About this space
Overlooking the beautiful tree-lined Derwent valley, the South facing Swiss Cottage is uniquely situated to offer panoramic views of the entire gorge and the picture perfect village of Matlock Bath, complete with an array of pretty lights, below. It provides the seclusion of a mountain retreat and access to all the village has to offer by way of a range of eateries from vegan to seafood, excellent pubs and entertainment for children from the Heights of Abraham to rowing on the river.
The space
Swiss Cottage is often described as ‘quirky’, mainly because the lounge is upstairs and one of the bedrooms downstairs. It is also unusual in that there are two staircases that lead up from the dining room. Every room in the house is south facing and is filled with sunshine as soon as the sun makes an appearance! The cottage sits within the parabolic curve of the road.
Guest access
Parking on the road at the rear of the property is usually available. In the 12 years living there, I was only unable to park there twice. If you are visiting at peak times, such as weekends in the summer months and the weekends of the Illuminations, I would recommend leaving the car at the cottage and exploring on foot or by bus as it does get very busy. Busses into Matlock are frequent, but it is only a 15min walk.
If you are touring around the Derbyshire Dales area, it is possible to purchase a weekly parking permit from the DDDC offices on Bank Road in Matlock which applies to all their car parks.
Other things to note
As a heritage cottage within a conservation, it is not possible for me to have double glazed windows. Insulation is an issue, but all of the blinds in the property have thermal linings which help to keep it cosy.