Questions about Peak District

I think it's sad when you get the response

I know the answer from people on this site (serious travelers) is "oh you need a week or a month",

rather than people working within your time frame. Yes longer is nice, but if that is the time you have, so be it.

It would be useful to know where your accommodation is (Manchester/Stoke/Sheffield or in the Peak District itself) before being able to comment in detail. All these places are quite easy to reach by transit, it's a case of putting a route together from place A to B, or more likely A to A.
It is very useful that Lyme Park is on the 199 bus route which is the Manchester Airport to Buxton route- connecting at Buxton into the important Trans Peak route. If in Manchester Lyme Park would make more sense than Chatsworth. for instance, if on the other side of the PD it's the opposite way round.

I really like Lincoln and think it's a shame that it tends to get rather sidelined on here in favour of York. To me both cities are worthy of time, and it's nice that someone is asking about Lincoln.

What I’d doable in a day trip does depend on your starting point. Of your list the one I would prioritise would be Chatsworth, the outstanding stately home in the UK in my view. You could tag on somewhere like Stanage Edge to the day but couldn’t fit in either of your other two choices.
A hire car for the day would make any plan a lot easier wherever your starting point is.

"Does anyone recommend a visit to Lincoln? "

Yes I do, I lived there for nearly 30 years - its big advantage is it has not become Harry Potterised like York has over the last couple of decades. One has centuries of history of the Cathedral Quarter and the Magna Carta Expierance and the newly refurbished Castle where it is possible walk an entire circumference of castle walls, the Victorian prison and Musuem of Lincolnshire Life - when in the catherdral don't forget a 20p to illuminate the Imp. In addition loads of great traditional pubs like the Strugglers right underneath the castle wall, which is routinely voted one of the best real ale pubs in the country, the Wig and Mitre and Magna Carta.

Down hill you have got the only remaining timber frame Tudor high bridge/glory hole which is now occupied by Stoke's Coffee, its possible to smell the freshly ground coffee from 50/60 metres away. Which leads across to the Brayford Pool which is the modern side of lincoln with its cafe society and bars and modern pubs bars and resturants (one guide book described it as the UK's Melbourne). There are still olde worlde pubs and eateries down hill, like the Witch and the Wardrobe and the Royal William IV right by the waterside. The otherside of the city on Canwick Hill is the international Bomber Command Memorial (which is worth a hour of anybodies time} with its spire which dominates the Lincoln skyline to the south as the Cathedral does to the north.

Less than 2 hours direct from kings X on an LNER Azuma.

Oh! BtW there is a very Dickensian cobbled street called Steep Hill which links historic Lincoln to modern Lincoln, word to the wise it is called Steep Hill for a reason.

I have not been to the Peaks District but Lincoln is a great place to visit, one of my favorite stops. I much prefer it to York.

Chatsworth should be at the top of your list . I visited a few years ago and will actually be back in The Peak this coming Autumn for a week ( there is much more I want to see } I would absolutely skip the Emma Bridgewater site . It's seems to be a recent incarnation of a ceramics factory , not having anything to do with the historical background of Stoke . Back in the nineteenth century the area was known for producing fine porcelain ( the English version , which is called Bone China ) Some of the old bottle kilns remain , but production ceased long ago . Down thread , I've posted a link to a recent piece from The NY Times which provides some information on Lincoln - https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/jewish-history-in-york-and-lincoln In preparation for a visit to Chatsworth watch this fine one hour documentary , it will greatly enhance your visit - https://youtu.be/lF9qKPDg9sA

Thanks, Steven

I'll check out those links.

To clarify about the Emma Bridgewater factory -- I know it's not a historical site. I want to go because I'm an avid collector of their product and I'd like to see them making my treasures, and also they have a shop with the best deals. So it's a personal visit, not a touristy thing.

Great info! Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions.

I guess my biggest challenge right now is figuring out where to sleep. Then I can know better what to tackle during the day.

Lincoln is looking better and better . . . .

Nickelini , I understand , there are places like that for me as well . While you are in Stoke , if you have a chance , this manufacturer is still producing art pottery , and the designs are unique . They make extensive use of a technique called " tubelining " They are in Burslem , one of the constituent areas of Stoke . Take a look - https://www.moorcroft.com/

Steven -

Oooohhhhh, those are gorgeous. I want them all.

