Exploring England #22
The Peak District is renowned for its natural beauty. More than 10 million people visit every year to enjoy the excellent walks and beautiful scenery.
While there’s plenty to do above ground, there are also fascinating wonders hidden below the surface; several show caves are located close to Castleton. We visited three and were surprised to discover both their similarities and differences. They are all enormous, natural caverns created long ago by the movement of water and they all show evidence of human intervention. What’s different is the way people have used each cave in the past.
Peak Cavern is the closest to Castleton. A path from the centre of the village passes old miners’ cottages before leading into a forested limestone ravine. The cave entrance, the largest in England, is almost hidden by plants growing in the shadow of the cliffs.
A sign bearing the alternate, original name of the cave greeted us – it’s an indicator of rumbling sounds made by air currents inside. The cave’s name was changed to protect Queen Victoria’s sensibilities before she visited in 1880, but most people prefer the original.
Because of the vast, protected space in the overhang of the cave entrance, it was inhabited by rope makers for more than 400 years and our cave visit began with a demonstration of this craft. Mr ET volunteered his services as apprentice rope maker, turning the handle first one way and then the reverse, to twist the strands of fibre into one strong length of rope.
Once the rope was made we followed a self-guided track into the depths of the cave. The damp and slippery path led to a series of walkways and platforms high in the airy spaces above the cavern floor. Here the constant sound of running water echoed off the yellow limestone walls.
Water also features at Speedwell Cavern, a short drive from Castleton at the base of Winnats Pass.
The cavern itself is 200 metres underground and can only be reached by boat! Narrow water-filled tunnels created by lead miners in the 1770s go deep inside the mountain, and, with just a few centimetres between our heads and the roof, safety helmets were necessary for the 800 metre ride to the cavern.
After the closeness of the boat ride, the natural space of the cave seemed immense. The roof is so high it cannot be seen from the cave’s floor while to one side the Bottomless Pit, a naturally formed shaft, falls away another 150 metres into the depths of the cave. The 18th century miners tossed their mine spoil into the pit, but it barely made an impact.
At the top of Winnats Pass is the entrance to Blue John Cavern, where mining has made an impact on the cave.
Semi-precious Blue John stone is found only in the Castleton area and has been mined since the mid 1760s. Some areas of this cave are still worked – our tour guide mines in the cave in the winter months. The first miners were lowered into the natural cave through a small pothole on the surface but we went 70 metres below ground via steps and a man-made tunnel.
Once inside the cave, our path followed the bed of an ancient underground river which flowed more than 8000 years ago. Fossils are embedded in the cave walls and stalagmites and stalactites decorate each of the six chambers.
Veins of Blue John run across the walls of some of the chambers and, even in the dull electric lighting, the crystals sparkle. Old mining tools have been left near a shaft where the largest known pieces of Blue John were discovered.
We spent a lot of time in the Peak District looking out over the beautiful countryside and green rolling hills. In these three caverns, we discovered a new perspective on the area, our eyes turned upwards to the vast underground spaces that lie hidden beneath.
I laughed out loud on scrolling down and reading the original name of Peak Cavern. If the sounds fit …… 🙂
Isn’t it amazing how we think of the earth as being this sold thing beneath our feet, but really she hides an amazingly dug out and adventurous place! I hadn’t heard of ‘Blue John’ before, so that was interesting to look up and read a bit more about. I do enjoy your posts Carol!
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We laughed too CC! Never did I think the day would come when I would go there! We hadn’t heard of Blue John either. The jewellery and other items made from it were beautiful but very expensive.
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I think I’ve been to all these caves but the only one I remember clearly is Speedwell because of the boat. That makes it stand out against all the others I’ve been to since. You are making me nostalgic for the Peak District.
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We would like to return and do more walking. That boat ride is quite memorable, isn’t it.
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It is, and the whole area is lovely.
