Discover Buxton's little red tram is back on the road after 'tough' lockdown

Coronavirus meant that last year Discover Buxton had to stop all organised tours but trips on the tram, as well as character walking tours are now set to resume.

And with the company now signing deals with national travel agents Saga and Riviera Travel, things are looking up for Discover Buxton.

Netta Christie from Discover Buxton said: “It has been a tough year, it really has but I’m so delighted to say we are back taking bookings again.

"Seeing the little red tram go around Buxton is a symbol of hope that things are returning back to normal, it’s a sign the shops are open again and the tourists are returning.”

Due to the small size of the tram which is only able to take eight people, from April 12 to May 17 only single bubbles will be allowed to ride together. After that it will be two mixed bubbles and from June 21, when all restrictions are due to end, it will be mixed bubbles.

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The walking tours will only be for five people until June when they will increase to 15 and the character walking tours start in May for single bubbles until June.

Netta said: “Last summer we saw a boom of people heading to Buxton which was great but the streets were so full we felt we couldn’t socially distance properly so thought the safest thing to do would be to stop tours.

"The tram took only 30 people all summer because we realised it was the right thing to stop and with some of the key places on our character tours being closed like the Old Hall Hotel we couldn’t carry on but we are excited to get back to doing what we love.”

The tours take residents and tourists through Buxton’s rich history and heritage including the sights of Higher Buxton which Netta says is very important for everyone to remember.

“For some people coming to Buxton they would go to the Pavilion Gardens and Spring Gardens but we have so much more to offer so we do take people to Higher Buxton and show them the wonders and the connections between not just the water but the stone under our feet and the history of the quarries,” she said.

Netta said the concept of a tour bus in Buxton was once considered a bit out of the box and over the years the company has had to think of out of the box solutions.

"One of the big things on our tours was The Crescent but for four years we weren’t able to get the tram down there so we set up a TV in the passenger part so we could tell people about what was happening and what the building used to look like so it’s really nice to have our tram in front of Buxton’s most iconic building once again."

The booking office for Discover Buxton which used to be in the Pavilion Gardens conservatory will be based off the Promenade in the coming months. However for now, all bookings are still online to manage numbers.

For more information or to book a tour visit www.discoverbuxton.co.uk.

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