The Heights of Abraham in Matlock Bath has been on my to do list for a long time and I finally decided to go while we were having some sunny weather. As I travelled by train I was able to use my train ticket to get a 20% discount on the entrance price and the cable car station (yes, you can travel by cable car up to the Heights) is only a short walk away from Matlock Bath Railway Station.
The cable car, first opened to the public in 1984, was a fun way of getting up to the Heights with some lovely views and as it wasn’t busy I had a whole car to myself, both on the way up and down.
The first thing I did once at the top was head down to the Rutland Cavern. Lead mining possibly began here as early as Roman times and at this small cavern you’re given a very interesting guided tour which focuses on the conditions the miners would have faced.
After a bite to eat I then headed to the second of the Heights’ caverns, the larger Masson Cavern. This guided tour lasted over an hour and a half and was very informative, involving much more walking and exploring of the larger caves. As well as a history of mining here we also learnt about the caves as a tourist attraction dating back to the Victorian era. The cavern was opened to the public in 1844 and the mines charged a fee to show visitors around even then.
The exit to the cavern leads out to the Tinker’s Mine Shaft, a viewing platform of what has been designated as a site of Special Scientific Interest.
My final stop before leaving was to climb to the top of the Victoria Prospect Tower which was built in 1844 to provide visitors with a panoramic view of the area. It’s 40ft high and has 54 steps.
A lovely place to visit, with walks and other areas of interest I didn’t have time to go on myself, you can find more photos here.
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