Flying High in Derbyshire (Matlock Bath)

Member Name: zoe_page_1

Product:	Matlock Bath
Date:	22/08/05 (250 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots to see and do for all ages. Just a Nice place to go - not OTT or tacky or eugh

Disadvantages: Bit of a treck from the nearest big cities, and the train takes forever to get there

The Heights of Abraham is a tourist attraction located in Matlock Bath, Derbyshire. My sister came to visit and I wanted to take her somewhere for a day, and googled my way to this place. We weren’t necessarily typical of the families who visit (she’s a squirrel loving Astrophysicist, I’m a trampolining project manager, we’re both in our 20s and we had no kids in tow) but it sounded fun so we set off one Saturday morning for the hour and a half drive from Manchester.

It’s a nice route along lots of winding roads and through sweet little villages but if you prefer the place is very easily accessible by public transport as the train station is only a minute’s walk from the cable car base station. The best place to park is in the station car park too, and there are lots of spaces though they fill up quickly on sunny days. It’s £3 for up to 4 hours which is about the right length of time to enjoy all the parts of the attraction.

The best and most fun way to enjoy the attraction is to buy the combo ticket from the booth at the bottom, and ride up to the top of the hill on the cable car, but if this isn’t for you, you can hike to the top on foot. A combo ticket costs £9 for adults and £5.50 for children, and though it’s not advertised, if you ask they’ll also give a student discount ticket for £8.

- The Cable Car –

This runs all day from the base station to the top of the hill. The cars are big enough for 6 people and whether or not they make you share with another party depends on how many of you there are and how busy it is – we shared going up but had one to ourselves coming down late afternoon. They’re like the carriages you get on a big wheel, though smaller than those on the London Eye or Vienna’s Riesenrad, and have glass sides which allow for excellent views of the surrounding areas. It depends on the weather, but the ride seemed nice and smooth and not too swaying on the way up although if you’re scared of heights you really should avoid looking down onto the road below.

- The Caves –

There are two cavern tours on offer which run fairly regularly. The caves used to be used for mining years ago, and evidence of this remains. Both our guides were really informative – one even had a degree in Geology – and were full of stories about life back then. They could point out which rock was which from the ones on display, and were happy to answer questions. One of the tours starts out with a short film, and the other has an interactive part where a puppet suddenly appears out of one of the jutting rocks and starts ‘talking’ to you. The caverns are cool but not too cold – a cardigan’s a good idea, but you won’t freeze if you forget it.

- Who? What? Why? –

The Who? What? Why? Exhibit is housed below the Rock Shop and includes wall displays and looped videos about mining times and also about the effort it took to put in the cable cars. It explains about the cable car rescue vehicles they have and, if you want you can pose for a picture on a real one they’ve strung up in the corner of the exhibit. It’s placed in front of a backdrop that makes you look like you’re riding high above the town below and though it’s blatantly not real if you look closely, it’s still fun to try. When we were there no one was sitting on it and I wanted to wait until everyone had emptied out before I did (not wanting to look like a silly 8 year old) but people kept coming as well as going, so eventually I just went for it. When I got off, several photos later, my antics were swiftly followed by a youngish boy (probably a true silly 8 year old) and a retired lady and her husband, so I didn’t feel that silly anymore…

- Other Areas –

There are several play areas for children, a lookout tower to climb for more great views, picnic areas, a café, a restaurant and a bar (we’d recommend the ice cream and chocolate smothered waffle dish), a pleasant, not too expensive gift shop and a separate shop for rocks and gems, plenty of toilets and multiple woodland trails for those who like to walk. One of the caverns also brings you out halfway along one of these, so you have a short, pleasant, down-hill walk back to where you started from. The whole place is really nicely done with bark covered paths leading through the woodland areas, and lots of benches to stop for a rest on.

- Verdict –

I though the Heights of Abraham was a really good, simple, British tourist attraction. It wasn’t too tacky or commercialised or crowded, and though it depended on reasonable weather as the parts were all separate and require you to walk between them, it only has to be fine as apposed to raining, not boiling hot, for you to enjoy it. We did everything there was to do, had a picnic lunch outside, wandered around, took lots of pictures and set off home about 2.30pm. As with most places, it’s good to get there when it opens, but people were arriving as we were leaving and though queues had formed, they were not unbearably long. You do get a lot for your money although it could soon add up if you go en masse. It’s a nice place for all the family, and if you live in the area you could easily go and enjoy it for free by walking to the top and skipping the caverns, just enjoying the walks and the exhibits etc.


- Good To Know -


Opening Hours

Feb – March
10am – 4.30pm weekends only

March – October
10am – 5pm daily

Excellent website available telling you all there is to see and do:

http://www.heights-of-abraham.co.uk/

There are lots of places to stay locally either in Matlock or nearby, and there are many other local attractions too, though this is by far the most established.

Summary: Top tourist attraction in Debyshire with a nice mix of things to see and do