Accommodation is plentiful, but at the cheaper end of the market it's none too inspiring, many of the cheaper guest houses being located in dreary backstreets away from the centre, though there are several budget options off Market Place along Grange Road and South Avenue. All told, Lakenham Guest House , overlooking Pavilion Gardens at 11 Burlington Rd (tel 01298/79209; no credit cards; A?50-60), is a much better choice, as is the Grosvenor House Hotel , 1 Broad Walk (tel 01298/72439; no credit cards; A?50-60), with eight en-suite guest rooms in an immaculate Victorian house - and again with views over the gardens. The historic associations of the Old Hall Hotel , a good-looking stone structure in The Square, near the Opera House (tel 01298/22841, ; A?90-110), resonate with some - Mary, Queen of Scots stayed here in 1573 - but pride of the old spa was the Palace Hotel on Palace Road (tel 01298/22001; A?50-60). This still sits pretty above the town and many of its bedrooms have lovely views. It is a twenty-minute walk to Sherbrook Lodge A  youth hostel , a Victorian house set in wooded grounds on Harpur Hill Road, at the end of London Road (tel 01298/22287, ; restricted opening Nov to mid-March). The hostel has self-catering facilities and serves up simple evening meals.

For food , Buxton is hardly a gourmet's paradise, but there are one or two more-than-passable cafA©s, beginning with the Wild Carrot , 5 Bridge St (tel 01298/22843), an adventurous (mostly vegetarian) cafA© at the end of Spring Gardens. In addition, the restaurant and wine bar of the Old Hall Hotel are very good, but otherwise you're left with a motley collection of restaurants and a couple of pubs around Market Place. Amongst them, the Firenze Pizzeria Ristorante , 3 Eagle Parade (tel 01298/72203; closed Sun) is about the best of the bunch. The annual Buxton Festival takes place every July, featuring a full programme of classical music, opera and drama, with supporting fringe events, including a film festival; details are available from the Festival Office (tel 01298/70395), in the Opera House, where many events are staged, or from the tourist office.