Dome Restaurant

The Dome Restaurant sits just outside Buxton like a concrete relic from an optimistic age - all brutalist curves and uncompromising geometry. Built in the 1960s, it's one of those structures that divides opinion instantly: either you find its bold modernism rather thrilling, or it looks like someone forgot to finish the building. Either way, it's genuinely distinctive, which makes it worth a stop if you're passing through the area.

What you actually do here depends entirely on whether it's still operating as a restaurant - and that's the catch. The Dome has had a patchy trading history, closing and reopening over the decades. When it is open, you're paying for a meal with a side of architectural curiosity. The interior, presumably, hasn't aged gracefully, but there's something rather charming about that. It's not slick. It's real.

For architecture nerds and anyone interested in post-war British design, this is genuinely worth the detour from Buxton town centre. History buffs will appreciate what it represents about the era's confidence. Kids probably won't care unless they're into brutalism, which, fair play to them if they are.

There are several caravan parks within a mile or so - Lime Tree Holiday Park and the Buxton Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite are handily close - making this an easy pit stop on a Peak District holiday. Before heading out, ring ahead to check opening times and whether food service is actually happening. Nothing worse than turning up to somewhere this characterful only to find the doors locked.