As I’m originally from the UK and now living in the US, the Laulings go back to the UK at least twice a year. For the most part these trips are focused on seeing family and friends, which aren’t always the most exciting activities for the Laulings, and I want them to love Europe as much as I do. So now I make sure that for half of the trip we do something touristy. This time around, I decided to do a day at the caves in Castleton and 3 days at Alton Towers theme park (reviewed separately).
The Castleton caves
The Casteton caves are in the Peak District in Derbyshire. There are 4 caves within 5 minutes of each other: Peak Cavern, Speedwell Cavern, Blue John Cavern and Treak Cliff Cavern. It will take you about 1-1.5 hours to do each depending on whether you are lucky enough to time it right to get on a tour leaving as you arrive, so it is possible to do all 4 caves in one day. I decided to shoot for 2 along with lunch. I chose Speedwell cavern because it is only accessible by boat, and so is a different experience from the other caves that are accessed on foot. I chose Treak Cliff as our second cave based on other’s recommendations that it has the better examples of Blue John veins as well as natural formed caves with extensive stalactites and stalagmites.
Blue John is a semi-precious mineral, a form of fluorite with bands of purple-blue and has only been found at the Blue John Cavern and Treak Cliff hill. It was found at Treak Cliff ‘accidentally’ as people hunted for lead. It is used for jewelry.
Where to stay
We always stay in Rainow, at the Cheshire Hunt Holiday Cottages, on the edge of the Peak District due to its proximity to Manchester airport and it serves as a great base for where my family is. It was approximately a 30 minute drive from there to the caves, although it meant navigating some very narrow country roads. There are also plenty of options in Castleton itself.
Treak Cliff Cavern
We started at Treak Cliff Cavern. There was a large school group when we arrived, and they went ahead and had their own tour and we waited for the next one about 15 minutes later. It should be noted that there are a number of steps and a steep path from the parking lot to the information center. We were joined by a small group of 6 others with a dedicated guide. There are several areas as an adult you will need to duck down and several steps, but for the most part it is not a strenuous walk. You must go on a guided tour, and it took about 50 minutes. The tour was educational; giving us the background as to how the cavern was found and by who, as well as showing us the blue john veins. You are taken through 2 man-made blue-john mines, followed by 2 natural caves that were found as they continued to try to find new veins of blue john. There were also a couple of fun stories for the kids about the shadow of a witch that scared all the miners and why you shouldn’t whistle in the mine.
There is a small gift shop (and definitely the better of the two between Treak Cliff and Speedwell) with the opportunity to buy some blue john jewelry. It is also has a café, but it’s pretty basic with a number of picnic tables inside, but no view. I would carve out the time to visit an eatery in Castleton rather than there.
The views of the Peak district as you exit the cave are really impressive. Unfortunately it was a rainy day when we were there, but you’ll get the idea!
Inside the natural cave 
Blue John vein
Speedwell
We drove the short distance to Speedwell from Treak Cliff. A tour had just started and the receptionist put us on that one, which was great because only one boat can be in the mine at a time, so we would have had to wait 30 minutes for the next one. We were at the back of the boat which was fairly full and we really couldn’t hear the guide. He also didn’t wait for us before he started talking as we got off the boat at the other end. Compared to the guide at Treak Cliff, it was pretty disappointing and so I really don’t have anything to tell you about what to expect about the narrative! The boat ride itself is not for the faint hearted as it literally just fits width wise in the waterway and they have adults wear a hard hat to ensure you don’t hit your head on the ceiling. Definitely not for those that are claustrophobic. It’s probably a 10 minute ride to the cavern, which is a lead mining cavern. You exit the boat to a viewing platform, from where you can look down in the ‘bottomless pit’ cavern itself. It’s not very impressive compared to Treak Cliff as there are no visible stalactites or stalagmites or blue john here. We spent about 10 minutes looking around and asking the guide questions before taking the same boat back.
Lunch
Castelton has a number of cafes, pubs and restaurants to choose from. We ate at the Three Roofs café. Everyone enjoyed their food which consisted of a burger for one Lauling, ham sandwich with a kids box of treats for my youngest Lauling, prawn sandwich on a lovely fresh baguette for me and tuna melt for my husband. I also tried the scone, which was a bit crumbly, but tasted great. The staff were friendly and service was quick.
So if you’re in the area with time on your hands, I’d definitely recommend a day trip to the Castleton caves.