MATLOCK AREA
OS Map: Outdoor Leisure 24 - White Peak
Matlock is a Victorian spa town set in the Derwent valley and now a very popular tourist destination in summer. Above the town are the famous 'Heights of Abraham' at 250m, named, so the story goes, because of their resemblance to the heights scaled during the capture of Quebec by General Wolfe. The Derwent gorge south of the town has dramatic crags and a fine view of Riber Castle on top of High Tor. It was the cloth manufacturer John Smedley, builder of Riber Castle, who first promoted hydropathy (water therapies) in Matlock.There are several paths to Riber Castle from Matlock.
| Walking Guides: |
| Matlock Town Council produce a series of 4 leaflets describing walks around Matlock. These can be obtained free of charge by contacting the TIC's below. The guides are: |
| 1. Cuckoostone Walk: 5.6km - a walk around the Matlock Moor areas |
| 2. Riber Walk: 5.5km - a walk to Riber Castle |
| 3. Masson Hill Walk: 4.5km - a walk to Masson Mine and Heights of Abraham |
| 4. Wellfield Walk: 4.5km - Wellfield, Hurst Farm and Matlock Green |
| Long Distance Paths: |
| The Limestone Way begins at Matlock |
| Tourist information: |
| TIC Matlock. Crown square, DE4 3AT. tel:(01629) 583388 |
| TIC Matlock Bath. The Pavilion, DE4 3NR. tel:(01629) 55082 |
| Arkwrights Cromford Mill, Cromford, DE4 3RQ. tel:(01629) 825776 |
Matlock [SK300600] to Cromford [SK295567]: Matlock, just outside the National Park boundary is situated in the Derwent valley. A short walk of about 4km from here via the Heights of Abraham to Cromford gives good views of the Derwent gorge, dominated by the limestone cliffs of High Tor. There is the option of returning by bus, but check the times. The route is via Bridge Farm, St. John's Chapel and Upperwood.
Cromford is an interesting village due to it's famous five storey water mill. This was built by Richard Arkwright in 1771 to house hundreds of the spinning machines he had earlier invented. The mill employed over 600 women and children at it's peak, who lived in Cromford village, also built by Arkwright to house his workers. (See tourist information for contact details).