The Gem of the Peak District

Castleton is in the Hope Valley within the Peak National Park and is about 15 miles south west of Sheffield.

Castleton is a great place for visitors of all ages. It has amazing landscapes, a ruined castle (Peveril Castle), amazing and unique Geology in the form of Blue John and great gift shops with something for everybody. It is also very popular with walkers due to the fantastic hills which it has to offer in the form of Mam-Tor and Losehill.

Castleton is also very close to other beautiful and interesting villages in the Hope Valley such as Hathersage and Bamford.

Peveril Castle

The village of Castleton is dominated by the keep of Peveril Castle. This Norman castle was built by William the Conqueror's son, William Peveril in 1080. It was built to oversee the King's Royal Forest of the Peak, although little of the forest now remains. The present keep was built under the direction of King Henry II. It was here in 1157 that Henry accepted the submission of King Malcolm of Scotland. The castle is open daily for visitors to explore the ruins and the surrounding grounds

Oak Apple Day

Oak Apple day (Garlanding) on the 29th May celebrates the pagan rite for the ending of winter, and the restoration of Charles II to the throne after the rule of Oliver and Richard Cromwell.

The Garland is made from a wooden frame on to which small flowers and leaves are then attached. The complete Garland weighs about 25Kgs (56 pounds) and is worn on the "Garland Kings" shoulders who also wears a traditional Stuart costume.

The Garland King and Queen then tour the village on horseback stopping at each of the local public houses, where morris dancing occurs accompanied by the local village brass band. After touring the village the "Garland" is then placed upon the village church where it is left for the coming months. There is then more morris dancing at the Garland Maypole in the village Market Place.

The Museum in Castleton has a great collection of Garland memorabilia.

Castletons Caves

Castleton has 4 underground show caves, all worth a visit, for their own interesting features. Blue John Cavern and Treak Cliff contain the treasured, pretty blue and yellow fluorspar called Blue John. It was first mined at Treak Cliff and by 1770, 16 mines were extracting the stone and selling it to several firms in Derbyshire who turned it into ornaments, vases, clocks and jewelry. Blue John is only found in this area of Britain, and small pieces of the mineral are still plentiful, although large pieces are now rarely found.

Castleton at Christmas

From the middle of November Castleton becomes a magical place when the Christmas lights are turned on. As well as the lights Santa also arrives in the village with his grotto and a horse and cart ride is available to see the true magic of the village at this time

Also, many of the village shops are open late during the week to allow people doing there Christmas shopping to enjoy the festivities.

The main picture is the property of Steven Lee, see more of Steven's pictures