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 1800’s 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 kids’ playground & splash zone, 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.
If you are into steam trains, then you can take a trip on Peak Rail, which has a station in Matlock and runs trains through Darley Dale to Rowsley and back.
Just outside Matlock is the beautiful and historic Lumsdale valley which in the 18th century was a busy industrial site with mills powered by Bentley Brook and is now a peaceful wooded valley with millponds, waterfalls and ruins. It is managed by the Arkwright Society and we highly recommend a visit (although it is only partially open at weekends to protect the site which is a scheduled monument). 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. Follow the path down the valley and enjoy the waterfalls and ruins.
Places to Eat & Drink
We highly recommend Thailand No. 1 (Thai) and Maazi (Indian) if you are looking for somewhere to eat in Matlock. Both get busy, so it is best to make a reservation – however they also do take away if you can’t get a table and you can have a drink while you wait! Stones, by the bridge, offers a contemporary British menu. It’s slightly more expensive 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.
If you are looking for fish and chips, Wellington Fish Bar is just across the road from the house and we really like the food and friendly staff, or alternatively we also like Matlock Green Fish Bar.
For light meals or lunch we’d recommend the Mad Hatter in Crown Square or the cafe in 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 little cocktail bar in the evenings. The Tipsy Toad is also a popular cocktail hangout!
Matlock isn’t short of pubs with many within walking distance of 22. Most of them are small 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 and busy locals’ pub with tables outside offering great views over the valley. It serves a number of real ales and substantial bar snacks, with a pie night on Wednesdays from 6-8pm and roasts on Sundays, both of which are extremely popular. Reserve you pie or roast on Facebook or give them a call – both often sell out. The Sycamore Inn is about 10 minute walk. This is a quieter pub but Becky serves big portions of great pub food and the homemade pies (including a veggie homity pie) are the amazing! Beware though, the kitchen usually closes about 7.30-8pm! The Laburnum Inn is another local that is being brought back to life by Shep, the new landlord having been closed for a number of years. It has great views from the beer garden and is a proper real ale pub with a quiz night on Saturdays. Chilli bowls are served on Friday’s and on Saturday’s there is usually a guest mobile caterer outside 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. All are very cosy, friendly and local. Next door to The Farmacy is a new take away pizza place D’Alessandros – which is open Thurs – Sun, 5-9 (or until they run out of dough, which happens relatively regularly at weekends!). When you order, tell them you’ll be in The Farmacy and they will 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, Kings Head in Bonsall, Boat Inn in Cromford, Church Inn in Darley Dale or The Gate in Tansley – all of which can be incorporated into decent walks from the house if you fancy building up an appetite and then walking it off on the way home.
Surrounding Area
Matlock Bath
Matlock Bath is like a mini land-locked seaside resort 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 22. Its a slightly eccentric event dating back to Victorian times, but worth experiencing at least once!
The Chatsworth 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. 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
There is more 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 new visitor centre, craft shops and several cafes. The Cromford Canal is just across the road from the mill and you can now 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. The canal is popular with walkers and families, and the café has recently been refurbished and sells good food at reasonable prices, as well as duck food for the resident wildlife. There are water voles living in the canal, although we’ve only been lucky enough to see them on two occasions so far. We particularly enjoy visiting around dusk when the crowds have gone home.
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. A number of places hire bikes and you can enjoy some flat cycling routes too – for example, around Ladybower reservoir and along the High Peak and Monsal trails.