Matlock Bath is a village and
civil parish situated south of
Matlock on the main A6 road in
Derbyshire, England, approximately halfway between
Buxton and
Derby. Originally built at the head of a
dead-end dirt road running alongside the valley of the
River Derwent from
Matlock itself, the locality developed in the 19th century as residential and a
spa town and still thrives on
tourism. Development was and is very restricted due to the steep hillsides, with the majority of buildings on one side of the valley with only footbridges across the river. The road was upgraded and made into a through-way, now designated A6, avoiding the previous old coaching road approach to Matlock from
Cromford over very steep hills near to the
Riber plateau area.