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Hilltop park
Heights of Abraham
Hilltop park on Masson Hill reached by cable car, with cavern and mine tours; open since Victorian times.
A mini guide to
Matlock Bath, Matlock & the Derwent Valley
A gorge village with a cable car, and Arkwright's mills in a World Heritage valley
Photos
1 / 7Welcome to the area
A gorge village with a cable car, and Arkwright's mills in a World Heritage valley
Matlock Bath is a village on the A6 in the Derwent gorge, south of Matlock, with the Heights of Abraham cable car, the Peak District Mining Museum in the Grand Pavilion and the riverside Derwent Gardens. Matlock is the county town of Derbyshire and sits on the south-eastern edge of the Peak District, with the National Park directly to the west. Both are gateway towns just outside the park boundary.
Cromford, a short way downstream, is where Richard Arkwright built the world's first water-powered cotton spinning mill in 1771. Cromford Mills is the centerpiece of the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Masson Mills nearby dates from 1783. The Derwent Valley Line brings trains from Derby to Matlock, and Peak Rail runs steam and heritage diesel trains from Matlock to Rowsley South.
Highlights
Start here
If you only have a few hours, these are good places to begin.
Museum
Peak District Mining Museum
Charity museum in Matlock Bath's Grand Pavilion with lead-mine mock-ups where children can explore.
Directions Report a problem with Peak District Mining Museum
Heritage site
Cromford Mills
Richard Arkwright's 1771 water-powered cotton mill, the first of its kind, at the heart of the World Heritage Site.
Textile mill
Masson Mills
Water-powered cotton mill built in 1783 on the River Derwent, part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.
Pump house
Leawood Pump House
Beam-engine house built in 1849 to supply water to the Cromford Canal, beside the towpath near High Peak Junction.
Historic house
Riber Castle
Grade II listed 19th-century country house on a hill above Matlock, built of local gritstone.
Find your way
On the map
The map shows Matlock Bath, Matlock & the Derwent Valley and the streets around it. The Getting there page lists nearby stops and stations.
Insider tips
Before you go
1
The cable car
The Heights of Abraham is reached by cable car from the village, and its website shows a seasonal opening period, so check the dates before you go.
2
World Heritage mills
Cromford Mills is the centerpiece of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, and Masson Mills nearby is part of it too.
3
Masson Mills
The mill's website announces that its visitor center and textile museum close for the winter, so check before visiting in the colder months.
4
Day ticket by bus
Visit Peak District lists a Buxton or Matlock PlusBus day ticket and a Derbyshire Wayfarer; check the current fares and areas on those pages.
Tips from the Britlens editors
Explore this guide
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Open the mini guide →Photo credits
- Matlock Bath, Matlock & the Derwent Valley (area photo): Janine Forbes., CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Heights of Abraham: Elliott Brown from Birmingham, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Peak District Mining Museum: Andy Stephenson, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Cromford Mills: chevin, Public domain, source
- Masson Mills: Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Leawood Pump House: Alan Murray-Rust, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Riber Castle: Beep boop beep, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Derwent Gardens: Gerald England, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Gulliver's Kingdom: PLTRON, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Peak Rail: mattbuck (category), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Great Masson Cavern: TheHeightsofAbraham, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Matlock Bath: Donnylad, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Matlock: Jonathan Billinger, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Cromford: Jonathan Thacker, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Dovedale, Ashbourne & the White Peak South: Paul Albertella from Manchester, UK, CC BY 2.0, source
- Hathersage, Longshaw & Eyam: Neil Theasby, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Buxton & the Northern Peak: Eugene Birchall, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Castleton, Hope Valley & Edale: Peter Barr, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bakewell, Haddon & Monsal: Kmtextor, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits
Keep exploring the Peak District