Arriving in Buxton can fill the visitor with a great sense of joy. It is served by some of the most treacherous roads in the UK and making it in corporeal form can be a relief. Buxton is surrounded by the Peak District. This is one of many areas of England built by ITV purposely for Sunday evening television. Many a rambler has expressed disappointment after setting off from their parked car up the nearest hill to find themselves looking down the back of a film set.

Buxton is a spa town, which means that Romans discovered water coming out of the ground and decided to build a bath around it. Like Bath, another Spa town, Buxton has a lot of classic Georgian architecture, boasting its very own Crescent. In fact, Buxton is like a smaller version of Bath. Yes, Buxton is a sink. Romans didn’t so much come here to bathe in the natural spring waters as to wash their hands and face.

Although a small town of around 20 000 people Buxton has its own opera house. It was built in 1903 in the picturesque setting of the Pavilion Gardens, whose conservatory glass is constantly in need of replacement due to visiting sopranos. The best view of the gardens and the rest of the town can be found at Solomon’s Folly, a tower built for no apparent purpose by Solomon Mycock, except as something to lean against while enjoying the view. The large erect structure was going to be titled after Solomon’s surname, but he thought it would seem immodest.

Other places to see while you are in the area are Bakewell, where you can ask for one of their famous tarts and be told that it’s really Bakewell Pudding you ignoramous, and Jodrell Bank Science Centre, where you can listen to distant objects on the Lovell Radio Telescope. Jupiter sounds stunning this time of year.