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Riber
Riber is a hamlet just outside of Matlock and sits above the spectacular limestone gorge of Matlock Bath, boasting some of the finest and most dramatic views to be found anywhere in Derbyshire. By travelling also a gently rising lane which leads westward some one and a half miles from Lea and Holloway you will arrive at Riber. From this direction the lane leading to Riber runs up through lush meadows, and the tiny settlement of some sixty inhabitants nestles amongst a collection of lime, fir and copper beech trees which surround the ancient walls of Riber Hall. Riber Hall, with its walled garden and wooded grounds stands beside a narrow lane leading into the hamlet, and is dated 1661. These days, with its twin gables facing the rising sun, it is a rather splendid up-market hotel catering for the well-heeled visitor and particularly popular with tourists from home and abroad for whom it provides a quaint and authentic ‘olde worlde’ English atmosphere.
The walk from Riber Castle to Willersley Castle at Cromford along the undulating Starkholmes Road is both exhilarating and spectacular, and is incredibly popular with walkers. Beyond Starkholmes Post Office, which is the village’s only shop, Riber Road rises steeply on the left and spectacular modern dwellings are perched precariously on the hillside.
There’s a dip in the natural contour of the land here which allows a fabulous birds-eye view of Matlock Bath and the cable-cars climbing up to the towering Heights of Abraham opposite, an appropriate place to bide awhile and reflect on the history surrounding this spectacular village hamlet of Riber, with it’s famous castle landmark and fabulous hotel. Almost within touching distance of Riber Hall & Castle lies the manor of Dethick, with the perpendicular tower of the 13th century Dethick Church rising amongst the surrounding trees. Dethick Manor was the ancient home of Antony Babington, who in the 16th century led the plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth 1st and put the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots on the English throne. Babington died a gruesome death at the hands of Elizabeth’s executioners at the Tower of London in 1578.
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