Matlock Boats and Train
ENTRY
from £1
SETTING
Outdoors
WHERE
Matlock
What it’s like
A £1 miniature train ride and £6 motorboat hire on the lake, no booking needed.
Two things to do here and both are cheap. Little David, the miniature train, will take you round for £1 a go, and if that whets the appetite there are motorboats to hire on the Jubilee boating lake at £6 a boat, up to three people squeezed in together.
It only runs at weekends in term time and daily through the school holidays, 10:30 to 4:30, and it's weather dependent so a grey drizzly Tuesday might not be your day. There's no booking system at all, you just turn up, which makes it an easy add-on to a park visit rather than something you plan your whole day around.
It shuts for the winter, October to March, so this is very much a spring and summer thing. Budget half an hour to an hour if you're doing both the train and a boat, less if it's just the train ride.
Facilities
Need to know
- Booking
- No booking needed, walk-ups welcome
- Closed October to March, so check the season before you head out
- No booking, just turn up on the day
- Boats take up to three people per boat at £6
- Weather can stop play, so have a backup in mind for a wet day
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
The train ride is £1. Boat hire is £6 per boat and fits up to three people.
Do we need to book?
No, it's walk-up only, no booking needed.
What are the opening hours?
10:30am to 4:30pm, weekends in term time and every day during school holidays.
Is it open all year?
No, it closes from October to March.
What if it's raining?
It's weather dependent, so it may not run in poor weather.
Rides
Boating Lake
thrill 1/5 · outdoorsMotorboat rides on the Jubilee boating lake, first opened 1935.
Little David
thrill 1/5 · outdoorsMiniature train ride on a 200ft track beside the River Derwent.
See all Model Villages & Miniature Railways in Derby · Things to do in Derby
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