Cromford Canal
Lumsdale mills
Millstone Edge, Hathersage
Matlock
Things to do
Matlock is a small, thriving town located on the River Derwent and close to the Peak District National Park. It is the county town of Derbyshire and flourished in the 1800s as a spa town with many of the older buildings having previously been ‘hydropathic establishments’. Hall Leys Park in the centre of the town has a bandstand with bands on Sunday afternoons in the summer, a great little café, motor boats, a tiny ride-on train, kids’ playground & splash pad, skate park and table tennis tables. There is also a market in the park every Wednesday. Many of the shops in the town are independent and there is also a good selection of local pubs, cafes and restaurants.
If you are into steam trains, then you can take a trip on Peak Rail, from Matlock through Darley Dale to Rowsley (pronounced Roselee) and back. It’s a nice day out to take the train one way and walk the other, with a pub lunch in Rowsley if you fancy it.
Just outside Matlock is the beautiful and historic Lumsdale valley which in the 18th century was a busy industrial site with mills powered by the Bentley Brook. It’s now a peaceful wooded valley with millponds, waterfalls and ruins. It’s managed by the Arkwright Society and we highly recommend a visit although some areas are now fenced off to protect the ruins from the increased number of visitors who have discovered it as it’s very Insta-friendly. To find Lumsdale, turn off the Chesterfield Road (A532) and park in the layby by Highfields School. Walk down the lane, keeping left when it forks, and you will come to the stream, millpond and cottages from where you can follow the path down the valley, enjoy the waterfalls and ruins, then walk back up the road.
Places to Eat & Drink
For a treat, or if you have more expensive taste, Stones, by the bridge, offers a contemporary British menu. It books up weeks in advance, particularly weekends, but the food and experience is lovely if you want to treat yourself for a special occasion. Viva (Italian) also serves really good food, although we’ve sometimes experienced slow service if the restaurant is busy. Maazi (Indian) has a nice atmosphere in the old cinema building and a large menu to choose from. The Remarkable Hare, Buddies Smoke House and Pod are also good options.
If you are looking for fish and chips, Wellington Fish Bar is conveniently just across the road from the house! We really like the food and friendly staff. Everything is usually cooked to order so while you wait for your order, cross the road and go up Rockside Steps for great views over Matlock. Alternatively we also like Matlock Green Fish Bar which specialises in kebabs and other Greek options.
For light meals or lunch we’d recommend the Mad Hatter in Crown Square, Lumsdale Tea Rooms or the café in the park. As well as doing breakfast and lunches, the Mad Hatter also serves afternoon tea complete with cake stands and finger sandwiches and transforms into a great cocktail bar in the evenings. Its bigger than it looks with a large additional area at the back overlooking the river. The Tipsy Toad is another very popular cocktail hangout.
Matlock isn’t short of pubs with many within walking distance of No 22. Most of them are small, independent and local so we’d definitely encourage you to support them. They don’t all open or serve food everyday so check their websites or Facebook for up to date opening hours. The Thorn Tree is closest (2 minute walk) and is a friendly locals’ pub with tables outside that have a great view over the town and valley and different real ales on tap. The Sycamore Inn (10 minute walk) is our favourite for food. The owners Becky & Andrew serve big portions and the homemade pies (including a veggie homity pie) and the Sunday roast (12-2pm) are amazing! Be aware though, the kitchen usually closes 7.30-8pm and they don’t open every day, so definitely call them or message them on Facebook to check and to book. The Laburnum Inn is another nice local (10-15 mins walk) that is being brought back to life by Giles, having been closed for a number of years. It’s another pub with great views from the beer garden and is a proper real ale pub with a quiz night on Saturdays and boule in the garden. They don’t serve food but often on a Saturday they have a guest mobile caterer outside the pub 5-8pm so you can order, drink will you wait and eat it in the pub. On Smedley Street (5 minute walk downhill from the house) are The Farmacy and The Newsroom. Both are great little micro-pubs with a focus on real ales and ciders plus your usual bottled beers, wines and spirits. Both are very cosy, friendly and local. The Farmacy sells the beer that they brew themselves on their farm. The building also used to be a pharmacy. Get the name now? Next door to The Farmacy is a take away pizza place D’Alessandros – which is open Thurs – Sun, 5-9 (or until they run out of dough). When you order, tell them you’ll be in The Farmacy and they will often bring your pizza in when its ready and you can eat it in the pub while you drink.
