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what to see in castleton,what to do in castleton


  




Castleton in Derbyshire

what to see in Castleton and what to do in Castleton

Castleton is an outstandingly pretty village situated at the head of the lovely Vale of Hope, in the heart of the Derbyshire Peak District National Park. Castleton is surrounded on 3 sides by steep hills and the mighty bulk of Mam Tor looms high, 2 miles to the north west of the village. On a hill, overlooking Castleton, is the ancient Peveril Castle.

Castleton has 4 underground show caves, all worth a visit, for their own interesting features. These are Blue John Cavern, Speedwell Cavern, Treak Cliff Cavern and Peak Cavern.

Blue John Cavern and Treak Cliff contain the treasured, pretty blue and yellow fluorspar called Blue John. It was first mined at Treak Cliff and by 1770, 16 mines were extracting the stone and selling it to several firms in Derbyshire who turned it into ornaments, vases, clocks and jewellry. Blue John is only found in this area of Britain, andsmall pieces of the mineral are still plentiful, large pieces are now rare.

Peak Cavern is the source of the village river, Peakshole Water and as such it is the only Cavern that has to be closed during the winter due to flooding. In the mouth of the cave, the largest in Britain, rope makers use to live and work. Their cottages have been demolished but 'rope walks' are still to be found. The show cave is only part of a much larger cave system which attracts cavers from all over the world.

Speedwell Cavern is special because the main workings and its 'bottomless pit' can only be reached by boat along an underground canal.



Photograph from  Castleton
Castleton
Photograph from Castleton
Winnats at Castleton
Photograph from  Castleton
Castleton chapel
Photograph from Castleton
Ridge at Castleton
Photograph from  Castleton
Ridge at Castleton
Photograph from Castleton
Peveril Castle at Castleton
Photograph from  Castleton
St Edmunds church at Castleton
Photograph from Castleton
Pub at Castleton
Photograph from  Castleton
Castleton
Photograph from Castleton
Peak Cavern at Castleton
Photograph from  Castleton
Oak Apple Day at Castleton
Photograph from Castleton
Winter at Castleton
Photograph from Castleton
Winter at Castleton
Photograph from Castleton
Winter at Castleton
Photograph from Castleton
Winter at Castleton
Photograph from Castleton
Winter at Castleton
Photograph from Castleton
Winter at Castleton
Photograph from Castleton
Speedwell Cavern at Castleton


Oak Apple Day, the 29th May, has been celebrated as Castleton Garland Day for many a year. It is a time of considerable pageantry with people dressing in Stuart fashions and choosing a King and a Queen for the day. They lead a procession through the village, the King covered in a great cone of flowers. Girls dance and everyone welcomes in the summer.

Aside from the castle, some of the older buildings in the village are the Castle Hotel, dating back to the 17th century, and Castleton Hall, a fine 17th house, now a Youth Hostel. The Celts were the first peple to settle in the Castleton area. On Mamtor, also known as the shivering mountain, are the remains of a Celtic hill fort on summit, an enclosure of 16 acres at an altitude of 1700ft. The Celts were displaced by the Romans who started mining the rich lead viens, bringing prosperity to the area. Shortly after 1066, William the Conquerer started building castles all over the country and the one at Castleton was given to his son,William Peveril in 1086, and so became Peveril Castle. The keep was added later, in 1176. It never saw battle and was occupied as a dwelling until 1480. The village grew up under the protection of the castle.

St Edmunds Church may originally have been a garrison church to the castle. It has a broad Norman Chancel Arch, Perp west tower, ashlar faced with diagonal buttresses, battlements and eight pinnacles. It was heavily restored in 1837 when the aisle was removed. It contains some excellently preserved Box pews from the 17th century with dates on.

Castleton has a lot to offer the large numbers of visitors it attracts in terms of interest and history and has always attracted many visitors. There is a large carpark and plenty of onroad parking during busy times. Castleton is famous for its display of Christmas lights and decorations during the festive season. The many shops offering everything from outdoor clothing to gifts stay open late. Castleton is popular with walkers with many public footpaths leading from the village. A short strenuous walk up onto the Great Ridge provides magnificent views of both Edale Vale and the Hope Valley.

