THE ROAD TO PEACE

The 442 bus runs from Buxton to Ashbourne in the Peak District. It must be one of the most beautiful bus journeys in England, winding its way along country lanes as it criss-crosses the River Dove, which marks the Derbyshire and Staffordshire border.

The bus visits some of the Peak District National Park’s prettiest and most visited settlements, such as Tissington, with its 17th-century hall. The village’s famous well-dressings alone welcome 50,000 visitors a year. This bus should be packed to the gunnels with tourists, but instead the service has been cut to the bone. The Sunday service, which you would think the heaviest used by visitors, was cancelled altogether in 2018.

As you sit on that half-empty bus in the summer months, there is plenty of time to contemplate the spectacular White Peak scenery, because the chances are you