The Matlocks

I’ve set myself a challenge today, to make an entry about our local patch Matlock and Matlock Bath in the Peak District. It’s difficult to write about a place I’ve been visiting for the last 35 years, especially when I’ve only been looking and not seeing. Now I’m learning to look beneath the surface and find some of the history of places. ( It is now 3 days since I wrote the first line proving just how difficult I’m finding it!) The berries were photographed today, 21 December in the freezing fog.

Matlock itself is the home of Derbyshire County Council giving the town the title of County Town, (I always thought it was Derby, but apparently now it’s Derby City and they have their own council) anyway the County Council offices are housed in the old Spa buildings that John Smedley built in the 1850‘s. John Smedley was a local man who took over the family textile business and built several Churches and the folly known as Riber Castle. It’s a ruin now and since the zoo, housing endangered species closed, has stood empty. It’s a magnificent sight on the skyline.

The town is built on both sides of the River and has the same shops found everywhere else in the country. But one shop we enjoy visiting is ‘Reams’, they sell paper and anyone who knows me knows that I love paper, in notebook form, exercise book form, writing pad form, copying form, journal form, ring binder refills form in fact if you can write or draw on it I must have it! Pat always complains that every watercolour painting pad I have has at least the first three pages used and then I start a new one, well everyone has got to have one weakness! He loves the shop as well ‘cos he likes pencils and pens and paint brushes and watercolours etc etc.

The town park borders the river and has a bandstand and a skateboard park. How I envy the kids their skateboards, I was about 18 when they hit the street and as I was never any good on roller skates I didn’t think I stood a chance with skateboards. I did have a go, complete with crash hat, elbow and knee pads, got both feet on the board and the only reason it moved was because I was on a hill, a very small hill. I didn’t fall off and didn’t break anything but I’d still like to be able to do it.

There’s a boating lake for kids at the far end and last week we stood in the rain watching two pairs of Mallard having an argument over the garden fence. A board has been placed across a narrow part of the lake (to presumably stop the boats getting out of sight of the commandant) and the birds were squared up to each other one pair either side. It was the males doing all the shouting (how unusual!) and it got quite heated. Eventually Mr Drake on the left side jumped over and got his neighbour in a vice like grip around the neck and tried to drown him. The neighbour was ready for him and gave a mighty shudder breaking the hold on his neck and turned in a flash on Mr Drake. He pecked and gouged and lunged at which Mr Drake took flight and landed with a splash on his own side of the board, shook his ruffled feathers and proceeded to lead his lady away. The victor casually turned to his lady with a proud glint in his eye.

Travelling South down the valley the road hugs the riverbank and is separated only by a wall and footpath. On this stretch of river there is canoe slalom course. The slalom gates are permanently in place and we’ve seen kids practising in the rapids, it can be quite spectacular, especially in the winter evenings when the floodlights are used.

Still further along the river is Matlock Bath built in a steep sided gorge. It was founded in the 17th century when the thermal springs were utilised as healing baths. The toffs of the day (including Queen Victoria) started visiting for the healing qualities of the warm water and the town grew. The main road has the river one side with gulls and ducks that need feeding with the fish and chips you have bought on the other side of the road. The shops are the usual touristy ones, fancy goods, food and amusement arcades. In summer with the crowds of holidaymakers it feels like a seaside town and the path beside the river is known as the Promenade.

The steep hill behind the shops is littered with houses and narrow steep streets which lead to the Heights Abraham . Many years ago we walked up to the Heights, an area of woodland paths and caverns. The caverns were mined for lead for thousands of years. It’s a much easier climb today because the first Alpine styled cable car was installed in 1984 and I remember worrying Pat like a terrier until we made the trip. At the time it was fantastic, the first time I had ever been on a cable car of any kind. The views are wonderful and have been compared to those found in Switzerland.

Matlock and Matlock Bath are in an area of the Peak District known as the White Peak because the underlying rock is Limestone. As the water leeches through the rock and drains into the Derwent it collects diluted limestone and then deposits it on anything in it’s path. There is a display of ordinary household items left in a constant spray of this water in the aquarium. I remember seeing shoes and bowler hats all solid stone, originally in a small, round purpose built hut called ‘The Petrifying Well’ and new items were regularly added.

Every September Matlock Bath puts on a magical show of lights. The Venetian Nights illuminations were originally held for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee and as far as I can find out have been held every year since. Originally, fairy lanterns were strung in the trees along the river and boats decorated with candles drifted downstream on the current. Today they use pretty coloured bulbs and fancy light displays in the trees and on the bridges. The boats must look splendid as they float gently down the dark river. We have never visited the actual illuminations, Pat, myself and crowds are a sure recipe for headaches!

There is a footbridge over the river leading to a riverside walk downstream to a second footbridge (Jubilee bridge) that crosses back to the riverside gardens. Full use of the springs have been made here with ornamental ponds, fountains and waterfalls which flow from the hillside.
The gorge side of the river is very steep but still has footpaths winding to the top which lead over and back down to Matlock, a lovely walk at anytime of the year. In spring the wooded hillside is full of Bluebells, Violets, Primroses and other early Spring growth. It’s a good climb and we enjoy the walk.

On a clear winter’s evening the walk along the river down to Jubilee Bridge and back is quite spectacular with the lights reflected in the running water making beautiful psychedelic patterns on the surface. The river can look black and foreboding and in misty conditions takes on quite a menacing air.

Yesterday I found a journal I started in November 2002 ready for when we got our new van and I made 5 entries before I got fed up! I wonder at the state of my mind at the time ‘cos I made the following entry:

‘We decided to start training for Orkney today and walked along the Cromford Canal (just downstream of Matlock Bath). It’s a lovely sight this time of year, black water, still as a mirror reflecting the bare trees, the sky and any leaves left, in perfect detail and glorious technicolour. We came across 4 Dabchicks (Little Grebes) and I still can’t make up my mind whether the 3 females were falling out over the male or whether they were playing underwater tag, whichever, there was a lot of laughing or was it screaming going off!
At this point all the wildlife within a 100 mile radius dived for cover, the most dreadful of all apparitions, for the walker, arrived, oh yes you’ve guessed it….a school party and on a Saturday! We stood still concentrating on our Dabchicks and from some of the comments we heard they didn’t see them ‘What are they looking at?’ ‘Can you see anything?’, it’s a shame the teachers didn’t explain anything but perhaps they didn’t know.
Further along the towpath we had to go into reverse ’cos they’d stopped, as we quietly crept past I heard ‘If you’ve got a piece of fruit you can eat it now’ what do the ones without fruit do, go hungry?. Perhaps they weren’t a school party after all, perhaps they were in training for some unknown journey that would test their endurance and how long they could live on fruit, perhaps they were bats in disguise, perhaps I’m getting carried away, perhaps I ought to be carried away!’

Well, I didn’t get carried away and I’m still here to prove it and enjoying every minute of my freedom.

Oh an update on the Miss Piggy situation, We called in at the Threshing Barn yesterday and as you know I couldn’t bring myself to buy any sausages from them on our last visit. This time we were introduced to her replacement, the latest additions to the farm, five gorgeous, golden brown Tamworth piglets, I’m not going to even think about where they’ll end up!

We have not managed to get a photograph of Matlock because of inclement weather, rain, too dull and thick fog but we walked along a local stretch of canal and the photo's show the current cold snap very well.