Matlock Bath

 As the leaves change colour and the air gets crisper, we ventured out to Matlock Bath. What a picturesque little village to welcome the arrival of autumn! We saw saw old mills and limestone cliffs  on our way. We booked everything online as it was cheaper and with NHS discount, it was reasonable.

As this was a day trip, we headed straight to our point of interest with was The Heights of Abraham. Please note that this is closed during the winter season.  The heights are named after a supposed resemblance to the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Heights of Abraham, in Quebec where James Wolfe , a British Army official who won over the French in Quebec, died in battle. The Heights are located on top of a hillside. The access to the hill was either through cable car or there's walking pathways. We used the cable car obviously. It was great! My eldest is scared of heights but she managed to suppress her fear. The cable car lasts about 5-10 minutes and stops for a few minutes in between for us to enjoy the view. The view is truly glorious. We went at the right season as we saw the different colour of the leaves from a height and it was beautiful.

Once we got to the top, we went to the 'bottom' of the heights to visit the first cavern, Rutland Cavern. The Heights have 2 caves. It was used for lead mining extensively. As we went during Halloween season, we had the Witch Grotto in the Rutland Cavern. Although it was a very short tour, the main chamber had been beautifully illuminated.

Then we slowly (and painfully) walked our way through to the top. On our way, we saw old disused mineshafts, 2 different play areas, the viewing point and scenic views. The climb was a bit steep, if you are using the stairs but there's plenty of places to rest. Once we got to the top of the hill, there's a tower where you can see the whole of Matlock Bath! Again, I can't recommend enough to visit Matlock Bath during Autumn. The scenery is indescribable.

Next, we went to the second cave, The Masson Cavern. This was a proper cave tour with an excellent tour guide who explained the history of the tour. We all love cave systems and this didn't disappoint. The tour lasted between 30-45minutes.  The main chamber had beautiful illuminations and you could also see some gems in the walls of the cave!

When we came out we headed to the fossil shop. As I birthed a future palaeontologist, this was a place of great excitement for him where we saw dinosaur fossils. Underneath the fossil shop was the museum which told us the history of Matlock Bath. What interested me was the literary connections, Matlock Bath had with authors like  Jane Austen and Mary Shelley!

The Heights has an excellent restaurant, 1 cafe and 3 average gifts shops. However, if you are into your gems, then the gift shop located in the Fossil Museum is for you.

Once we finished the Heights, we just walked around the town. We went to a nearby park to relax. There was also a waterfall nearby (Lumsdale Waterfall just on the border of the Peak District National Park) however, by the time we got there, it got dark and so couldn't actually see the waterfall. But we did see some ruins of mills which spooked us off a bit with the night setting in!

In Matlock Bath, there's also Gulliver's Kingdom, the mining museum and an aquarium. Not too far from the there is the Crich Tramway Village. We couldn't fit everything into our Day so we'll be returning to the Peak District soon!

PS: We have now been to Crich Tramway Village in the village of Whatstandwell which is literally surrounded by green and houses sporadically located! This would have been better for younger kids when they are  amazed by everything! My 13 and 10year old were more entertained in walking and playing in the woods rather than the play area and climbing on the different tramway. The tickets are valid for 1 year so you can visit as many times as possible. There’s also cafes and places to eat too. During school holidays, they are plenty of kids arts and crafts too! I loved climbing and experiencing the different trams even though it was the same route we used.