There are few places like Matlock Bath.

An estimated 1.6 million people flock to the village each year. It is often dubbed Derbyshire's "inland seaside resort", or the "seaside resort without the sea", given it sits roughly 70 miles from the nearest coastline.

Visitors are attracted by its theme park, cable cars, amusement arcades and the aquarium - but also the allure of gentle strolls through historic riverside parks to demanding yomps over the mountainous countryside.

And of course, fish and chips.

But for those living in Matlock Bath - which had a population of 671 at the last Census - there remains concern about making the village work for everybody.

Earlier in the summer, a police inspector, MP and delegates from three councils gathered to discuss these concerns.

Enjoying the sunshine in sandals and shorts, the day trippers had convened to discuss an almost unanswerable question - how do you solve a problem like Matlock Bath?

While the answer might be simple on paper - traffic calming, more car parking, maybe a bypass road - making Matlock Bath work for all is not an easy path to navigate.

Peter Baranek, of Matlock Bath Parish Council, said the village - not to be confused with nearby Matlock - "doubles up as people's Alps, people's seaside".

After thermal springs were found in the 17th Century, baths were built that attracted rich day trippers and a tourist trade sprung up, with parks and promenades and then the arrival of the railways.

Princess Victoria visited the village in 1831, while Lord Byron likened the valley to "an Alpine Switzerland".

But, as Baranek explains, Matlock Bath is still a place where people live.

"It's not just a holiday place," he said. "People live here and they're affected by the tourism.

"We then have the tourists and let's be honest, that's Matlock Bath's raison d'etre. It was built because people came to visit because of the thermal water. We've got records going back to 1698, we've been welcoming visitors since then.

"The third ingredient is Matlock Bath is on the A6, it's the main thoroughfare.

"When the tourism side explodes like it does on nice sunny days, we have a massive influx and when that happens, everything grinds to a halt."

Anyone who has decided to spend the day in Matlock Bath will be familiar with the scenes.

Car parks filled to capacity, with drivers left cruising up and down for a space with only an hourly train service offering an alternative to driving, rows and rows of motorcycles parked up along the North and South Parades, and with the amount of pedestrians wanting to cross the road, it makes for slow going for everybody.

Resident Leanne Cooper, who has only recently moved from Wingerworth in Derbyshire, summed the issue up.

"The traffic is a nightmare to get in and out but other than that it's lovely," she said.

These issues are nothing new. Even in the days of Covid-19, when people were being asked to socially distance, the village saw "extremely high" visitor numbers leading to "tightly-packed crowds".

The problem is compounded by Matlock Bath sitting within easy driving distance of cities like Derby, Nottingham, Sheffield, Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent.

"I tend to call [the visitors] an invasion," Baranek said. "It happens when you get a sudden nice day. It's a tradition."

This March, with the first sunny weather of the year, things came to a standstill, Baranek recalls.

Temporary signage was put up soon after, encouraging visitors to not park on pavements or cause an obstruction.

"Although on-street parking is not our responsibility, we did agree with Derbyshire County Council to put up temporary laminated signs asking visitors to park respectfully," a Derbyshire Dales District Council spokesperson confirmed.

"But, on two occasions, these were removed."

Of course, Matlock Bath is not alone. Across the Peak District, tourism brings with it issues as well as opportunities - from roads being blocked by people trying to catch a glimpse of the sunset at Mam Tor, to chaos among the crowds flocking to Dovedale's famous stepping stones.

Pushing for a more permanent fix for Matlock Bath's problems, the parish contacted MP John Whitby, who led a meeting in the village "to see first-hand the impact that the huge number of vehicles travelling through the village is having, and to discuss proposed solutions".

Whitby said: "It's a village that thrives on tourism.

"And it was clear from our conversation that residents and elected councillors want to continue to welcome visitors to enjoy the stunning scenery and all of the attractions on offer.

"However, our roads were simply not designed for the number of visitors that now arrive by car or motorcycle, and the setting of the village in the gorge means that we need to think differently about how to manage visitor numbers."

Insp John Troup added that police attended and "suggestions for traffic calming measures and protecting pedestrian areas were discussed".

But fast-forward three months and with colder weather ahead and the last hurrah of the season, the Illuminations, under way, any impetus seems to have cooled off, which Baranek called "frustrating".

"I've had a meeting with the cabinet member for the county council, and she agrees something's got to be done," Baranek said. "But the county have got no funding to do anything, and we're talking big bucks.

"The MP's office are supposed to be liaising with the mayor's office to see if we can get funding, but of course I think lots of people are approaching the mayor's office for various things.

"So we've ground to a halt on long-term projects."

Short-term, the parish has secured a grant for improved signage to direct people to the available car parks.

But the wishlist of projects the council would like to explore runs much longer.

Parking enforcement being carried out at peak times, and digital signs advising where the spaces are on the approach to the village are among easier to accomplish suggestions.

More drastic plans could see a 20mph limit through the village, raised speed hump-style crossings for pedestrians, and reworking the North and South Parades to return to a traditional pedestrian-centred promenade with more seating and planters - although long-term infrastructure solutions that might work elsewhere, like bypass roads or building additional car parks, just do not fit with the geography of Matlock Bath's steep slopes.

"As long as the traffic was flowing I think people would accept it," Baranek said. "It's about getting the balance right."

But all schemes, according to the highways authority Derbyshire County Council, have to be assessed against competing demands for funding from across the county, and prioritised "based on an evidence-led assessment process".

While not commenting specifically on any plans for Matlock Bath, it said resources were directed to "where the greatest road safety benefits can be achieved".

So for now, when the sun shines again come spring, it will be business as usual in Matlock Bath.

Villager David Cook said: "I wish the motorbikers would be made to pay their share, made to pay a 50 pence or one pound parking charge.

"They will come and they will park on the pavements, and that's extremely irritating because you can't get through."

Peter George, from the Promenade Fish Bar, said: "It's a tourist area, people come from all over England here, there's bikers that come from all over the place, like a meeting point.

"Places for tourists, you need to be more attractive, you know what I mean? Because Matlock Bath is a place where people always come back."

And resident Kim McDonald, who was out walking her dog Barney, said: "They need more parking but where they would do it, I don't know. The traffic officers need to be around all the time, not on a city time like at seven o'clock in the morning.

"It's lovely, and I love living here, don't get me wrong, but at the weekends, it is crazy.

"The weekends, me and my husband, we don't go out, it's like lockdown because it takes so long to get out of here."