Apart from the spa town of Buxton, Castleton must surely rank among the most popularly visited places within the Peak District. The landscape is stunningly beautiful and further more, there is so much to see and things to do while you are there.

Castleton sits right on the very northern edge of the White Peak and is barely a stones throw from the renown Pennine Way on the grit stone moorland near Edale to the north. From within the village, the visitor cannot help but be in awe of the sight that greets them towards the west, this is Mam Tor, also known as the ‘Shivering Mountain’.

This is aptly named and it is all due to the collapse of the geological structure through the gradual weathering of layers of sandstone and shales which make up the structure of this mountain.

This continual action frequently sees the crumbling away of these rocks from the exposed face of Mam Tor and indeed, this has more recently caused the road that once passed at its foot, to fall away and become quite impassable.

Another natural formation can be found not far from the centre of Castleton, the Winnats Pass, a hugh cleft in the limestone that is situated just beyond the village in the shadow of Mam Tor.

Here, as in a number of locations in and around the village, there is a grand show cave where to reach its famed ‘Bottomless Pit’ the visitor must travel along an underground canal by boat. This is the Speedwell Cavern.

Other caverns which are enormous tourist attractions are: Peak Cavern with its huge open entrance beneath the remains of a Norman castle. Closer to Mam Tor there is the Blue John Cavern, made famous for its Blue John stone, a semi-precious material that is worked to make jewellery.


Another cavern where Blue John is mined, is the Treak Cliff Cavern that can be seen standing out on the hillside against the backdrop of Mam Tor.

So popular is this village that it is frequently visited by well-known figures from television series from time to time.

With a fascinating array of shops, restaurants, cafes, hotels and cosy pubs to choose from, it is hardly surprising to learn that Castleton is busy all year round, so typical of most Peak District towns and villages.

Cottage on the Stones