Over in the Peak District just over an hour from Leeds is one of the country's most beautiful attractions.
Known as the Heights of Abraham, it's considered to be so picturesque that locals to the area have nicknamed it 'Little Switzerland'.
Whilst the area's rolling green hills certainly have a part to play, it's the eye-catching famous cable cars that really give you that feeling of being abroad, high up in the mountain ranges - allowing you to travel high above the Derwent Valley.
The Heights of Abraham in the Peak District. Credit: Supplied
Visitors to the hilltop park can travel 554 ft uphill to the summit and imagine they’ve transported themselves to the Swiss Alps, reports The Manc.
From the top, there are views of the lush countryside of Derbyshire and of the pretty village of Matlock Bath.
The Heights of Abraham is on the eastern side of the Peak District, reachable by car in around an hour and a half from Leeds
As well as the cable cars and the sweeping views, you can also explore two incredible, illuminated caverns.
Masson Cavern at the Heights of Abraham. Credit: Supplied
Guided tours will take you deep into the hillside where professional guides will tell tales of mining, geology and tourism.
Both the Vista restaurant and the Terrace Cafe stand at around 1000ft above sea level, with views served up alongside local ales and gins, as well as tea and cake.
The Heights of Abraham closes for a short time every winter but is finally back open for business from 11 February and throughout the summer.
The Vista restaurant
New this season will be a trail of willow sculptures by Caroline Gregson, and 12 new butterflies suspended in the treetops.
The estate has actually been welcoming visitors since 1787, when a local hotel owner decided to create a ‘pleasure ground’ for the wealthy Georgian tourists who flocked to the area.
People in those days believed that swimming in the waters around Matlock Bath would improve their health.
After seven years of planting exotic trees and shrubs, tourists began to climb the paths to take in the 360-degree views from the summit.
In 1810, the Great Rutland Cavern opened to the public, followed by the Great Masson Cavern in 1844, with ex-miners acting as tour guides.
The current owners of the Heights of Abraham bought the estate in 1974 and added the cable car 10 years later.
Tickets to visit cost £22 per adult, £15.00 per child and £68.00 for a family of two adults and two children (under fives go free), which includes a cable car flight, two guided cavern tours, access to two adventure playgrounds, a heritage trail, exhibitions, the willow sculptures, the treetop butterfly trail, the restaurant and cafe, and self-guided audio tours.
The Heights offers 20% off to those who work for the NHS, have a Blue Light Card, MOD90/DDS card or MAX card. Take the train or bus to Matlock Bath and save 20% on your tickets too.
Featured image: Supplied
Feature
Architects secure planning permission for jaw-dropping ‘boulder house’ on Ilkley Moor
A house that looks good enough for James Bond is set to be built on Ilkley Moor.
Is that a formation of angular grey rocks sitting atop of the Yorkshire dales? No, it's a house.
The wildly contemporary structure, which has huge irregular-shaped windows and a natural outdoor pool, is based off the famous Cow and Calf Rocks in Ilkley, West Yorkshire.
It will be built just down the road from them too, on green belt land which is the garden of a home off Heber's Ghyll Drive.
Images: Shaw & Jagger Architects
It is the work of Harrogate-based architects Shaw & Jagger, who said the project was passed through the country house clause which allows things to be built on green belt for buildings of "exceptional quality".
The house itself has been named 'Fomorian', after a supernatural race of giants in Irish mythology. The name takes inspiration from the mythical giant Rombald who is said to have roamed on Ilkley Moor.
Images: Shaw & Jagger Architects
Shaw & Jagger wrote: "The design approach was to propose a scheme that is intrinsically linked to the spirit of its place. Fomorian is of its place, part of the Moors, its geology and its spirit.
"We took cues from local folklore, the surrounding rocks; ancient carvings, standing stones and escarpments that are synonymous with the landscape.
"The building depicts a series of monolithic elements embedded in the earth as the wild, dramatic environment looms around, attempting to overcome them. The building is new, yet part of this ancient landscape.
Images: Shaw & Jagger Architects
"Fomorian is to be built over the next couple of years and will provide family accommodation consisting of 4 bedrooms, kitchen, dining room, sitting room and study.
"It was important to offer the client viable outside space therefore a paved courtyard garden allows external living to be within the heart of the plan. The abstract rock forms allow the design to have exciting internal spaces with large irregular windows designed to maximise views out across the valley."
A pub in Leeds has been crowned the third best in Britain by The Good Food Guide
Clementine Hall
A Leeds pub has been crowned one of the very best in the country by The Good Food Guide.
The trusted guide has just released its 100 Best Pubs in Britain list, and we're very chuffed with the results indeed.
Taking the coveted number three spot is our very own The Highland Laddie, a 100-year-old city centre institution that reopened in April 2025 in the hands of new owners Sam Pullan and Nicole Deighton.
These guys also run the Empire Cafe, so you just know it's going to be good.
Last year they soared straight to the top of the list and were crowned the best pub in the whole of Britain by the guide.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
This time, the Queen's Arms over in Eccles came number one followed by The Cow in Notting Hill.
We still think bagging third place is quite the achievement, and if you've visited The Highland Laddie yourself you'll know just how much of a special place it is.
Don't just take our word for it, The Good Food Guide labelled the Laddie as 'a true pub with a genuine community vibe'.
They also said: "Reenergised by the team behind the Empire Cafe in 2025, this is everything that a proper English pub should be – 'oh, and they have a mustard menu!'
"Inside, the Laddie ticks all the boxes, preserving the essentials of a traditional old-school boozer and maintaining a genuine sense of community while letting the good times roll. As for the food, it’s ‘both high-end and accessible’, pulling in ideas from all over, whether you fancy a freshly shucked Lindisfarne oyster, a keema toastie or an elevated ham roll with bread cooked over the coals.
"Dig deeper and you might find a lobster madeleine with Yorkshire chorizo butter, a treacle onion tart or pork schnitzel with two fried eggs. Club steaks are served by the inch, there’s no creative let-up when it comes to sides, and the nostalgia is ramped up with the likes of strawberry and Champagne trifle with ‘sprinkles’.
"But never forget that this is a self-proclaimed ‘drinkers’ pub’ dispensing everything from ‘properly served’ British brews and ’the best Guinness in Leeds’ to a staggering line-up of whisky optics."
Georgina Pellant -
10th June 2022 
