Who's Calling?... Buxton Spa, England!

Buxton, an endearing town located in the Peak District, Derbyshire waited for our student arrival. Beckoned to this Spa town for educational purposes, I wanted to enjoy my entire day in Buxton town to the fullest. Now the word 'Spa' springs to mind and also the popular brand of 'Mineral Water'. Our final outing brought 'Destination Management' altogether! Cream tea? OK!

I'm a city boy at heart and shall forever be so it definitely made a change to see Derbyshire's Peak District. Making the two hour journey from Birmingham City Centre proved to be a challenge for the M6 motorway couldn't take us directly to Buxton. Stoke-On-Trent passed us by signifying the beginning of the country lanes that provided us with a series of twists and turns, but the views of the country lanes and hills were worth the negatives. My day in Buxton was part of my 'Destination Management' audit of a chosen destination, in our case Buxton had been chosen for us to critically analyse, so the intent for our visit had to be strictly educational! My January visit to Manchester was branded an 'Observation Educational' visit so I rest my case before sounding too much like a hypocrite. I foresaw that a good day would be enjoyed by all no matter how much or how little people decided to take from the day. With our final assignments in my, it actually a nice day out even if we didn't really want to be there. Buxton looked fancy, B!

With the obvious theme of 'Spa' reference in the title of Buxton's name, I reflected on my time spent in Bath. Being a Roman Spa town, being in Buxton Spa definitely bridged that connection. Britain is known for having a series of prominent and successful Spa Towns, suiting our project down to the ground. I did wonder whether Buxton would live up to their marketing slogan as 'England's Leading Spa Town'. I wouldn't be alone in wanting to challenge that bold statement, but I shall leave that analysis for later on. I knew Buxton had to be looked at differently because comparisons can sometimes prove be stark with some Spa towns, some just have it and others unfortunately do not. I think a rethink of the tourism marketing strategy needs to be reevaluated and then some! With the journey progressing we reached a point when we had truly left the city and the M6 motorway was far behind us, we had entered the striking hills that proved a heavy contrast from Birmingham. Buxton looked quiet! We didn't have a lot of time, just four hours! 

Buxton's Pavilion Gardens greeted us pleasantly, that March afternoon provided us with a day free from rain! I liked what Buxton was serving, it was time to disperse from the other students to see Buxton a little bit closer. Making a pit-stop for the obligatory tourist maps and other Derbyshire based tourist literature to hopefully enhance our afternoon in Buxton. I must say that the air and environment exuded a quality that no big city could ever offer because the fresh air definitely detoxed our lungs! Sorry, my dear Birmingham! The pubs didn't open until dinnertime, so I decided to wait for my cream tea and scones later on. Life has a habit of throwing things at us, we just have to deal with them and get on with it! Little did we know that Buxton stood as a university town, there was a campus that was part of the 'University of Derby', so that was interesting to see that a town so inviting could be home to hundreds of students! As tranquil as Buxton Spa presented itself to us, deep down we wanted the city back! Yes, so quiet! 

Taking our pursuit further to find a slice of quintessential Buxton, we made our way up the hill to Higher Buxton to find a more inviting sphere of shops, bakeries and other ordinary amenities that impressed me much! Being independent students, we decided to ask some questions about Buxton to people from the Town Hall and Museum. Both of those institutions gave uninformed answers and gave off an feeling that our questions were more of a hindrance to their already quiet environment! I'm mild mannered most of the time but don't disrespect us like we're children, please? No! Please don't make me think of my assignment, just don't! I saw a bus wait at the stop that was bound for Manchester Airport, now the realisation had hit that we were not in a familiar setting but that wouldn't excuse the less than positive vibe we had been given from the people we had sought information from. Buxton, you certainly served picture postcard views but your tone really didn't impress us city people! Why had UCB chosen Buxton? Tell me, why? 

We all love to compare places against each other, sure Bath and Cheltenham popped into my mind. Buxton Spa did lack in Spa amenities during our visit, clocking a certain development had us interested to know more? A £35 million regeneration plan had been unleashed to make way for Buxton's Crescent Hotel and Spa. Upon first impressions, it was evident to see the development would be the new-life Buxton needed to bring something extra to their Derbyshire town. Me and my classmates found a fountain opposite from the construction site that had a continuous flow of fresh mineral water. We got speaking to a passerby who was stood filling numerous containers of the natural water from the roadside fountain. This gentlemen kindly engaged in conversation with us and proved to be a wealth of knowledge about the Hotel and Spa project, he had a much better tone and demeanour compared to the other three people we previously spoken to. We finally found a spa in Buxton! Sort that marketing strategy Buxton, S!

With that new information, it was interesting to see that a formerly constructed building from the 17th century was being given a second chance. For Buxton Spa, we saw our assignments write themselves, that real-time data found us wanting to know more about that project!  I wanted an explanation as to why this piece of history was ever allowed to decay in the first place!? With the new plans surfacing, it was clear to see that Buxton's restoration project had received funding from the National Lottery and English Heritage. Certainly, I hope that with such backing the development can be completed on time for 2016. The Pump Rooms will be restored back their former glory so Buxton can showcase another key feature that reaffirms it truly could be 'England's Leading Spa Town'. Time will only tell us if the project will be finished on time, I hope something good happens for Buxton. I must remember to pack my swimwear next time I visit your Spa town! Work it Buxton, bring it big because you need to! Get to work! 

To conclude our day in Buxton we found 'The Square Tea Rooms', it was a lovely tea room that served us a delightful serving of Derbyshire hospitality. Located at No.6 on The Square, I highly recommend a spot of tea and sympathy should be enjoyed at The Square Tea Rooms. All four of us opted for the Derbyshire Cream Tea, consisting of a pot of tea with either a sultana or cherry scone, each serving was accompanied with strawberry jam and clotted cream. I chose the sultana scone to accompany my cup of tea because that's just what I wanted! I really enjoyed my quintessentially English lunch because it was nice to do something different away from our student routine. My classmates enjoyed their tea and scones as well, I guess that's a good thing because it was nice to spend time away from Birmingham in a different setting to enjoy some chat! That addition to our day was bright because the rain clouds did their best to breakthrough. Babbling on, we sipped our cream tea and gossiped! That tea and scone moment tasted sweet! 

Buxton might be a small Spa town located within the Peak District in Derbyshire but it surely showed a certain hidden depth. From the darling Pavilion Gardens to the calmer streets of Higher Buxton, in the end we agreed in our group that Buxton had been a nice break from the maddening pace of the city! I admit that I wasn't impressed by the tone of the local representatives in Buxton but the gentlemen who we spoke to about the Buxton Crescent Spa Hotel ensured a positive lasting memory would be taken away from our encounters in Buxton. Considering our purpose to visit Buxton remained ever 'educational', I believe that we had a well rounded experience that gave us the chance to compile such information needed for our audits. Absolutely, I already want to have another Derbyshire Cream Tea! I'm going to need an intervention to get this Destination Audit done! Knowing me I'll leave it the day before I go to Germany! Here's to one of our final UCB assignments, Bux came through for us! Over and out! 

Derbyshire Cream Tea & Sympathy!

Desperately Seeking Adventure