree and round the dams (about 10 miles in all), or get the bus when it runs from Fairholmes to Kings Tree, and walk the rest (about 5.5 miles).

The kiosk at Fairholmes is not the ‘best’ eating - they do tea and coffee (adequate), sausage rolls and ‘porkies’ (pork and apple pasties - nice but greasy), and cake (filling), but its a lovely place to eat it - and welcome after a walk on a frosty Sunday morning!

That’s all for now - when you have tried all these places, it will be your turn to find some new ones to recommend! Email me and if I have time I will try and include them.
[^^ TOP]