August 13, 2013, admin, Days Out, Holidays, Reviews, , 0
Review of the Heights of Abraham, Matlock Bath
Day three of our holiday we visited the Heights of Abraham. I have to admit to being a little bit apprehensive before we went. At the time of organising the trip it hadn’t really occurred to me that I would have to travel up very high in a cable car. On the Monday when we visited Gulliver’s we passed underneath the cable cars and I was reminded how high up these appeared to be!
Nevertheless we arrived and I got in! I have to say that despite my apprehension it actually wasn’t all that bad! It went up quite quickly and you weren’t left dangling in mid air for long. Also, because the views are so stunning you do get lost in those and don’t so much think about where you are. The Little A’s also coped extremely well and didn’t seem bothered one little bit about being so high up!
Once we reached the top we were greeted by the lovely Kim who I had arranged our visit with. She told us a little about the attractions on offer before leaving us to explore and enjoy our day. Before visiting I was slightly concerned that there perhaps wouldn’t be enough to keep our aged children entertained and wondered if they might get a little bored. I needn’t have worried, there was plenty to keep them occupied and entertained…
Children’s Woodland Adventure Play Area
To keep Little Mr A happy we decided to visit one of the two great play areas first. The Woodland Adventure play area was great. There was lots of equipment to play on and another big swing for Little Miss A to have a go on too. Little Mr A spent most of his time going up and down the giant slides. He even made Big Mr A and me have a go on them with him!
The Great Rutland Cavern Nestus Mine
After blowing off some steam (but still full of bags of energy!) we visited one of the two caverns there are to visit at the Heights of Abraham. We decided to visit this one as it was easier with the Little A’s as there were no steps to go down as there are in the other, Great Masson Cavern. As we went to the cavern first thing, we were the only ones there for the tour so we felt like VIP’s having our own guided tour! You are taken into the cavern by the guide who explains a bit about the cavern and the rocks and minerals. After showing you around there is then a short story about working down the mine with lights, sounds and mannequins. It was a very interesting story and even kept Little Mr A enthralled. He did tell me he was a little scared though after it had finished, it does get quite dark in there and he is not particularly fond of statues and mannequins! We really enjoyed our tour of the cavern and would definitely recommend a visit, even with very young children. Take a jumper though, it is cold down there!
After the cavern we went for a walk and took the scenic route up to Prospect Tower. Although it was hard going up the steep hills it was worth it for the amazing scenery. Big Mr A and Little Mr A decided (well Little Mr A decided and Big Mr A had to follow!) to go up to the top of the tower to take in even more of the scenery.
Explorers Challenge
Next up we decided to visit the other play area, Explorers Challenge. Again, this is another great play area with lots of equipment. Little Miss A was quite happy playing on the small slide whilst Little Mr A went off to ‘explore’ all of the wooden climbing equipment. We really noticed a change in his confidence, he was doing all of the equipment on his own, throwing himself over big climbing frames, without any assistance.
After using all that energy there was only one thing for it, lunch! We had taken a picnic with us and found a lovely table under cover right near to the Amphitheatre. This gave us the most stunning view I think I have ever had the pleasure to eat with! It really was lovely on such a beautiful day.
After lunch we found plenty of other attractions to explore…
Who, Why, What Exhibition
This exhibition tells you all about the estate itself and the story of the cable cars via words, pictures and video. I found it really interesting reading about the Heights of Abraham and enjoyed watching the video about the cable cars. Little Mr A did get bored quite quickly in here though.
The Fossil Factory
This exhibition has a video telling you all about the caverns and also hosts some giant fossils which you can get up close to and touch. Little Mr A really enjoyed this exhibition as it featured dinosaurs!
Punch and Judy
During the summer the Heights of Abraham plays host to Richard Coombs and his wonderful Punch and Judy show. It is the 8th year he has been there and I can definitely see why! Both of the Little A’s really enjoyed watching the show and even though it was quite a long time for them to sit still (around half an hour) it kept their attention throughout which is no mean feat! There were plenty of ‘trump’ jokes in there to keep the children entertained whilst still being plenty of jokes just for the adults too (and Big Mr A and I had a cheeky beer in the sunshine whilst it was on!). It was lovely to relax for half an hour and see the Little A’s really enjoying themselves. If you do visit during the summer I would highly recommend you catch one of the performances.
Overall we had a great day at the Heights of Abraham. There was a lot more to do there than I thought there would be for the Little A’s and we spent a lot longer there than we thought we would! I think it really is great value for money when you consider all the attractions included. The facilities were excellent and there were plenty throughout the site. All of the staff we encountered were friendly and helpful. Also, there was a wide variety of items in the gift shop at a range of different prices which is always helpful when you have little ones wanting to spend some of their holiday money! Also, everywhere we visited was accessible with the pushchair (apart from the cavern).
We had a fantastic day out and would highly recommend the Heights of Abraham to everyone!
Disclaimer – We were allowed free entry into the Heights of Abraham for the purpose of our visit and the review. All opinions are honest and my own and all photographs were taken by me and are not to be used without my permission.
