Swans no longer glide on the lake in gardens laid out by Joseph Paxton of Crystal Palace fame in front of this bay-fronted Victorian home, close to the opera house. But trusted readers who are repeat visitors report again this year how much they love both house and hospitality at Gerard and Maggi Heelan’s B&B. ‘It’s very attractive and richly – and colourfully – decorated, in keeping with the traditional style of the building and the area, with lots of carpeting and soft furnishings.’ Everywhere there are leather armchairs, heavy drapes, period furniture. However, another reader who declared that the spa town of Buxton ‘is a national treasure’ could only summon up an ‘okay’ for The Roseleigh. No doubt a front-facing, dual-aspect room would have been preferred to the ground-floor, side-facing room that he found ‘dark’. The Heelans, former tour guides, are a mine of local information, handy for exploring the Peak District. At breakfast there are free-range eggs, local jams and honey, a summer pudding made with muesli, pear purée, yoghurt and fresh fruit. (Stephen and Pauline Glover, and others)