Just one stop further than the walks from Cromford, Matlock Bath is another gateway to a few different walks in the Peak District. The town itself is a weird mimic of a seaside attraction in the middle of a landlocked county, complete with tinkling arcades and about ten fish and chip shops on one stretch. And just like the seaside, it’s very busy in summer. But walk in any direction away from the bright lights of Blackpool-by-the-Derwent and you’ll meet with lush and peaceful countryside instead.
Travel
Train costs from Nottingham station to Matlock Bath. Each price includes Trainline’s fee and was booked at least a day in advance (2025 prices):
- Anytime return: £15.89 (£10.69 with railcard)
- Off-peak return: £13.59 (£9.24 with railcard)
I caught the 8:54am train from Nottingham and got to Matlock Bath for 10:05am. The journey takes up to one hour and ten and trains run roughly once an hour.
I even got a nice new EMR train which didn’t have that stale smell we come to associate with British trains. It even had leg room, bag space, and air con!
Food and drink
There are a couple of pubs near Matlock Bath station, or it’s a five minute walk to the nearest cafes and chip shops. You’ve got a lot of choice, if that choice is fish and chips (honestly, I’ve never seen so many in one place, and I grew up at the seaside!).
We ate at Fig Coffee House after our walk, and paid about a tenner for a fairly decent iced latte and a sausage sandwich. It was too popular to sit inside, but it was sunny so we’d have sat outside anyway. The cafe’s along the main road, which in Matlock Bath is infamous for its motorcyclists, so it was pretty loud.
There’s the option of taking a detour halfway along the walk to explore Matlock proper. I think this is the only option for food, toilet breaks and water refills en route.
There were also ample blackberry bushes along the walk, which in the right months might make a nice walking snack!
The trail
We followed the Matlock Bath, Heights of Abraham, and High Tor Circular Alltrails route.
- Estimated walking time: 2-2.5 hours (we completed in 1hr45, but were exhausted after)
- Distance: 5.8km
- Elevation gain: 357m (I think a lot of this height occurs in the initial climb)
If I’m honest, I wouldn’t return to Matlock Bath town – I go walking in part to escape the busyness of the city and the tackiness of the commercial. It’s a shame, as the colourful buildings curving alongside the river with its backdrop of trees and hills is an otherwise stunning spot. It’s hard to imagine the likes of Queen Victoria or Byron frequenting here under the flashing arcade lights.
However, I’d return to do more walks around the area. Be warned, it’s very steep in places (particularly the walk we did), but the viewpoints you get in return are so worth the exertion.
Alltrails rated this walk as ‘hard’, and it wasn’t joking. The first turn we took from the town began rapidly inclining. How people live on that street I don’t know! Most of the trail felt like we were ascending – we were sweaty and breathless within the first five minutes.
We had to pause at the top of the first street for a breather. There’s a great view of Matlock Bath from above, and it looks much prettier from here. The route then continues curving upwards, past more insanely placed houses, until you reach a much-needed bench that the locals clearly knew you needed.
After a good sit down, we continued up a little farther into a farm’s field, which was still somehow deceptively uphill. There was a metal gate which we struggled to open, and started to wonder if we’d gone the wrong way as there were no other humans in sight. But we managed to unjam it in the end, and in the next field we were greeted by a very friendly and excitable doggo who wanted some fuss (a highlight).
Continuing along led us to a fairly narrow path through some peaceful, hilly woodlands. But the further in we went, the more clearly we could hear people – we’d arrived at the Heights of Abraham. We didn’t stop to look at what that actually is (I googled it after – it’s a ’60 acre hilltop estate’ complete with caves and a restaurant, which might make for a nice distraction on your walk), but stood to take in the scenery our poor burning legs had granted us.
From directly outside the Heights of Abraham is a stunning view across the limestone valley and its sweeping hills, with Riber Castle sat like a crown on the other side. She kept us company throughout the majority of the walk from there. A couple of buzzards were circling the valley, only slightly higher up than us, to give an idea of how far we’d climbed.
Finally – a bit of downhill reprieve, as the trail leads back down to ground level. Here’s where you’ll have the option to take a detour to Matlock by following the main road. This time we decided to continue the route, and crossed the river over to High Tor land.
Despite the name, this was actually a much gentler climb than the first hill we faced. At several points we stopped to look at the views – look back and you see the rooftops of Matlock. Look down and you get the main road, winding like a miniature model with its neat white cottages through the trees below. Look ahead and you see Matlock Bath again, framed by three little white pods zipping up and down.
I very much enjoyed seeing the cable cars going back and forth and thinking ‘ha, those lazy people! Taking the easy route up!’ in between wheezy breaths. They were probably thinking right back at me, “only maniacs walk up here”.
Riber Castle was now much closer and on our left, just beyond the paddock of horses. High Tor itself was an excellent vantage point with another well-positioned bench. I could’ve easily sat there admiring the view all afternoon.
There’s some lovely woodland trail towards the end of the route, when you’re mercifully heading downhill again. You’re then led across the river to join back up with the main road and return to Matlock Bath, with the station on your left.
Points of interest
- Riber Castle views
- The views of the valley from High Tor
- Horse paddocks
- The Heights of Abraham and cable cars
- Matlock
- Matlock Bath (if you like that sort of thing)
Species I saw or heard (August)
- Two buzzards
- Other bird of prey with pointy wings and forked tail (not a red kite)
- Dozens of barn swallows playing overhead at the station
- White ermine caterpillar
- Mossy rose gall wasps (very confused by these – they’re plants?)
- Cuckoo pint plants
Ecoetry 