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Visit Castleton Derbyshire and the surrounding villages and stay in bed and breakfast, hotel or vacation rental accommodation provided by BedPosts members.

The village of Castleton, in Derbyshire, in the Peak District National Park, has attracted visitors for more than 200 years and there are many reasons for visiting it: superb and varied natural scenery; the caves; the garlanding ceremony (29 May).

A Bronze Age community fortified Mam Tor, is the West of Castleton and is the ruins of a Celtic hill fort.

A Norman lord, William Peveril, chose a strong site for his castle at Castleton, Peveril Castle. The siting will remind you of Bolsover built by William's son, but here William not only built a stone circuit wall; he also constructed an outer bailey, below the village, and within it gathered his retainers, along with lead miners and peasant farmers. The Peveril estates and castles became Crown property in 1155, and Henry II built a new keep here in 1175-7. It was then one of the strongest fortresses in Derbyshire and the centre of Peak Forest, but by 1400 it had lost both administrative and military importance; its buildings began to decay. It has been a scheduled Ancient Monument since 1932. No doubt lead-mining kept the Village going.

Castleton church still has a Norman chancel arch, but you will notice particularly the box pews, carved with the names of pew holders and dates from 1661 onwards. Castleton Hall is 17^th century, and some cottages such as Causey House have cruck construction. Peak Cavern is part of this story of the village in a special way. The river which emerges from it supplied the village. There is still a cluster of cottages outside its mouth and alongside the stream. The cave opening - the largest natural entrance of any cave in Britain - was taken over centuries ago by ropemakers. Commercial rope-making has now ceased, but the ropewalks and gear survive and rope-making is still demonstrated for visitors; the cottages have gone but the soot from their chimneys still blackens the cave roof. The other caves open to the public are man-made to one degree or another; you can see both their natural beauty and the industry and daring involved in mining for lead, Blue John and other minerals. Peak Park Information Centre near the church provides literature and attractive displays, and Losehill Hall is a residential study centre.

Attractions: 11th century Peveril Castle; 4 show caves: Peak Cavern, Blue John Cavern, Treak Cliff Cavern; Speedwell Cavern.