Country cottage holidays near Ambergate Derbyshire

Ambergate for Heritage and Fun during a cottage holiday

Ambergate is a Derbyshire village, situated where the River Amber joins up with the River Derwent just a few miles outside of the Peak District National Park. This settlement was born following the arrival of the railway. Today, it offers the holidaymaker the chance to explore some of the best of the Peak District and to soak up some history too.  With tree lined streets and surrounded by woodlands and fields, this is an ideal location for a country cottage holiday.

About Self-Catering Holidays in Ambergate

 Book a cottage break to see the carnival. Ambergate has its very own annual carnival, usually held on the village recreation ground in July. As a warm up to the festivities, events are held in the week prior to the carnival itself, including a family sports day and annual dog show. Carnival entertainment includes live music plus costumes and floats that reflect each carnival’s theme.

If you want to combine walking with industrial heritage whilst on a cottage holiday, a popular walk takes you on the towpath along the Cromford Canal between Ambergate and Cromford. Last used as a working route in 1944, the canal is within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Between Ambergate and Whatstandwell Bridge, there is a local nature reserve, which is an important habitat for the threatened water vole.  A visit to the nature reserve comes highly recommended for keen wildlife watchers.

The Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site covers part of the Derwent Valley, from Matlock Bath to Derby and is an interesting place to visit whilst enjoying a self-catering break. Aside from Cromford and its canal, it also includes the market town of Belper, the High Peak Railway and Darley Abbey. Families staying in Ambergate often visit the nearby town of Belper, which is the only East Midlands town to be awarded World Heritage Site status. A mill, constructed in 1804, now hosts the Strutt’s North Mill Museum and the Derwent Valley Visitor Centre, where you can join guided tours.

Of course, this county offers much more than its interesting industrial past and the area around Ambergate has great countryside, family attractions and outdoor pursuits. It’s only around six miles from Matlock, which is close to Matlock Bath, a very popular, naturally beautiful tourist attraction. One of the most popular attractions at Matlock Bath is the Heights of Abraham. You can get an aerial view from a cable car and go underground on tours of the Masson and Rutland caverns.

If taking a cottage holiday with your family and kids, there is plenty on offer in this part of Derbyshire. Just outside Matlock Bath, Gulliver’s Kingdom is a theme park that includes rides for the very young and more than half of the rides are under cover. Families also enjoy Matlock Farm Park, a working farm where the kids can feed the animals and run around in the playground. The animal residents include sheep, goats, pigs, donkeys, poultry, alpacas and llamas.

So, staying in Ambergate offers a diverse range of activities for quiet reflection or noisy, family fun. With the outstanding and inspirational landscape of the Peak District National Park, this area is a natural choice for romantic breaks as well as family self-catering holidays.  Country Cottages Online features a great choice of accommodation from log cabins and rural country cottages to pet-friendly cottages.

Whether you choose to book a holiday cottage in Ambergate, an apartment, a lodge or another type of self-catering holiday accommodation, we hope you have your best holiday yet in Derbyshire.