The Recreation Ground lies on the eastern bank of the River Wye immediately below Bakewell town centre, and for a piece of municipal grass it does a remarkable amount of work. It is the town’s park, its playground, its car park, its riverside walk, the start of the path to Haddon Hall, and — for one week each August — the site of one of the oldest agricultural shows in England.
Most visitors to Bakewell end up crossing it without registering that it has a name.
The riverside. The Wye runs along the western edge, wide and slow, with the weir upstream, the medieval bridge — thirteenth-century, five arches, and one of the oldest bridges in England still carrying traffic — and a footbridge across to the town. There are ducks in industrial quantities, and feeding them is a Bakewell tradition of long standing.
The playground, which is substantial and well maintained, with equipment for a range of ages.
Open grass for picnics, football and sitting about, with mature trees along the river.
Toilets and a picnic area.
The path to Haddon Hall leaves from the southern end, following the Wye three kilometres to the house — the best short walk from Bakewell and much the nicest way to arrive at Haddon.
For most of the year the ground is a park. In early August it becomes the Bakewell Show, which has run since 1819 and is one of the oldest agricultural shows in the country — livestock, horses, showjumping, food halls, machinery and a very large crowd.
It fills the town completely. If you are visiting that week, expect the Recreation Ground to be inaccessible and the parking to be worse than usual; if agricultural shows interest you at all, it is one of the good ones.
The Recreation Ground holds Bakewell’s largest car park, and it is the practical reason many visitors come here first.
Two things to know. It fills — on summer weekends, on bank holidays and above all on Monday, which is market day, when the town is at its busiest. And the alternative, the old station car park on the Monsal Trail, is a ten-minute walk uphill but is more likely to have space.
Arriving before ten, or arriving by bus, avoids the whole problem. Frequent services run from Sheffield, Chesterfield, Derby, Matlock and Buxton and stop around The Square.
The Recreation Ground is the best place to stand and understand Bakewell. Across the river is the town rising to the church; upstream is the weir; downstream the Wye runs on towards Haddon. The Agricultural Business Centre — the working livestock market, one of the largest in the region — is immediately behind, and on market day the sound of it carries.
That combination of a tourist town, a working livestock market and a river with ducks on it is Bakewell in miniature.
Free to use, at all times. Only the car park is charged.
Accessible: level throughout, with surfaced paths along the river.
Facilities: toilets, playground, picnic area, and the town two minutes away.
Dogs are welcome; the river bank is popular with dog walkers.
On foot: two minutes from the market square across the bridge.
By bus: the stops around The Square are five minutes away.
By car: the Recreation Ground car park is signposted from the A6 through the town.
Yes. Only the car park is charged.
Yes, a substantial one, along with open grass, a picnic area and toilets.
Early August. It has run since 1819 and it fills the town — plan around it either way.
Yes — the riverside path leaves from the southern end and reaches Haddon in about forty minutes.
Yes, particularly on Monday market day and summer weekends. The old station car park on the Monsal Trail is the usual overflow, or come by bus.