Travel Guide: Here's Why You Should Visit Matlock Bath and Cromford, Derbyshire, UK

Not two destinations I would imagine are top of many peoples to do list but still worth a visit all the same and here's why!

England, actually the UK, is beautiful. It's hard to go wrong when trying to find a beautiful country walk. I mean only 2% of the UK is actually built on so you have 98% to wander freely in. On a recent trip up to our friends in Sheffield we were lucky enough to add Cromford and Matlock Bath to our 'been there done it list.

Cromford is a Derbyshire village and famous for it's mills. Or it used to be. Now it is a Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage site. It's population is less than 2000 and over the years it's main source of industry has switched from the working mills to tourism.

In fact it is a dog walker and canal enthusiasts dream. Thanks to investment the canal paths are walk-able even after rain and the straight layout of the canals make it great for dogs. We spent a Saturday afternoon strolling almost 6 miles along the canal path and back.

Along the route we came across Leawood Pump House. We were lucky enough it was one of the days when the pump house was in full working order so we could see what was involved. The summary is a lot of water and heat. The pump room was taking water from the river and pumping it into the canal. Built in the 1800's the volunteers who operate it dress in traditional clothes and are on hand to tell you about what's involved. It's even dog friendly - as long as they are under control!

On the way back we stopped at High Peak Junction. It is where the now defunct High Peak railway met the Cromford Canal. It doesn't take much imagination to see how the trains would have collected, or dropped off, cargo in the station area. You can even hop aboard an old train to see what it would have been like way back when.

Once we had walked back to the car we were starting to feel a little peckish so agreed that Matlock Bath for a fish and chip supper sounded good.

Less than 5 miles from Cromford is a surprising place called Matlock Bath. Halfway between Buxton and Derby this tiny village is modelled on a seaside resort. As the village has a natural warm spring a bath house was built which attracted visitors from nearby towns as well as high society people - including Bryon who compared it alpine Switzerland! Nowadays it's popular with motorcyclists and those who enjoy a day out.

The facades of the buildings make you feel like you have taken a step back in time and with a great choice of fish and chop shops you can grab supper and relax taking in the slightly bizarre feeling that you are nowhere near the sea. In fact you are in the middle of the Derbyshire Dales.

If you have time to spend in the area in Autumn they have a lantern festival on the canal - it's paid entry - but looked like fun. You can also head up to the Heights of Abraham, via cable car or steep path, named because they look like the Plains of Abraham in Quebec, Canada. The park has existed since Victorian times and offers the opportunity to enter two caves that were previously mined for lead. Sadly the cable cars weren't dog friendly so we didn't go up.

If you are visiting with young kids there is also Gulliver's Kingdom that was voted as the best family day out in Derbyshire! Sadly we skipped this one too.

Our journey back to Sheffield was a picturesque one via the Peaks, it's fair to say that another day out in the north and another list of places we'd love to head back to!