Castleton a real eye opener , Ultimate day out to visit caves and cavens (Castleton in general)

Member Name: bubbles12

Product:	Castleton in general
Date:	20/04/08 (219 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: educational for kids, Firendly, well priced, good shop and pubs.

Disadvantages: None.

On a recent trip to Castleton I was amazed how hospitable this place was. I was less than impressed when we were visiting my sister in law and she suggested a visit to Castleton, I don't do history, walks or anything like it.

So off we went with me moaning quietly, as I didn't want to offend the family, the weather was miserable and so was I as we stepped out of the car. We decided to visit one of the caverns located within Castleton itself, WOW I s was so surprised I totally loved it, yes it's not my usual scene but I found myself picking up leaflet after leaflet and reading about the place.

We visited caverns and had a really good look round before settling in the local pub for a great British pub meal and a few beers.

My impression of this lovely little place has totally changed and I can't say enough about it, I now need to learn not to judge before I try things.

RUNDOWN

Castleton, like many attractions in Derbyshire, has a nickname; 'Gem of the Peaks'. Castleton lies in the Hope Valley between the Dark and the White Peak areas of the Peak District. The Dark Peak to the north is the area of the Gritstone edges, some of the more well known being Froggatt Edge and Kinder Downfall, whereas the White Peak to the south is the area with the Limestone plateaus.

Castleton has a population of around 1,200 people and is a very popular place with visitors. This may be due to Castleton having almost everything a visitor could want. It has spectacular scenery, a ruined Norman castle (peveril castle) dominates Castleton, fascinating Geology, good walks for all abilities, a pretty village, many events throughout the year and a large car park.

Castleton itself dates from 1198 and is named after the castle (Castle town)! The earliest known settlement was the Iron Age fort on the top of Mam Tor, although it is thought that the there was settlement in the Bronze Age (around 1,400 BC). Even earlier traces of Stone Age man has been discovered in some caves on Treak Cliff - less than a mile from the centre of Castleton.

ATTRACTIONS

RERVIL CASTLE. This Norman castle was built by William the conqueror's son, William Peveril in 1080. It was built to oversee the King's Royal Forest of the Peak, although little of the forest now remains. Originally it was a wooden building but was rebuilt in stone around 1175 and this is the keep we can see today. The present keep was built under the direction of King Henry II. It was here in 1157 that Henry accepted the submission of King Malcolm of Scotland.

At the moment Peveril Castle is run by the English Heritage. It is open every day from 1st April to 31st October and Thursday to Monday from 1st November to 20th March. It is closed on Christmas Eve to Boxing Day and on New Year's Day.

There is a visitor centre which opened in 2006 and tells the story of Peveril as the focal point of the Royal Forest of the Peak, a hunting preserve for the Monarchs. Entrance to the castle and visitor center costs £3.50 for adults and £1.80 for children.

FARMERS MARKET this is a selection of local farmers selling local produce, this market takes place in Castleton on the first Sunday of every month.

PEAK CAVERN DEVILS ARSE CAVE This cave was formally known as the 'Devils Arse' before being called Peak Cavern and was recently renamed to the 'Devils Arse'. It is in the centre of the village. It has the largest natural cave entrance in Britain and the second largest in the world! It even claims to have had a pub in it at one time.

Rope was made in this cave system, the damp atmosphere being a favourable environment for rope making. Bert Marrison, the last rope maker in Castleton, worked here. His ashes, along with some of his tools, are buried in Peak cavern.

People that would like to visit both peak cavern and speedwell cavern can purchase a joint ticket, with a 15% reduction on combined entry prices.

Peak cavern is open 7 days a week from April to the end of October. It only opens at weekends for the rest of the year. Entrance is £6.75 for adults and £4.75 for children. A family ticket is available (2 adults and 2 children) for £20.00.

SPEEDWELL CAVERN is at the foot of Winnats Pass. Being only 1000 metres (0.6 miles) from the centre of the village of Castleton, it is a very gentle walk along the road.

This cave began life in the 18th century as a lead mine, but due to the limited amount of lead it closed after 20 years. During the lead mining period the system was flooded. So, unlike the other show caves, this cave can only be explored by underground boat. This underground canal is about 800 metres long and takes the subterranean seafarer to a so called bottomless pit.

Entrance cost is £7.25 for adults and £5.25 for children. A family ticket is available (2 adults and 2 children) for £25.

TREAK CLIFF CAVERN has the nicest formations. Treak Cliff Cavern has wonderful names for the caverns within it - names such as Witches Cave, Aladdin's Cave, Fairyland, the Dream Cave and the Dome of St Paul's all with an abundance of stalactites and stalagmites.

Treak Cliff cavern was opened to public visitors 1935. Entrance to this is near the gift and coffee shop in Castleton. Exit from the cave system is through an adit driven during the 1920's spar mining operations.

Admission is £7 for adults and £3.60 for children.

BLUE JOHN CAVAN clearly shows how the caverns are formed in limestone and how the limestone itself had much earlier been formed by the deposits on the floors of great oceans which have long since receded, as the fossilised remains of marine animals now show.

The Cavern is well illuminated by electric lighting. It has been suggested that the Blue John Cavern is the finest that can be seen by the general public in Western Europe. And in my opinion the best to visit.

This too costs £7 for adults and £3.60 for children.

MAM TOR THE SHIVERING MOUNTAIN

The A625 is the road used to run at the foot of Mam Tor Shivering Mountain. The Mam Tor is composed of horizontal layers of shales and gritstone. As water and ice work their way into these layers, they start to crumble, and the hill side is said to shiver ( hence the name shivering mountain). This had caused many problems for road engineers as the crumbling leads to land slips. These land slips have made the road unstable. Often in the past the road suffered from the land slips and has had to be rebuilt, the road had to be closed. Making the Winnats Pass the only road to the west of Castleton, since the closing of the Mam Tor road.Winnats Pass gets its name from Wind Gates and is a spectacular limestone gorge.

It is possible to still walk along the remains of the Mam Tor road that, in places, is reminiscent of an earthquake zone.

Mam Tor was a late Bronze or early Iron age hill fort, although there is little evidence nowadays. It is a steep climb to the top of Mam Tor, but well worth the walk. From the top of Mam Tor, extensive views of the Hope valley are possible.

SCENIC WALKS

It is also possible to walk along footpaths back to Castleton. From Mam Tor, follow the footpath along the ridge for about 700 metres to where several footpaths meet at a point called Hollins Cross.

To the left is Edale, directly ahead is the hill known as Lose Hill, and to the right is the Hope Valley. In the dip of the ridge, at Hollins Cross, is a marker stone that shows the paths off of the ridge. Take the path to Castleton that is only 1.5 miles away and all downhill. Which is a must in my book.

CONCLUSION

Castleton is very easy to get to and very well sign posted, it is ideal for great family days out and is great entertainment at affordable prices. If you try Castleton you can just go for a walk and browse the surrounding scenery at no cost. But I would highly recommend a visit to at least one of the caverns.

Castleton has a number of pubs and coffee shops, which cater for all your needs. I would highly recommend the castle hotel for affordable real pub grub. It is all homemade and tastes amazing just what is needed after a day in the caverns.

There are many little souvenir shop located in the town, the sell semi precious stones, blue john ornaments and keep sakes ect. So if you want to take away a memory of Castleton I would advise you buy from these little shops as they are a little cheaper than the caverns and visitor center.

I will defiantly visit Castleton again, as I found a day there was not enough as there is plenty to do and see.

Summary: Great day out for everyone, things to entertain and suit all walks of life.