To celebrate a year together, Dad had a surprise for Mum, which was a trip out to Matlock Bath, a village in Derbyshire, England. It lies in the Peak District, south of Matlock and approximately halfway between Buxton and Derby. It may be nearly 100 feet above sea level, but there is something distinctively seasidey about Matlock Bath. An old spa town in a valley of lush woodland and Dad had fond memories of visiting when he was young – it really did feel like a good old British seaside resort, despite the nearest beach being 80 miles away! The village is well known to attract a different kind of tourist, with hundreds of motorcycles descending on the village each weekend, peaking on summer Sundays. The sun was out today, so despite it only being March, the place was full of leather-clad riders, which was a bit of a surprise for Mum!
Once we’d arrived and parked up, we went straight over to Matlock Bath Aquarium & Exhibitions where you can see:
- One of the largest public displays of holograms in Europe.
- The thermal pool which is the home of their famous Carp collection.
- The site of the only remaining ‘Petrifying well’ in Matlock Bath.
- A beautiful worldwide gemstone and fossil display.
- A wonderful trip down memory lane in their ‘Past Times in Matlock Bath’ Exhibition.
We had a great time looking at the exhibitions, but it was time for Dad to be romantic and take Mum on the “Lovers’ Walk”.To get there, we took a nice walk along Matlock promenade and found ourselves at the Jubilee bridge. The bridge opened in 1887 to celebrate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria and links the promenade to a series of footpaths called the Lovers’ Walks. We crossed the budge over the river (what… love locks not permitted on this bridge!) to the beginning of the walk, which is a series of footpaths both along the riverside and up and over the precipitous and spectacular cliffs. It is beautiful for slowly strolling along with your better half, lovely and peaceful, beautiful views and on the river… what more could you ask for? Maybe a beer? Oh Dad, you know how to kill the romance! On the way back home, we stopped at the Tap House in Buxton for lunch – you can read more about that by clicking on the link.