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Makes you wonder what’s underneath our house right now! 😀 haha yes I can imagine the debate around the name -“Should we change it?” “Yes” “No!”
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I’m sure there are hidden caves everywhere we don’t know about. That conversation would have been quite interesting. We like the original name!
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You’re braver than I am because I’ve been in caves before and can become slightly claustrophobic. These caves are magnificent and I laughed loudly when I read the original name – what a classic 😀
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That name is a beauty, isn’t it. I was disappointed we didn’t hear any flatulent noises!
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That looks like one amazing day. I’m glad you went and shared the experience because this is an adventure you wouldn’t find me seeking. I have a touch of claustrophobia and that would not be a comfortable place for me. 🙂
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You certainly wouldn’t enjoy the boat ride then. It was very close quarters, with the boat full and the narrow tunnel. I’m glad you came along with me!
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Top story and photos 👏
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Thanks, Glenys.
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Fabulous. I’m another reader that never heard of Blue John. Did you bring some home? Love your photos and the boat sounds exciting. Your series on England is fascinating. Thanks
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Thanks. We hadn’t heard of it either. We didn’t buy any. It was quite expensive. Pretty to look at, though.
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Great photos, Carol! 🙂 I don’t like being underground but I’ve done a few caves.
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These were all great to visit. I quite like caves.
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Like Anabel above, you are making me nostalgic for the Peak District! I recall buying a piece of Blue John as a kid, but don’t remember going down the mine. Lovely account as always Carol
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I’m glad you enjoyed this story, Denzil. We had a lovely day here but it really wasn’t enough. We could easily spend a week exploring the area.
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I have always wanted to travel to England and reading your blog makes me want to go even more. If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of camera do you use for your pictures?
Also, I recently started a travel blog myself. If you want to check it out, here is a link: https://smallpiecebigworld.wordpress.com/
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Hi Jordan. England is beautiful and there is so much to see and do.
My camera is a Panasonic Lumix TZ60. I really like it because it’s compact and light but packed with features. It has an amazing zoom.
Thanks for the link to your blog. I love the idea of following your sports team.
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Wow, what a post and beautiful photos. Very enjoyable reading. Thank You.
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I’m pleased to hear you enjoyed this story. Caves are so interesting.
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They say you learn something new every day…. I had no idea that there were caves/caverns in the Peak District, never mind the different uses that they had. The name of the first one made me smile. 🙂
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There are more than these but we couldn’t fit them all in. I reckon Victoria might have had a secret smile too if she’d known the original name.
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Yes, I think she would probably have found it funny!
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Ooo I am quite brave when it comes to most things like heights… but there’s something about caves that scare me a little. That boat… not sure I could do that, or if I did, I’d be sweating! That’s tight! I love the name though! That made me laugh. I really need to explore this part of the UK! Shame on me.
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There is a lot to see in this area, Ting and we only spent a day. We’d like to go back for longer next time.
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Although I haven’t lived in England long I am constantly looking for new things to do. Your blog is full of such inspiration. I am constantly adding things from it onto my “to do” list. Thanks for sharing this! The caves is something I can’t wait to do!
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Welcome! I’m pleased you’re enjoying my posts about our trip to England. The caves were fantastic. I hope you get to visit them and many of the other places we went to.
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Oh, now I see from your map that Peak District is nowhere near the Lake District. Duh! I should have looked at the map before making my comment on another post. It must have been fun climbing the green peaks and valleys and then seeing the mountains from within. I love the color of the Blue John. I’ve never seen that stone before, I don’t think. 🙂
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Well, considering distances aren’t that great it’s just a couple of hours drive away. The views there are spectacular. This is the only place in the world where Blue John is found.
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Did they sell jewelry made in Blue John? I would have liked to have seen that. 🙂
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Yes, they did have jewellery. Also beautiful bowls and vases. With the exchange rate to consider, it wasn’t cheap so I just enjoyed looking. 🙂
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