Good to Know
Inclusivity
Everyone is welcome on our tours, whatever your age, ethnicity, background, ability, faith, gender, sexuality, where you’re from or how much (or how little) history you know.
We tell history honestly. Buxton's story includes wealth and hardship, famous names and forgotten ones. We try to include the people history books often leave out: women, workers, servants and visitors from all over the world.
We're clear about fact and legend. Our stories come from careful research, and when something is folklore rather than fact, we say so.
Neurodivergent guests are very welcome. If it helps to know what to expect, ask us and we'll send the route, the stops and roughly how long each one takes before your tour. You're welcome to step away for a breather, wear ear defenders, fidget, stim or ask questions by email afterwards instead of in the group, with no explanations needed. Some spots, can be busy and noisy, so we're happy to suggest quieter days and times. If you have a special interest let us know, and if it’s a historical special interest, we love you even more.
A warm welcome where you stay too. Our accommodation partner Ashleigh is Travel Proud Certified, so LGBTQ+ guests can expect a genuinely warm welcome from start to finish.
Your own group, your own pace. If you'd feel more comfortable with people you know, we always offer private tours. Bring your family, friends or support group and we'll shape the tour around you.
No silly questions. Ask anything. We love a question we can't answer, because it sends us off on more research.
A friendly group. We ask everyone to treat their fellow guests with kindness and respect. We're showing you round like good friends, and we'd like the group to feel that way too.
We want as many people as possible to enjoy Buxton with us, so here's an honest picture of what our tours involve.
Distance and pace. The Highlights Tour is about 1 hour 15 minutes and the Grand Tour about 1 hour 45 minutes, at a gentle, chatty pace with plenty of stops.
The terrain. Mostly pavements, with some gentle slopes. Buxton is a hill town, though: There are a few steeper slopes in some of our tours, and we will always warn you, take it easy and pause when needed. We may be able to adapt our private tours more.
Sitting down. We stop often and we'll always ask if anyone would like a sit-down. Benches are available at [key stops].
Inside buildings. We think that all of the buildings on the Grand Tour are accessible although we may need to change our route slightly for wheelchairs and other mobility issues. Ask us and we'll check before you book. Your thought, lived experience and feedback is always welcome.
Hearing. We use a small voice amplifier and are happy to stand close or repeat anything. We are also developing written tour pdfs you can scroll on your phone.
Assistance dogs are welcome on every tour.
Carers and personal assistants come free of charge.
Toilets. There are public and accessible toilets near the start, at Pavilion Gardens / Pump Room. See Explore Buxton for the full list.
Just ask. Private tours can be shaped around you: shorter, flatter, with more sit-downs. Tell us what would help and we'll do our best.
Visit Explore Buxton’s Accessibility page for more information.
Accessibility
Community
Buxton is our home, and we want our tours to be good for the town as well as for our guests.
Friends first. We recommend local businesses because we like and trust them, not because they pay us.
Stay, Tour and Explore. We work with our accommodation partner Ashleigh and with Explore Buxton, so you can stay locally, start with a tour and then explore with our recommendations.
Spending locally. Our guest info points you to independent cafés, shops and attractions, and to guest discounts where we can arrange them. Ask us if you want recommendations.
We ask first. We never feature a local business, a person or a home on our tours or social media without their agreement.
Giving back. we volunteer locally, support local heritage groups, offer community tours, and use some of our tours to raise money for local charities.
Sustainability
We're a walking tour company, so we start with a pretty small footprint, and we'd like to keep it that way.
Walking. Our tours are on foot from start to finish. We walk from home to meet our tour guests.
Small groups. These are kinder to busy pavements, neighbours and the buildings we visit.
Getting here. Buxton has a railway station a few minutes' walk from our meeting point, with trains from Manchester. We'll happily suggest public transport options. Explore Buxton has a useful travel and transport page with more information.
Low waste. Digital tickets and guides wherever possible.
Local. We recommend local, independent businesses so that visitor spending stays in Buxton.
Looking after the town. We stay on paths, respect private property and residents, and leave places as we found them.
Privacy
We keep this simple because we keep very little.
Who we are. All About Buxton Tours.
What we collect.
Contact form: your name, email address and message.
Bookings: your name, email, phone number and number of guests, plus anything you tell us about access needs so we can plan your tour. Our booking platform processes payments, and we never see your card details.
Photos: only with your permission (see Booking terms).
Why we use it. Only to answer your enquiry, manage your booking and contact you about your tour (for example, if we need to change it). We don't sell or share your details, and we won't add you to a mailing list unless you ask us to.
Where it's kept. In our email account, on our Squarespace website and on our booking platform, all of which follow UK data protection law.
How long we keep it. Enquiries and booking details are deleted after [12 months], unless we need them longer for our accounts.
Your rights. You can ask to see the information we hold about you, correct it or ask us to delete it. Just email us. If you're unhappy with how we've handled your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk).
Cookies. Our website uses Squarespace's standard cookies so that the site works and we can see basic visitor numbers. You can manage these using the cookie banner.
Booking terms and cancellations
Booking. You can book public tours online using our tour buttons. Private tours are booked by email, and we'll confirm the date, time, price and meeting point in writing.
Prices. One simple price per person, with no tickets to puzzle over: the Highlights Tour is £15 and the Grand Tour is £20. Private tour prices are on each tour page or available on request.
Children under 12 go free with a paying adult.
Carers and personal assistants go free too. Just let us know when you book.
Meeting point. Most tours start and finish at St Ann's Well, next to the Pump Room and opposite the Crescent. Your booking confirmation will tell you if your tour meets somewhere else.
Arriving late. We'll wait about five minutes, then set off. Text on 07969 422592 and we'll tell you where to catch us up.
If you need to cancel.
More than [48 hours] before the tour: full refund, or move to another date.
Less than [48 hours] before: we're sorry, but we can't refund. We're very happy to move you to another date, though, or you can send a friend in your place.
If we need to cancel. We're a two-person set-up, so occasionally illness or very bad weather means we have to cancel. If that happens, we'll contact you as soon as we can and offer a full refund or a new date. Your choice.
Weather. This is Buxton, so we walk in most weathers. Bring a coat and sensible shoes, and we'll bring the stories. We only cancel for weather that would make the walk unsafe, such as ice, snow or high winds.
Dogs. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome on outdoor tours like the Highlights Tour. Tours that go inside buildings, like the Grand Tour, are open to assistance dogs only. Each tour page says which applies.
Photos. We sometimes take a group photo for our social media. We'll always ask first, and it's absolutely fine to say no, or to stand behind the tallest person.
Looking after yourself. Our tours are gentle walks on town streets, but you take part at your own risk, so please let us know about anything that might affect you on the day. We carry a first aid kit and are hoping never to use it.