Peak Cavern

Peak Cavern opens directly beneath Peveril Castle at the edge of Castleton, and its entrance, known locally for centuries as the Devil’s Arse, is the largest natural cave mouth in Britain. Until 1915, families lived and worked in structures built inside the entrance chamber itself, making rope by hand using the cave’s constant temperature and humidity; guided tours still pass the evidence of that trade on the way into the cave proper.

Beyond the entrance, the route follows a show-cave path into chambers shaped by the underground river that carved them, with lighting and walkways in place for visitors rather than the scrambling and crawling of a caving trip. The operator calls the tour fairly undemanding on foot, at 9°C, with a few handrailed steps, a wet and uneven floor in places and one 30m section where you bend over. Wheelchairs and pushchairs cannot go beyond the entrance, there are no toilets at the cavern, and well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome. It suits families and anyone curious about the geology and history without wanting the harder, wetter version of caving available elsewhere in the district.

Tours are guided, take about 60 to 75 minutes and run to the operator’s published times; booking online guarantees a time, and a missed tour cannot be moved or refunded. Children aged 15 and under must be with an adult. The cavern also hosts concerts and carol services, which have their own tickets. Castleton has other show caves within a short walk or drive, Speedwell, Treak Cliff and Blue John Caverns, each run and ticketed on its own, so a full day underground in Castleton means budgeting for more than one ticket. Anyone who came to scramble and crawl will find only walkways and lighting here; Cave Dale, the dry limestone gorge behind the village, gives rock underfoot without a ticket.