We’ve been testing out local pubs for Sunday roasts and can recommend the Red Lion in Matlock Green (12-5pm). It also serves good food the rest of the week too and sells it’s own ales that are brewed on the premises.
Good places to visit
Matlock Bath
Matlock Bath is like a mini land-locked seaside resort but without the sea or beach! There are several larger attractions – Gulliver’s Kingdom and the Heights of Abraham (which is accessed by a cable car) – as well as plenty of tea shops, fish & chip shops, amusement arcades and an aquarium. It is a popular spot with bikers at weekends and can get really busy. In Autumn, Matlock Bath hosts the Illuminations every Saturday night until the end of October. The council run a park-and-ride from the County Offices car-park in Matlock. Illuminated boats, built by locals as part of an annual competition, are rowed on the river and most evenings end with a firework display, which you can also often see from the bedroom window at No. 22. Its a slightly eccentric event dating back to Victorian times, but worth experiencing at least once!
Chatsworth House & Estate
Chatsworth is home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. The house is set in a large estate, and there are a number of walks you can do to explore the wider grounds without having to pay the entrance fee. You can also sometimes find a parking space in Edensor (pronounced Enser) to avoid paying £7.50 in the car park. The house and gardens are open to visitors and they include a maze, farmyard and adventure playground for children and giant water features. There is an estate farm shop nearby at Pilsley which is also worth a visit.
Cromford village, canal and Black Rocks
There is lots of industrial heritage at Cromford, which is famous for Sir Richard Arkwright’s cotton mill, and which is now part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. The mill complex contains a visitor centre, craft shops and several cafes. The Cromford Canal is just across the road from the mill and you can take boat trips along the stretch from Cromford Wharf to High Peak Junction. It is a nice walk or run along the canal from Cromford to Ambergate (about 5 miles) from where you can take the train back to Cromford, having had a drink in the Hurt Arms first if you wish. The canal is popular with walkers and families, and the café at the wharg has recently been refurbished and sells good food at reasonable prices, as well as duck food for the resident wildlife. There is also a small kiosk cafe and toilets at High Peak Junction, which is about a mile from the wharf. There are water voles living in the canal, although we’ve only been lucky enough to see them twice so far. We particularly enjoy visiting around dusk when the crowds have gone home. You can walk from Cromford or from High Peak junction up to Black Rocks (or you can just drive there!). Kids will love climbing on the rocks, the views are fabulous, and there is a new parkrun that starts there on Saturday mornings at 9am.
Chesterfield
Chesterfield is the closest larger town if you want to go shopping. It has a refurbished indoor market hall and an extensive outdoor market but is most famous for the church with its ‘crooked spire’. Chesterfield has a good range of restaurants, a cinema and the Pomegranate Theatre. There is a direct bus from Matlock to Chesterfield.
The Peak District National Park
This is the biggest attraction as far as we are concerned! Covering both the White and Dark Peak areas, there is plenty to explore from limestone dales to gritstone edges and moors. If you enjoy walking or cycling, then the opportunities are almost limitless and its easy to find solitude and space away from the touristy hotspots if that is what you are looking for. There are a number of walking and cycling books in the house to give you inspiration. If you like cycling, there are a few places you can hire bikes and you can enjoy some flat cycling routes too – for example, around Ladybower reservoir and along the High Peak and Monsal trails which are both old railway lines. We really like the Monsal Trail for running, walking or cycling. If you start from Hassop Station, where you can hire bikes, its about 2 miles to the first of the long reopened tunnels. When you emerge from the tunnel you are on the fabulous Monsal Head Viaduct over the river Wye. If you climb up through the woods from there you’re rewarded with great views, a pub and usually an ice-cream van in summer. There is a parkrun that starts from Hassop station at 9am on Saturday and the café does a parkrunner’s breakfast deal afterwards.