Museums & Galleries · Matlock
National Stone Centre
📍 DE4 4FT
Photo: Peter Barr (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons
- Geo-trails to find fossils
- Gem-panning activity for families
- Children's playground on site
- Onsite cafe and Rock Shop for souvenirs
- 40-acre natural landscape with geological formations
The National Stone Centre is a 40-acre site of natural landscape on the edge of the Peak District, just 30 minutes north of Derby in the Derbyshire Dales. It makes for an educational family day out exploring geology, with geo-trails to find fossils, gem-panning and a children's playground to keep younger visitors entertained. There's an onsite cafe for refreshments and a Rock Shop selling mementoes. The site is open all year round and free to access, and it's also a Site of Special Scientific Interest. If you're staying nearby, Cromford station is 1.7 miles away, and there are 113 bookable places to stay within 5 miles, making this an easy addition to a Derbyshire Dales visit.
Practical details
- Open
- Open all year round and free to access
- Best for
- An educational family day out
- Accessibility
- Site of Special Scientific Interest with 330 million-year-old formations
From the attraction's own website on 19 Oct 2026 — check before you travel.
Facilities
- ✓ Cafe
- ✓ Playground
- ✓ Disabled Access
- ✓ Gift Shop
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Make a proper break of it — these stays are all within 25 miles.
0.4 mi
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🗓️ Make a break of it
Turn a visit to National Stone Centre into a proper getaway — ready-made plans, and the drive worked out with fuel, EV charging and the best stops.
A weekend in Matlock: an accessible itinerary →
A weekend in Matlock with the kids →
A weekend in Matlock →
🗺️ Plan the drive to National Stone Centre
🚆 Or come by train
- Cromford 1.7 miles
- Matlock Bath 2.1 miles
- Whatstandwell 3 miles
Straight-line distances · live departures on each station page