Smith's Island Car Park — Local services in Derbyshire Dales

Ah, the Bakewell car park, an unsung hero in the epic saga of parking dramas. This isn't your average, run-of-the-mill car park. No, the spaces here are so spacious, you could swing a cat, a dog, and probably a small pony without hitting anything (not that I'd recommend swinging any of those, mind you).

But the true crown jewel of this tarmac treasure was the payment machine. In a world where most parking payment machines seem to have been designed as puzzles by frustrated cryptographers, this device was the digital knight in shining armor. High tech, user-friendly, and so intuitive, it could probably read your mind if you asked nicely. Returning from our culinary quest with precious cargo (the finest fish and chips in all the Peak District), we approached the payment terminal with trepidation, our treasures cooling by the second.

Fear not, for the machine was as swift as it was smart. With a few taps, it guided us through the payment process with the grace and efficiency of a butler from the future. Payment was made in the blink of an eye, ensuring our fish and chips could make the journey home in a state as close to thermal perfection as one could hope for.

So here's to the Bakewell car park, with its generous spaces and its beacon of technological hope, the payment machine. In the grand tapestry of car park lore, it stands out as a beacon of convenience and efficiency, a bastion against the cold doom of lukewarm fish and chips. A round of applause, please, for it truly is the MVP (Most Valuable Parking)...

Beware..

I parked here in mid Aug 2024 with my 3 boys one of whom has a Blue Badge. Attendant advised there are no Blue Badge spaces as it is private land. Parked anyway as relatively close to the centre of town. Attendant also informed us no pre-paid ticket needed as ANPR camera captures the cars reg when you arrive and you enter your reg into the machine and pay as you leave. On leaving, I paid at machine loaded kids into car and left.

15 days later got a Paking Charge Notice for £100 from Park Maven. Appealed the charge. 1 week later received confirmation that they "will not pursue this PCN, for now" and "ensure your booking covers the full duration of your stay in the future".

Not sure how you can pre-book for a process where you pay on exit. Also, by their timings it took me 5 minutes to load the kids into the car and exit the car park having to stop a few times at the 2 pedestrian crossings. They said this 5 mins triggered the charge notice even though private car parks are supposed to give you 10 mins grace period to exit a car park.

Managed by Park Maven in London so you can not speak to anyone if there...

I did not enjoy the experience at this car park. Upon arrival, I showed a blue badge to the first marshal, who told me that there weren't any. Not sure if she meant that they were already occupied, or they just don't exist. But she tried to direct me to a space that I had to tell her would be unsuitable. She suggested I reverse into the space instead, but there would again be an issue as there was a tree on that side. She finally suggested I go further into the car park and take direction form the next colleague. We eventually parked in the extended end of the car park, meaning on long grass, and with gravel road/walking area. This was entirely unsuitable for my husband's wheelchair. We only had enough space to get him out of the car by sheer coincidence, and another car was quickly directed to park beside us. If you have a disability, I would hesitate to park here. The grass and gravel are difficult to manoeuvre on and there wasn't much help available for parking. The price is decent, it's ideally located and probably works fine if you are able bodied. The marshals were helpful in directing...