Can this ‘seaside resort without the sea’ work for everyone?

There are few places like Matlock Bath.

An estimated 1.6 million people flock to the village each year. It is often dubbed Derbyshire’s “inland seaside resort”, or the “seaside resort without the sea”, given it sits roughly 70 miles from the nearest coastline.

Visitors are attracted by its theme park, cable cars, amusement arcades and the aquarium – but also the allure of gentle strolls through historic riverside parks to demanding yomps over the mountainous countryside.

And of course, fish and chips.

But for those living in Matlock Bath – which had a population of 671 at the last Census – there remains concern about making the village work for everybody.

Earlier in the summer, a police inspector, MP and delegates from three councils gathered to discuss these concerns.

Enjoying the sunshine in sandals and shorts, the day trippers had convened to discuss an almost unanswerable question – how do you solve a problem like Matlock Bath?

While the answer might be simple on paper – traffic calming, more car parking, maybe a bypass road – making Matlock Bath work for all is not an easy path to navigate.

Peter Baranek, of Matlock Bath Parish Council, said the village – not to be confused with nearby Matlock – “doubles up as people’s Alps, people’s seaside”.

After thermal springs were found in the 17th Century, baths were built that attracted rich day trippers and a tourist trade sprung up, with parks and promenades and then the arrival of the railways.

Princess Victoria visited the village in 1831, while Lord Byron likened the valley to “an Alpine Switzerland”.