A Taste of the Peak District

Accommodation and attractions of the Peak District of the UK

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Peak District history of mining, general information and geology.

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The Blue John Cavern and mine on Buxton Road was a major source of the mineral Blue John. It is thought that the name is a corruption of the French description of the colours of the mineral, ‘bleu et jaune’. The geological name for the mineral is fluorspar (calcium fluoride) and the colour is unique to the Derbyshire Peak District. As you will see in local shops, it is worked into jewellery and ornaments. The cavern boasts 50m high chambers and is over 500 metres in length. There are regular tours, each lasting 45 mins to 1 hour. You will see how this fabulous stone was mined and the equipment used, as well as the natural features of the cavern. It is open 9.30 to 5.30 in the summer and 9.30 to dusk in the winter, weather permitting. Closed on Christmas day.

In the Peak Cavern, by the A625 you can walk underground for nearly 1 km to marvel at the features of this amazing cavern. It has been well used over the years, people have constructed houses in it, there was a rope making industry there and more recently, concerts and other audio visual events have been held there. Known locally as the ‘Devil’s Arse’. We leave it up to you to visit this cavern to find out why it is so called. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April to October inclusive, the rest of the year it is open at weekends only.

Treak Cliff Cavern, by the A 625 offers  a tour lasting almost three-quarters of an hour for you to be impressed by the stalagmites and stalactites of this cavern, another important source of Blue John. Traces of human occupation dating back to the bronze age have been found here.

Speedwell Cavern (pictured below), Winnats Pass has boat trips to the famed bottomless pit. The boats take you along the canal cut when it was a mine. The bottomless pit is so called because when the canal was cut, the engineers dumped the waste into this large pool. The water level never changed nor did the pit seem to fill up. Open every day except Christmas Day, opening times vary with season. Boats leave every 15 mins, last one at 5 p.m. high season, 3.30 p.m. low season. French and German language guides available.

To visit the web sites for these caves click here.