Buxton
23 June 2018
10am to 11.30pm
We are celebrating 50 years of Folk Camps with a Big Birthday Party bringing together all the activities and people that make Folk Camps great at this spectacular venue in the Peak District.
Our venue is the newly renovated Victorian pavilion and surrounding park in the centre of Buxton. Indoor activities will be in The Octagon with outdoor activities in the park and bandstand.
Heading up our non-stop program is the Evening Ceilidh introducing the exciting new Folk Camps Party Band led by Jenny Newman, Andy Glass and Chris Jewell. The second half of the evening offers you the opportunity to Join the Ceilidh Band led by Peter & Moira Gutteridge. Paul Weir will be our Master of Ceremonies for the evening.
During the day we have Join the Band led by Richard Jones, a Song Circle led by Sue van Gaalen and workshops for Playford led by Mic Spenceley, Singing led by James Hobro, Ukelele led by Mick Davies, Rapper led by Dan Mason, Morris and Craft.
For children and outdoor types we have an organised program to include a Bear Hunt, Tug-of-War, Maypole, Parachute, Lemon Jousting, Welly Wanging and Boomwackers.
All are welcome to sign up to Show the World what we are about with performances in the bandstand in the park organised by Will Riding.
A two course dinner is provided at 6pm as well as Birthday Cake & Cocoa during the evening ceilidh. There will also be free tea, coffee and squash all day until dinner. Other drinks can be purchased at the bar. Just bring your own picnic for the al fresco lunch in the park (or pavilion if wet).
Tickets for the day cost just £35 for an adult, £20 for a child and £100 for a family. There is also a ceilidh-only option. Full details on Eventbrite.
The Octagon, Buxton
The Octagon is part of the Victorian pavilion complex set in a beautiful park in the centre of Buxton. The park has several children’s play areas, a little train, lawns, a lake and river.
Buxton is at the heart of the Peak District midway between Manchester and Sheffield.
Pavilion Gardens Bandstand
We will be using this beautiful Victorian bandstand for our outdoor performances. It is set in the Pavilion Gardens that surround The Octagon.
Parking
There is parking at the venue in the Pavilion Gardens Car Park with height clearance of 2.3 metres. A little further away is the Market Place Car Park also with a clearance of 2.3 metres. Please note that parts of these car parks are closed in the evening so care is needed if you are leaving after the ceilidh.
Planning your trip
If you are planning to stay over then here are some of the accommodation options.
Hotel in Buxton
We have reserved some rooms at the Palace Hotel for 2 nights from the 22nd June: 20 twins, 20 doubles and 10 double rooms for sole occupancy on bed and breakfast option.
£60.00 per person per night – 2 sharing, £110.00 per night – double rooms for sole occupancy.
Guests to call 0161 923 0300 and quote reference FCBX2206 to book their own rooms. They will be asked to provide card details to guarantee their room and then payment will be on arrival.
“Folk camp guests could be seated together at breakfast in the conservatory, and that it would be acceptable for us to use, not exclusively, the side lounge near the small bar on the left side of the building. Singing and playing instruments would be acceptable with the hotel management. This would be like a spontaneous acoustic folk music session. Of course we would be considerate of other guests at all times.“
Camp Sites & Bunkhouses
This is the closest campsite, just over 1.5 miles from the Pavilion so can be reached on foot and is relatively cheap (about £4.00) to get to by taxi if going there after the ceilidh.
It is a large, campsite with lots of different options, including static holiday homes which can be rented, tent camping and caravan/motorhome pitches. It’s worth checking out in order to be close to the town but be aware that the tent camping fields are not close to the toilet and shower block by reception and are quite a walk uphill so wouldn’t be suitable for everybody.
There is a 25% non-refundable deposit on booking and the full price has to be paid 10 weeks prior to the date and is non-refundable, two nights is the minimum booking. They book up very quickly being so close to the town.
Example Prices 2017 rates:
Minimum two nights stay at weekends
Car and tent for two people £21.00.
Motorhome for two people with hookup £28.00
Staden Grange Guest House and Campsite
This place is only a couple of miles from Buxton and would be great for those who want to camp or those who want the comfort of the guest house. The approach to it is off-putting, through an industrial estate and then up a rutted unmade up road, but if you don’t let that put you off it’s definitely worth considering and I preferred it to the more commercial campsite listed above. However, some of the reviews of the campsite are not good so do read them before deciding – they are mainly critical of the small size of the toilet and shower block and the fact that you have to pay for the showers which are not very hot.