For places to eat and drink in Castleton and the Hope Valley see Castleton Food and Drink

Castleton Visitor Centre
Castle Street
Castleton
Hope Valley
Derbyshire S33 8WG
Tel: 01433 620679
Email castleton@peakdistrict.gov.uk

Opening times 2017 :

January: Weekdays 10.30am – 4.00pm, Weekends 10.30 – 4.30pm
February: Weekdays 10.30am – 4.00pm, Weekends & half term (13th – 21st February) 10.30am – 5.00pm
March: 10:30am-5:00pm
April: 10am-5pm daily
May: 10am-5pm daily
29th May (Garland Day) 10am-6pm
1 June – 22 July: 10am-5pm daily
23 July – 4 September: 10am-5:30pm daily
5 September – 31 October: 10am-5pm daily
November: 10:30am-5pm daily

Castleton visitor centre is situated at the very heart of the village. The centre houses a fascinating museum as well as a full range of tourist information services.

Castleton information centre services include accommodation bookings, local theatre bookings, brochures, up to date information on events, attractions and the Peak District National Park.

Contains changing displays in the exhibition room, which shows off the talents of local artists, photographers and crafts people.

See also Edale

Castleton main attractions information at a glance

Peveril Castle
Market Place, Castleton, Hope Valley, S33 8WQ Carol Clemett: English Heritage Tel/Fax: 01433 620613
Website: www.english-heritage.org.uk
The impressive remains of one of England's first Norman Castles with spectacular views across the Peak District. Historically themed gift shop at admission point.

Peak Cavern
Peak cavern Walk, Castleton, Hope Valley, S33 8WS Tel: 01433 620285
Website: www.devilsarse.com

A spectacular cavern containing historic ropeworks inside Britain's largest cave entrance. Come and discover why it is called "The Devil's Arse!".

Speedwell Cavern
Winnats Pass, Castleton, Hope Valley, S33 8WA Tel: 01433 620512 Fax: 01433 621888
Website: www.speedwellcavern.co.uk

After descending 105 steps the visitor takes an underground boat ride through this fantastic 18th century lead mine visiting the world-renowned bottomless pit.

Treak Cliff Cavern
Buxton Road, Castleton ,Hope Valley, S33 8WP Tel: 01433 620571 Fax: 01433 620519
Website: www.bluejohnstone.com

An underground wonderland of stalactites and stalagmites, minerals and fossils. Home of Blue John Stone. Special events, polish your own Blue John and Carols by Candlelight.

Tourist Information for Castleton

How to get to Castleton

By bus: The 272 bus is an hourly service to and from Sheffield.
Bus times can be found in the Peak District Bus Timetable, published in March and October. It is available from any Tourist Information Centre in the area.

By railway: The nearest station to Castleton is Hope (Derbyshire) Station which is 2½ miles to the east of Castleton. For information on train times and fares on all these routes, you can call National Rail Enquiries on 08457 484950, or visit www.nationalrail.co.uk

By road: The best exit points from the motorways are:
Northbound on M1 - exit 29 to A671
Southbound on M1 - exit 36 to A61 and then on to the A57
Northbound on M6 - exit 14 to A34 and then on to the A520
Southbound on M6/M56/M60 - exit 27 on to the M60 and then on to the A6
From the east (M1/Sheffield/Chesterfield) take the A6187 into Castleton
From the west (M6/Chapel-en-le-Frith/Buxton) take unclassified road from Chapel-en-le-Frith towards Castleton

Car Parks in Castleton

Castleton pay and display car park next to the Visitor Centre. Number of spaces: 133 (8 disabled) . 2 spaces are reserved for disabled people close to the toilets.

Mam Nick Car Park A steeply sloping site close to Mam Tor on the A625 Rushup Edge road. Pay and display, free to blue badge holders. No toilets

Blue John Cavern - This cul-de-sac at the top of the closed Mam Tor road provides parking for visitors to the Blue John Cavern and others wishing to see the remains of the road which is steadily being lost in a landslip. A parking bay has been constructed by Derbyshire County Council for disabled people to sit and enjoy the splendid view over the Hope Valley, Win Hill and the Mam Tor ridge.

Plenty of on road parking

Doctors in Castleton

Evelyn Medical Centre Marsh Avenue, Hope Valley. Tel 01433 621557

Holiday Accommodation in Castleton

Cliffe Holiday Cottage - Cliffe Cottage nestling at the mouth of The Peak Cavern in an absolutely spectacular and unspoilt location, is a three bedroomed Peak District cottage appointed to a high standard, ideal for a family holiday or couples wanting a romantic break. The nearest shop is 300 metres away as are a number of excellent Pubs and Restaurants. The cottage sleeps 6, split as two double rooms and one twin room all of which are on the first floor. Read more at Cliffe Holiday Cottage

For more accommodation see

Derbyshire and Peak District Accommodation





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