There are actually three Matlocks stretching along the Derwent River; Matlock Bank and Matlock Bath join with Matlock itself to provide a popular centre for hill climbing and cavern exploring in the limestone hills nearby. In Matlock itself ("Old Matlock") you will find most of the buildings which predate the town's spa heyday. St. Giles church is an attractive building with a Perpendicular style west tower and a Norman font (re-discovered in the Rectory garden!).
Overlooking the towns are the rocky crags of High Tor and the Heights of Abraham, so named because a local army officer returning from fighting the French in Quebec with General Wolfe said that it resembled the cliffs along the St. Lawrence River. The Heights can be reached by cable car starting near the railway station. Two showcaves are open to the public at the Heights of Abraham.