A Review of The Peak District’s Alpine Experience – A Trip to The Heights of Abraham
The history of The Heights of Abraham is well documented elsewhere on this site and has a comprehensive account of what is on offer, so, on a quiet Thursday in June we decided to experience it for ourselves.
Because of the geography, the Heights of Abraham doesn’t have its own car park, therefore most people park in the pay-and-display car park at Matlock Bath Station (£4 for four hours, £5 if you wish to stay longer). This is very handy, however, if you are arriving by train as the cable car is only a short distance away across the tracks. We followed the signs to the entrance and after purchasing our tickets, only had a short while to wait until the next three cable cars slowly entered the terminal; on we jumped for our journey of just under half a mile to the top.
Peak District Experience Cable Car Ride
It is a thrilling experience – although definitely not for anyone afraid of heights. Rising over 500 feet, you are carried over river and road, then top the dense woodland as you cross the contours of the steep Peak District hillside – the views are truly amazing, if you can stop yourself from looking down!
With some relief, you alight at the top near the visitor centre, café, bar and shop, which has a nice array of gifts to take home as a souvenir of the day. There is also a children’s “Explorers’ Park” just above, and close by the grown-ups can sit in a small amphitheatre and contemplate the view whilst the kids let off steam. The amphitheatre looks out towards the Peak Districts Matlock town and Riber Castle, whose ruined towers are spookily silhouetted against the distant sky. It’s a pity the theatre space isn’t larger, as it would be a wonderful place for a show. If you wish, you can scan the view in more detail, using one of the “talking telescopes” that are dotted around the site, (you will need £1 though, as this is one thing that is not included in the cost of your ticket).
Heights of Abraham Prospect Tower
The fairy-tale Prospect Tower at the Heights of Abraham, towards the edge of the hillside, rises more than forty feet and is a “must climb” for any little girl who is into “Tangled”. However, be warned, this is not an easy climb as the steps are narrow and steep with only a hand rail on one side. I would imagine on a busy day it could get a bit hairy – and this is also something not to do if you are vertiginously challenged! Once again though, it is all about views, and this offers probably the best outlook on the whole site, giving a wide panorama which takes in the hills and woodland above Bakewell and the distant moors reaching towards Chesterfield. The sweep then continues round to Matlock Town, Riber and beyond, before coming round to look down on Matlock Bath in the near distance; here you get a true sense of the depth of the gorge on which The Heights of Abraham is built.
Peak District Great Masson Cavern
Turning your gaze inward now, you might wish to visit the Great Masson Cavern. Before partaking of the guided tour, we found an excellent photographic exhibition – “Heath and Heaven”, celebrating the Peak District’s diversity from the air. Then, it was time to switch from aerial pursuits to underground ones, as we joined guide Neil on our visit to the cavern. Neil was both informative and amusing as he told us all about the history of this former lead mine and the conditions the miners had to work in. Clever lighting helps you to imagine the difficulties they had to face and the hardships the families had to endure to make their living; whilst lead was more profitable than silver in those days, it came at a price. The women and children working at the surface had often succumbed to lead-poisoning by the age of thirty as their handling of the ore in the washing and sorting processes meant they had more exposure to it than the men. Husbands not unusually were widowed two or three times during their lifetime. We learnt about the methods used to extract the galena – lead ore – and tried to imagine the vast seams which ran through this cavern. We emerged into the light half-an-hour later, higher up the hillside where springy moss covers the old spoil heaps at the head of the mine. It’s a wild and peaceful area that is just outside the boundary of the park and on a summer’s day would make a wonderful picnic spot. At the end of June or early July, you can pick the wild raspberries which grow here, or harvest blackberries if you visit in August.
Heights of Abraham Fossil Factory
There is still plenty to do after you have strolled back down to the main site. The Fossil Factory is a learning experience with some fun for children, such as panning for (fools) gold and raking for small fossils. There are some fantastic giant fossils on display too, as well as some rather amazing gem stones to purchase; if you can afford it, a mere £1,200 will buy you a gigantic amethyst that will provide you with a talking point for evermore. You can learn about the formation of the Peak District here too, and in the same building, discover the history of The Heights of Abraham from Victorian times to the modern day. This includes a film about the construction of the cable cars in 1984 – it reassuringly informs you that despite showing a mock-rescue of a former Blue Peter presenter, there have been no accidents since its inception!
Play Area at the Heights
Lower down is another adventure play area – more suitable for younger children than the one higher up. It is tastefully done and well thought-out, providing a variety of ways to reach the slides fanning out from the central tower; picnic benches give the adults somewhere to rest and watch the cable cars while the youngsters play.
Lower still is a lovely walk down the tree lined paths to the Great Rutland Cavern. There are guided tours at frequent intervals and you can buy refreshments while you wait from the Terrace Tavern located next to it. The walk back up is tough, but one which has to be endured if you wish to take your cable car journey back down. However, on the way you can always pause for a few minutes at a rather lovely and unusual thatched summer house, made of a porous limestone (known as tufa).
As you leave the Heights, the steady cable car journey down – taken with less trepidation as the trip up, allows you to reflect on a day of differing and unique experiences, offering enjoyment and interest for all ages. Not a cheap day out in the Peak District, but one that is well-worth the money.
Judy Corble