The Christmas bus to Chatsworth

From Derby, Belper, Matlock and Bakewell. Tuesday to Saturday until 12 December.

Plan my dayFull timetable

Next X6

Tuesday 10 November

  1. Leaves DerbyBus Station, Bay 2409.30
  2. Arrives Chatsworth3h 20m at the market11.00
  3. Leaves ChatsworthBack in Derby 15.5014.20
Times from my stopRunning days →

Plan my day

Your stop. Your day out.

Pick where you get on and when you're going. We'll show when to be at the stop, when you're home, and what it costs for everyone.

2 · Where are you getting on?
3 · Who's going?
Adults19 and over
2
Children5 to 18
0
Your day out

Tuesday, 10 November 2026

From Derby Bus Station (Bay 24) · 1h 30m to Chatsworth · 3h 20m at the market

  1. 09.30Get on at Derby Bus Station (Bay 24)Be there 5 minutes early. Derby station is a 15 min walk.
  2. 11.00Arrive at Chatsworth HouseMarket, house and garden. Book Chatsworth tickets in advance.
  3. 14.20Bus leaves ChatsworthAllow a few minutes to get back to the stop.
  4. 15.50Back at Derby Bus Station (Bay 24)Same stop you got on at.
Return fares · total, paid to the driver£20.00Adult × 2 at £10.00 · Child × 0 at £8.00
Directions to the stop

Pay the driver on board by contactless or cash. No need to book the bus. Concessionary bus passes can't be used on this seasonal service, so everyone pays the same fare.

Route map

The whole route on one page

Every road the X6 takes, from Derby Bus Station up the Derwent valley to Chatsworth House, with the timed stops numbered. Save it to your phone or print it out.

PDF Image
X6 route map: Derby Bus Station, Allestree, Duffield, Milford, Belper, Ambergate, Matlock Bath, Matlock, Darley Dale, Rowsley, Bakewell and Pilsley to Chatsworth House
Tap a stop to zoom in

Times out / back. The X6 also stops at every bus stop on the way, and runs the same roads home.

Interactive map & stops

Chatsworth in winter

Where the X6 takes you

The rock garden at Chatsworth lit blue and green on the Christmas light trail
The garden light trail
Willow reindeer on a stall at the Chatsworth Christmas Market
Stalls on Lodge Hill
Two fallow deer under autumn trees in Chatsworth park
Fallow deer in the park

Photos: Chatsworth House Trust

Fares

Return to Chatsworth

There and back on the same day. Child fares are for ages 5 to 18. Singles are available too.

All fares & calculator
Return fromAdultChild
Derby£10.00£8.00
Belper£9.00£6.00
Matlock£6.70£4.50
Bakewell£4.80£3.20

A quick note on passes: the X6 is a special seasonal service, so we're not able to take concessionary bus passes or Wayfarer, b-line and Spectrum tickets on board. Everyone pays the same simple fare to the driver.

Christmas at Chatsworth 2026

The 12 Days of Christmas

100+ market stalls on Lodge Hill until 13 December, and the house and garden dressed for the season. Parking at Chatsworth must be booked ahead, from £25 a car. The X6 sets you down at the house.

Christmas at Chatsworth ↗Market details ↗

Photo: Chatsworth House Trust

  • FreeMarket entry. Mon–Thu 10am–5.30pm, Fri–Sun 10am–6pm.
  • 3h 20mAt Chatsworth. Arrive 11.00, bus home 14.20.
  • £40House and garden, adults. Children £12, under 3s free. Booked with Chatsworth, not part of the bus fare.
  • DuskThe garden light trail starts after the bus home has left, so the X6 is a daytime trip.

Before you go

Plan for a December day out

Four small things that make the day easier.

Wrap up warm

December in the Peak District, outside between the stalls. Layers, a hat and gloves.

Comfy, waterproof shoes

Paths and grass, and Chatsworth warns it can get muddy.

A bag for your shopping

A sturdy bag or two for your market finds. Keep the aisle clear on the bus home.

Back for 14.20

The bus home leaves Chatsworth House at 14.20. Allow a few minutes to get back to the stop.

Chatsworth's story

Nearly 500 years in the Derwent valley

Home of the Cavendish family, the Dukes of Devonshire, for sixteen generations. Six moments worth knowing before you walk through the gates.

  1. 1549

    Bess of Hardwick

    Bess of Hardwick and her second husband, Sir William Cavendish, buy the Chatsworth estate and begin building the first house in the 1550s.

  2. 1569

    A royal prisoner

    Mary, Queen of Scots is held at Chatsworth several times over the next fifteen years, in the care of Bess's fourth husband, the Earl of Shrewsbury.

  3. 1687

    The house you see today

    William Cavendish, soon to be the 1st Duke of Devonshire, starts rebuilding the Tudor house wing by wing. The baroque palace takes around twenty years, and the Cascade is built in the garden.

  4. 1760s

    Capability Brown's park

    The 4th Duke has Lancelot 'Capability' Brown reshape the park into rolling parkland along the Derwent, with a new bridge and stables by James Paine.

  5. 1844

    Paxton and the Emperor Fountain

    The 6th Duke's head gardener, Joseph Paxton, builds the Emperor Fountain, then one of the tallest in the world. In the same era the estate village of Edensor is rebuilt, and the X6 still drives through it.

  6. 1981

    Chatsworth House Trust

    The house, garden and park are placed in the care of a charitable trust, so they can be enjoyed by visitors for generations. The Cavendish family still live there.

The Library at Chatsworth House dressed for Christmas, with a tree and paper stars
The Library at Christmas · Chatsworth House Trust

Skip the car park

No parking to book or queue for. The X6 sets you down at the house.

3h 20m at Chatsworth

In at 11.00, bus home at 14.20.

Pay on board

No app, no booking. Just pay the driver.

Through the Peak

Up the Derwent valley via Matlock Bath and Bakewell.

Groups & private hire

Bringing a group?

Clubs, societies, workplaces and families: Albatross Coaches can take your group to Chatsworth on a minibus or coach of your own, on the day and at the times that suit you.

Chatsworth's Christmas car tickets don't cover vehicles with 10 or more seats, so book your group's visit with Chatsworth's groups team too. Chatsworth groups ↗

Get a group quote ↗Call 01332 345 678
  • 7–16MinibusesInstant online quote and booking
  • 17–35CoachesInstant online quote and booking
  • 35–70Large & double-deckTailored quote on request

Tuesday to Saturday until 12 December

Download timetableRunning days