Emma Bridgewater Factory is 4 minutes walk from Hanley Bus Station. That is an 8 minute ride from Stoke on Trent Railway Station, which has direct trains from London Euston, Manchester and Derby among other places.
This is the overall website for buses in the Peak District-https://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/visiting/planning-your-visit/publictransport/peak-district-bus-routes.
This is details of the Derbyshire Wayfarer Ticket, which is what most people use to get around the County-
https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/transport-roads/public-transport/fares-tickets-passes/rover-tickets/derbyshire-wayfarer/the-derbyshire-wayfarer-day-rover-ticket.aspx
This is the Chatsworth page which details how to get there by transit, note that you save £5 off admission if you arrive there-
https://www.chatsworth.org/visit-chatsworth/visitor-information/how-to-get-here/
Note also that Service 58 from Buxton stops there on a Sunday only. This connects with the 199 from Manchester Airport and Lyme Park.
Otherwise it is buses from Chesterfield and Bakewell- Bakewell is quite a good base, and is accessed from Manchester Airport by the 199 to Buxton, then the Trans Peak. Trans Peak runs across the district to Derby.

Note that, contrary to what is on that page National Express are not currently serving Bakewell.

Stanage Edge was served on a Sunday only by Bus 284 from Hathersage (which has a railway station) and Sheffield. That seems to have stopped- it now seems to be the 272- but more checking would be needed on that.
Although it may not be obvious The Roaches is served from Hanley by Bus 16 (so there is your progress from Emma Bridgewater)-
http://www.dgbus.co.uk/assets/16%2c16a_2022-09-25.pdf

I think it's sad when you get the response

I know the answer from people on this site (serious travelers) is "oh you need a week or a month",

rather than people working within your time frame. Yes longer is nice, but if that is the time you have, so be it.

isn31c, thank you, thank you. A thousand times, thank you. I found it very frustrating when I first began asking questions about our trip.

Maryellen ,Your point about keeping within a time frame is well taken . For many peoplie , with a limited ability to get away , trying to make every day count is a necessity . There is another way to interpret " You need a week or a month " . For visitors who have been able to travel with more disposable time , and have often made repeat visits to various places , they find that they are able to experience more depth , the longer that they stay in a particular place . I think it would be fair to say that many use this phrase euphemistically , rather than literally . In other words , " There is so much there ( fill in the place ) that more time would be better " Also , one other issue that I find with ( especially ) novice travelers , is that they overestimate what is practical in a limited time frame , and by cramming too much in , they may "see " more rather than " looking " carefully . Often , as well , the tendency to overlook practicality of travel time between locations , will find them spending more time on various modes of transportation , rather than enjoying what a given place has to offer . Or , as the cliché goes - " Sometimes , less is more "

Steven, you are correct. Many really do mean it the way you describe. But I did have quite a few times when it came down to 'if you can only go for one night why go at all?' attitude when discussing an area or town, or strongly urging me to go for 3 weeks not 2 (um, sure, let me put you in touch with my employer so you can negotiate an extra week of paid vacation for me!).

For me, we could have had 2 days in Edinburgh before heading to London if we had skipped the Lake District. My family couldn't believe I was thinking maybe I should listen to that advice, when I really wanted to see the Lake District. It came down to deciding if this ends up being my only trip to the UK, I'd rather have one day/night in the Lake District than never to have seen it at all. Yes, multiple days would be lovely, and if I am lucky I will return. But to just skip seeing something I really want to see, just because it's so much better to spend a few days? That makes no sense. And after a time it feels like a big disconnect between those fortunate enough to travel a lot and those who have to save and wait for a very long time.

Still, I have received so much helpful advice here that I am really appreciative of this forum.

I really hope that the weather gods smile on Mary Ellen on her day here in the Lake District, and that we don't have a day of liquid sunshine. I would love her to see the area at its best.

Well , maryellen , if you have a bit of time since you are going to The Lake District , watch this fillm , set there ,about " Peter Rabbit " Its pure fluff , very funny and technically stunning , combining computer animation and live shooting . Here is a link to the full movie , but to really appreciate the beautiful work that was done on this film , get your hands on the DVD ( preferably Blu-Ray )https://youtu.be/t_xtnx0JkGI

I really hope that the weather gods smile on Mary Ellen on her day here in the Lake District, and that we don't have a day of liquid sunshine. I would love her to see the area at its best.

I hope so too, but I'm from Seattle, so rain won't bother me at all. I'm so excited to see the area.

