Riber is a hamlet

Hamlet (place)

A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...

  in the Derbyshire Dales

Derbyshire Dales

Derbyshire Dales is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. Much of the district is situated in the Peak District, although most of its population lies along the River Derwent....

, lying within the boundaries of the town of Matlock. It is situated high on a hill

Hill

A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...

 overlooking the town and also Matlock Bath

Matlock Bath

Matlock Bath is a village south of Matlock in Derbyshire, England. Built along the River Derwent, it developed, in the 19th century, as a spa town and still thrives on tourism.-History:In 1698 warm springs were discovered and a Bath House was built...

.

Riber is famous for its castle

Riber Castle

Riber Castle is a 19th century Grade II listed country house situated in the hamlet of Riber on a hill overlooking Matlock, Derbyshire. It was built by John Smedley in 1862 as his private home...

, which is currently a ruin, and the former wildlife park

Zoo

A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....

, which closed in the late 1990s due to financial loss and criticisms of the way many of the animals were kept.

Riber also gives its name to the Beast of Riber

Beast of Riber

The Beast of Riber is an alleged wild animal that may live in the Derbyshire Dales in England around the hamlet of Riber near Matlock.Some believe it to be a phantom wild cat, like the Beast of Bodmin, whilst other contest that it is simply a fox or other similar creature. Some suggest that the...

 - once thought to be a phantom cat

Phantom cat

Phantom cats, also known as Alien Big Cats , are large felines, such as jaguars or cougars, which have been purported to appear in regions outside their indigenous range...

has now been identified as an intoxicated Nathalie Pearce.