There are fish and chip shops as far as the eye can see and the air is filled with the sickly-sweet aroma of candy floss combined with freshly fried donuts. Walking past the shop fronts I can hear the beeps of arcade machines, accompanied by the occasional clatter of 2p coins hitting metal.
Most importantly, it’s raining. Surely this is the quintessential seaside experience? Yet there’s no sound of crashing waves, no seagulls swiping chips from hungry tourists and certainly no salty tang in the air.
In fact I’m nowhere near the sea at all, instead I’m right in the middle of the country in the village of Matlock Bath, located just outside of the Peak District. Despite miles away from the coast, this village has a distinctively seaside feel to it.
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Matlock Bath sits on the River Derwent, its buildings perched on the sloping hillside, lining a road which cuts through the valley and follows the snaking route of the river. The effect is not too dissimilar to the one-sided layout of seaside towns, except at Matlock Bath the view of is the sheer cliff on the opposite bank, and not of a vast ocean.
Even though my visit to Matlock Bath was on a rainy Sunday in September, it was still easy to see the ‘seaside’ charm of the place shine through. Families gathered around silver tables outside the fish and chip shops, tucking into their meals despite the drizzle.
Among the many eateries are brightly decorated ice cream parlours with neon signs and colourful seating, selling all the sweet treats you’d find at Blackpool, Scarborough or Brighton. One of the more unique attractions Matlock Bath has to offer is the Aquarium and Arcade, which rather quirkily features a Hologram Gallery – surely any seaside town worth its salt has to have at least one bizarre thing to do?
I couldn’t resist a look inside. The aquarium is actually housed in the former building of the village’s thermal pool, which has been transformed into an impressive Koi Carp pond. Definitely not a place you’d want to have a swim today.
The aquarium also features a ‘Petrifying Well’, collection of fossils and gemstones, as well as several tanks of various fish. Adding to the surrealness is a room of distortion mirrors and a tunnel full of colourful, flashing lights which you pass through before exiting via the arcade (clever). It’s no Blackpool Pleasure Beach, although it’s certainly an entertaining way to escape the rain for half an hour or so.
Matlock Bath’s reputation as a tourist destination is longstanding. It originally developed as a spa town in the 19th century with warm springs discovered there during the 1690s. Soon it became a tourist attraction, and the village’s scenic surroundings led to it being called ‘Little Switzerland’.
Today the hilltop park of the Heights of Abraham overlooks the village, its iconic cable cars adding to the Swiss feel. Matlock Bath also attracts groups of motorcyclists in the summer and, during my visit, dozens of bikes were parked up along the parade, their owners chomping away at their cod and chips.
While Matlock Bath doesn’t have the vast beaches of Blackpool, it does have its own illuminations. Every weekend from September 7 to October 27 a parade of illuminated and decorated boats makes its way along the river, accompanied by fireworks on Saturdays throughout October.
In all fairness, Matlock Bath shouldn’t really be compared to seaside resorts – it’s a destination in its own right. The surrounding cliffs and the weaving river ensure it has bucket-loads of natural beauty. Then there’s the kitsch sweet shops and ice cream parlours, creating a surreal place which feels like nowhere else I’ve been to in the UK.
The best bit? There’s no seagull to steal your fish and chips.
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