Matlock Bath Aquarium and arcade

The arcade and aquarium in Matlock Bath feels like a proper throwback - the kind of place that's been pulling in families since the 1980s and hasn't really changed much since. You get a small but decent collection of fish tanks to wander through, nothing that'll knock your socks off compared to something like the National Sea Life Centre, but it does the job on a wet afternoon. The arcade machines are the real draw here, honestly. Old-school games, newer ones, the lot - kids will either love it for an hour or get bored quite quickly depending on their tolerance for flashing lights and button-mashing.

Matlock Bath itself is the kind of quirky riverside town that rewards a proper poke around. The aquarium fits in as a rainy-day backup plan rather than a main event. It's the sort of thing you'll do if you're already in the area with children who need occupying. Not exactly a reason to pick the location on its own, but handy if you're staying at one of the nearby parks like Packhorse Farm or Hoe Grange Holidays.

If you're basing yourself locally, combine it with a walk along the river or into the gorge itself - that's where the real attraction lies. The town's got enough going on to keep a family busy for a day: the cable car, the Heights of Abraham, various caves dotted about. The aquarium is a filler, a 45-minute job on a damp day. Worth knowing about if you need it, not worth planning your entire trip around.