The most famous honeypot village in the Peak District National Park is Castleton, the ‘Gem of the Peak.’ Living up to its nickname, it has a very well deserved reputation as a beautiful, chocolate box, fascinating rural hill village with a wide variety of activities for all weathers. With such a lot to see and do, Castleton, has many famous landmarks such as Peveril Castle, built in 1080 and the centrepiece of everything historical and spectacular about the little village. It even has its very own totally unique gem, Blue John.
Known today for its wonderful Christmas celebrations where every shop and eatery displays Christmas lights for all to see, Castleton has so many amenities, the scenery is spectacular and it also has four show Caves, Peak cavern, Blue John cavern, Treak Cliff Cavern and Speedwell Cavern, the latter being reached by boat over an underground lake no less.
St Edmunds church and Castleton Hall complement the local amenities and the beautiful scenery. It is situated at the west end of the Hope Valley, just off Peakshole Water, which is a tributary of the River Noe. Stood proudly at the head of the valley, it lies on the boundary between the White and Dark Peak areas surrounded on three of its four sides by steep hills, the most prominent of which lies just 2 miles to the north-west of Castleton and is known as the Great Ridge.
Standing in a very prominent position and the most imposing section of the Ridge is Mam Tor, a very popular tourist destination for walkers to Castleton, with tracks eventually converging with paths from many other directions to cross over to nearby Edale, but also due to the winds, a very popular place for paragliders and hang gliders.
Winnat’s Pass is part of the spectacular scenery, a huge cleft carved into the landscape with massive limestone outcrops and sheer sides harbouring a gruesome murder in its past. It’s hard to believe such a tiny village, home to a population of about 1200 people, the popularity of the village amongst tourists guarantees that Castleton is always a very busy and bustling place. Activities in and around Castleton also guarantees a holidaymaker has something to do in all weathers.
Steeped in rich tradition and heritage, Castleton offers the tourist and visitor a very pretty village with some fantastic shopping, unique gifts not to be bought elsewhere, an abundance of tourist attractions, family orientated annual events and customs, a natural beauty which is outstanding, but also recommended with a huge selection of eateries and pubs which makes Castleton everything that makes thousands of holiday goers choose to stay every year.