Let's go to Matlock Bath.

Hello Spooky Sunday is here. So what did I do yesterday. I set off from home at 3.15pm and drove to Cromford in Derbyshire, arriving at 5pm. There was a Park and Ride service set up to ferry people to Matlock Bath for the annual Illuminations event. I parked my car there because it was free, never mind  that the field was wet and full of sheep shit. Careful not to run them over as they were close by munching their dinner. 😁

Matlock Bath is near enough to walk from there, walking boots needed. Past Cromford Mills and turn right along the main A6 road. 

I recognise this building, the Willersley Castle Hotel behind the church high up on the hillside.

This is a photo from December 2016 when I stayed there. Here is a link to the blog post showing inside the Willersley Castle Hotel. 

I've been doing some checking. There has been some changes in the last nine years since I was there.

From Wiki.   This is the web site for Manor Adventure who now run it. 

The hotel was temporarily closed during the covid lockdown in 2020. In July 2020, Methodist Guilds Holidays Limited announced that the hotel would not reopen. It was subsequently listed for sale. In 2021 Willersley Castle was acquired by the residential outdoor education company Manor Adventure. It now offers residential accommodation for up to 90 school students to participate in a range of outdoor pursuits

Onward along the A6. There is a pavement and it is well lit. Past Masson Mills, a big shopping complex and museum. 

Passing the weir, looking down on the river. 

A photo I took from the same spot in December 2015.

On the left hand side is the New Bath Hotel. I walked up the driveway to get this picture. I went to a Christmas do at this hotel. I was maybe 10 or 11. I was in the Methodist Church choir and we had a bus trip here. I seem to remember I only joined the choir because I wanted to go on this trip. I felt very grown up at the time. 

When you walk along the A6 the road is high up and the river is below. I was getting glimpses of bright lights and a fairground. Not many visitors at the moment because it's early, but if you look at the following pictures that I post you can see that is is heaving with people. 

Matlock Bath is mainly one long street with houses perched on the hillside on one side, and the river down below on the other side. It is a well know Sunday meeting place for bikers, they come from all over and fill up all the parking spaces with their machines. I walked the length of it taking a few snaps. Lots of places to buy food, chips, donuts, and a plethora of gift shops. Lots of security about keeping the entrance clear so the Park and Ride buses could bring in their passengers.  

This event turns Matlock Bath into a typical seaside entertainment centre, only it has a river and is not near the sea. 

I'm going to finish this post here. There is more to come, I must first check the videos I recorded. 

Thanks for popping in. Enjoy your Sunday. We have a local spooks event on here later today so I will be out with my camera to take some more snaps. Toodle pip.   ilona