Adventures around Derbywith PlusBus
Riverside walks, innovative galleries, an ice cream dairy on a working farm, and gardens full of huge, candyfloss-sized hydrangeas... here are just a handful of the many adventures you can have in Derby with a PlusBus ticket. Ask for PlusBus when you buy a train ticket to Derby and you can travel all over the city and beyond all day.
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1. Visit the Museum of Making
Wood, stone, metal, ceramic, organic, glass, textile, and synthetic… the Assemblage at Derby’s new Museum of Making categorises objects according to what they are made of, leaving visitors to plot a unique path through the fascinating labyrinth of objects that celebrates makers past, present and future. The museum is housed in Derby Silk Mill and is dedicated to the area’s creative heritage. Among the world’s first modern factories, Derby Silk Mill is one of the Derwent Valley Mills that are are now a UNESCO heritage site.
- How do I get to the Museum of Making by bus? Step out of the main entrance of Derby railway station onto Railway Terrace and you’ll see bus stop S1 ahead of you. Bus 1A stops here every 20 minutes and takes just five minutes to reach the bus station. Turn right out of the bus station and right again just after the Holiday Inn, then left along the river to the Silk Mill – about eight minutes’ walk.
- Alternatively, if you’ve just arrived in Derby by train, you might like to walk into town along the river. Turn right from the front of the station along Railway Terrace until you reach the Derwent and then left along it – it takes about twenty minutes to reach the Museum of Making this way. You will still find lots of use for your PlusBus ticket later on.
- From a section of Bronze Age log boat, hollowed out of an oak tree more than 3000 years ago, to the original Tomb Raider computer game, developed in 1996, Derby has been making new things for millennia. Contemporary exhibits include Toni Buckby’s interactive, glowing silk-moth cocoons (pictured), hanging in the Throwing Room and channelling the area’s tradition of weaving and textile manufacture.
- Don’t miss the River Kitchen, serving up specialities like Derbyshire oatcakes and hot drinks in cups that have been handmade locally.
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2. Darley Abbey and Park
Britain’s biggest collection of hydrangeas may not be something Derby is famous for, but when these massive flowers are in bloom they are a truly marvellous sight. You can find Hydrangea Derby in Darley Park, a peaceful riverside area with a path along both sides of the River Derwent. Nearby, the historic village-suburb of Darley Abbey has a choice of pubs, some pretty lanes to explore and a frequent bus service.
- How do I get to Darley Abbey by bus? TrentBarton’s cheerful orange buses known collectively as “the sixes” run between Derby bus station and Darley Abbey every 15 minutes. Simply hop off outside the Broadway pub, cross over and stroll a couple of minutes down leafy Darley Park Drive to the park gates. Alternatively, you can walk from the Museum of Making about a mile along the Derwent.
- The hydrangea collection includes hundreds of different varieties in a range of colours. Nearby, there’s a butterfly garden, full of sunflowers, goldenrod and other butterfly-friendly plants in summer. In spring, there are daffodils and tulips and in autumn, the park’s trees produce a lovely display of colour, reflected in the Derwent as it curves through the grassy banks.
- There are several places for refreshments including Darley Park tea rooms, the Papermill Pub or The Broadway, right next to the bus stop.
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3. Stroll over the fields to Bluebells Dairy
Ice cream and sorbet in 25 different flavours, made only with natural ingredients and fresh milk from the farm’s own Friesian cows. It doesn’t get much tastier. And the flavours are enhanced still further by a short walk over the fields from the bus stop. Children will love the cuddly animals and play areas at Bluebells Dairy Farm Park. There are huge floppy-eared rabbits, baby goats, sheep… and cows, of course. In 2023, Bluebells also opened a new Ice Cream Parlour so visitors don’t have to pay for entry to enjoy an ice cream at the end of the walk. You can just sit under an umbrella and sample today’s fresh flavours.
- How do I get to Bluebells by bus? The Ikleston Flyer leaves from Derby Bus Station every 15 minutes and earns its name by whizzing along the A52 from Derby in just seven minutes to the village of Spondon.
- Hop off near Glendale Drive and walk all the way up the road called Moor End. Turn left along Sancfort Road at the top and you’ll soon see a sign saying Footpath No 22, pointing right just before house 100. Follow the path over the fields until you get to a lane and turn right to Bluebells Farm.
- There are regular seasonal activities to keep the kids entertained in the holidays and even seasonal ices that taste of creme egg or Christmas pud! The regular range of flavours suits all tastes from sticky toffee fudge to wild fruit sorbet.
- When you’ve had your fill, wander back across the fields and hop on the Ilkeston Flyer to Derby. Buses 1, 1A and 1C run regularly from the bus station back to the railway station. If you’ve got any time before your train, there are several pubs nearby serving local ales.
- For more things to do in the Derby area, see our car-free guide.