Talking about doing a brief visit to somewhere-

This is Steve Marsh, who we know better on this forum for his Scottish videos, with one day in Seattle- he flew in from London one day, Seattle next day, then back to England the following day-seemingly to try out Virgin Upper Class one way, and Premium Economy on the way back!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXSBthnwv2M&list=PLt6QA_mcHRZW_R6KM2RHsfAfFEgxa9G1u&index=43

I found that video about the Scottish guy's late autumn day in Seattle extremely interesting. I like Seattle. Used to go there often when I was in elementary school -- family trips from Vancouver but even a school field trip where we went up the Space Needle. Then I didn't go between the ages of 11 and 40, until my husband had a smattering of business trips there (including a week staying on the 34 floor of a Westin right downtown) . . . Yada yada, I'm happy that I've been to Seattle so many times, and I'm glad my kids know Seattle. I always enjoyed it, and think it's a great city. But I haven't been now in probably 8 years, and this video reminds me that I'm good to not go back. (Likely, I will go back for some reason, and it will be lovely. I just want to focus my travel on Europe and enjoy Seattle as good memories). Also, I find Pikes Place Market depressing.

Well that's a digression from the original topic (I'm the OP so I can say I'm actually rather delighted on the general travel conversation that has evolved here that is way off topic)

OP again here, and the one who made the comment about people at RS's generally saying "You need a week! you need a month!" . I have to say I've really enjoyed the conversation that came out of my flippant comment and I agree with everything. What fun at this group of travelers.

I'm off in 10 days for my 10th trip to Europe, and both my children (born after my first trip), are living there right now (not influenced by their parents at all). Interesting conversation for sure, and I think I see both sides. I sigh when I see people who post "Never been to Europe, not sure when I'll ever get back, can I do 955 things in X country in 4 days?" type posts, which are clearly ridiculous, but I understand "I've always dreamed of going to XX and I only can only manage one day there." My quip came from reading the boards where I hang out most -- Italy and Switzerland -- and I see the same comment again and again.

On the Italy board, people come in with their Rome-Venice-Florence+ itinerary. And inevitably, people pile in with "OMG you can't reduce Rome to a week! You need a lifetime!" comments, Well, my husband is Italian, and I've done a lot of Italy, and Rome is way down on my priority list. We've been twice, and only for 2-3 days. But then I'm ready to leave. Now, my husband says that we were on a budget for those trips and he thinks we'd like Rome better if we were spending big $$. Sure. But I actually took a university course on Rome and it's importance to culture, and I walked away thinking "meh". It just doesn't interest me, compared to other places in Italy and Europe. I have a similar thing with the Switzerland board and the tourist push for the Bernese Oberland. I've always lived in mountains, that's not what I go to Europe to see. I'm more interested in Swiss culture than look at pretty scenery, But most people haven't lived in mountains, so being in the Alps is amazing to them. We all have our priorities, but most of us have limited time and limited $$. I think here, we're all trying to do our best.

Am I rambling? I think I might be. I did enjoy the conversation, so thank you to everyone who contributed. And also thanks to everyone who gave me travel tips, All noted, :-)

By the way to get to Stanage Edge, I've done some more checking and it is bus 257 which you want-
https://derbysbus.info/times/timetables/hul25745-sheffield-bakewell.pdf

We went to Chatsworth at the end of last December on about the only glorious day, weather wise, while we were in the area. I don't know if it was just because of the busy Christmas period or not but pre-booked tickets were required, which my group fortunately had. Many vehicles were turned away at the entrance.

We also went to Lincoln by train, from just outside Leicester. I wouldn't say it comapres to York as a great destination but is worth it for the old section up the hill: characterful streets, the cathedral and castle. There's a great little pub on the far side of castle.

isn31c & Gundersen

Thank you very much! Both helpful pieces of information :-)

"There's a great little pub on the far side of castle. "

The Strugglers, routinely voted one of the best real ale pubs in the country - in reality it is one of a number of great boozers in Lincoln both up hill and down. The problem with York it has become Disnefied, Lincoln has remained authentic. Also, the Cathedral is far more imposing sat on top the hill.

Fair points, Spam. I haven't been to York in an age but if it now has roller coasters and speedy water slides then I might have to consider a return.

I can only dream of real ale.

" but if it now has roller coasters and speedy water slides then I might have to consider a return."

If one wants a Harry Potter t-shirt, York is your place. Jorvik is pretty mutch the epitome of kitsch.