It would be accessible by taxi from the town, or by a hired bus if there were a lot of people staying.
The camp site is all grass (no hard pitches) and there is hook-up for those that want it. The toilet and shower block is good, though small (4 toilets, 4 showers) and there is small covered washing up area. There are also two ‘glamping’ tents which weren’t looked in to but which have good reviews. To one end, through the little wooded area, there is a large fire pit with log seating around – a great place for talking and singing if the weather is good.
The guest house has rooms all around the courtyard which are large and pleasant and all individually done, including one family room and one self-catering room. The lounge area has a small bar but unfortunately campers can’t use the guest house facilities because there isn’t the space.
In total this place could accommodate 90 people (30 in the guest house and 60 campers) and being so close to the town is easily reachable by taxi for people who don’t want to drive back after the ceilidh. Alistair who runs it, says they will start booking up quickly after Christmas.
Example Prices 2017 rates:
Standard pitch (Caravan/Campervan/Tent) for two people: £14.00
Extra Large pitch (7m or longer): £18.00
Electric Hook-up: £5.00
Dog £3.00 (?!)
This is a lovely campsite, 5.7 miles from Buxton, nicely laid out, clean and friendly. The shower and toilet block, washing up and laundry facilities are all first rate – the only thing to be aware of is that they are accessed via a very short but quite steep path which wouldn’t be suitable for anyone who would struggle going up the path.
They don’t take group bookings, specifically because they don’t want large groups taking over the majority of the campsite and making it uncomfortable for others, so the maximum group that they will book together is 3 units (e.g. three tents, three campervans etc), but they’d be fine with lots of us all booking separately or in small groups.
It is further out of Buxton than the two listed above and so travelling back on the Saturday evening by taxi could be expensive and would need to be pre-booked. However, it is a very nice campsite and with sufficient people staying there it might be worth looking into bus hire for the group.
Example Prices 2017 rates:
Minimum two nights stay at weekends
Car and tent for two people this year is £18.00.
Motorhome for two people with hook-up is £25.00
The Royal Oak Bunk Barn and Campsite
The Royal Oak is a lovely pub 7.5 miles out of Buxton, with a campsite and a bunkhouse. The bunkhouse takes up to 34 people but doesn’t have to be booked as a single group because there are several rooms of various sizes. The rooms are basic, just bunk-beds, but they do provide duvets so you don’t have to bring sleeping bags. There is a very small kitchen area for limited food preparation but no communal area. The toilet and showers are shared with the campsite so are downstairs and accessed from the outside.
The campsite is grassed with no electric hook-up. If there was enough interest they would be happy to reserve the whole of the bunkhouse and one camping field for us.
Example Prices 2017 rates:
Bunkhouse £17.00 per person
Campsite is £20, £28 or £35 depending on size. (£35 which sounds ridiculously expensive, includes a private bench, table and a firepit).
This is 6.2 miles out of Buxton, on a narrow road with steep gradients and not near any facilities. It’s very much ‘no frills’ and is generally used as a base for walking groups but definitely worth considering if you just want a base where you can share sleeping accommodation and a communal area for talking/singing.
It can only be booked as a group because the open plan bunk rooms up the spiral stair from the hall have no privacy, just 14 beds in the one large room (and some recently built, high level beds without much headroom but great for children) and another smaller room with 6 small (short) bunk beds. Charlie who runs it say that generally he accepts 6 people in the larger room as a group, so it isn’t necessary to fill the whole room, you could pay for 6 people in order to secure it and then invite others to join you.
There are no cooking facilities, just a small ‘kitchen’ with a kettle and mugs, tea, coffee etc but cooked breakfast is included in the price, or full board includes a packed lunch and evening meal as well. Pillows and sheets are provided but you need to provide your own sleeping bags.
The current cost for B&B is £25 per person.
Other places (not checked out)
Shallow Grange Farm – the entrance to the camp was via a barrier so facilities not checked. Some good and bad reviews, mainly reference to noise as its close to two roads, and to it being exposed so not good when its windy.
Clover Fields Touring Park – adult only gated site, so no good for the family groups. Some great reviews, others reference the noise from the railway line running close by.
Buxton Caravan and Motorhome Club – it’s in a lovely location but unfortunately closing down for refurbishment and unlikely to open again before July.
Bushey Heath Farm Bunkhouse – sounded lovely, but they are in the process of selling the farm so all is uncertain at the moment as to whether it will even be open next year.
If anyone hears of one they would like checked out, let us know on info@folkcamps.co.uk . Jane Rawlins has checked out the above and is happy to do another visit.