Would it be appropriate to ask on here about "Tourist Caves". The caves with the walkways, lights, and guides that normal people can have a guided tour in? Or, would it be like going on an alpine climbing forum and asking if they could advice on small grassy hills you can walk up?

Annoying Twit said:

Would it be appropriate to ask on here about "Tourist Caves". The caves with the walkways, lights, and guides that normal people can have a guided tour in? Or, would it be like going on an alpine climbing forum and asking if they could advice on small grassy hills you can walk up?

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Have a look at my website:

www.showcaves.com

Depends what you want to know!  Ask away!

Depends what you want to know about them. Quite a few (most? all?) tourists caves have interesting extensions that it is possible to get into - physically at least. The access requirements may be somewhat more complicated.

I'm suremost of the others here, like me, have been in tourist caves - either with friends or family, or because its too wet/icy/hungover to go 'proper' caving. Some of the French ones in Vercors are well worth doing just to see the formations in their own right.

Hi. Having read all of "Beneath the Mountain" and half of Memoirs of a Moldewarp, I'm very interested to read of other people's adventures. But, I'm sorry to say that squeezing into a tiny fissure or hole a long way underground is beyond me. So, when I ask about a tourist cave, I really mean a tourist cave! And I'd like to go into the tourist bit, not the more challenging extensions. Apologies for being a wimp, but what I've read shows me that you need a particular kind of courage to do proper caving, and I don't have it! But, not having been underground for quite some years, and since I'm reading about it at the moment, would like to have a look underground. I've been in New Zealand's Waitomo caves a few times. I've been in a tourist cave in the Penines, but can't remember which one. I've been in some manmade chalk caves somewhere outside London. Can't remember which one, but Pink Floyd played in them, and they recorded a Pertwee era Dr Who there. But at the moment, I'd like to go to a natural cave.

I'm in Leicester. We don't have a car, so rely on public transport. I'd take my partner and 11 year old son. We have the Creswell Crags on our list of things to do, but with the cave with the cave art is closed until spring, we'd probably leave that one until spring. I thought there were some caves in the Peak District. We could take a train to Matlock then buses. A fair journey, but my partner likes the Peak District. So, I might get agreement.

Edit: The "Heights of Abraham" in Matlock includes a Cavern system. The photo on the Tourist Advisory website looks a bit weird and not-natural. But, it's an easy trip. Does anyone know if you get to see bits that look like a natural cave?

Pooles Cavern in Buxton is roomy and well decorated, and is also handy for a high ropes course that a child of 11 would love to do as well. There is also a railway station...
Also a number of other "caves" well more mines actually, in Matlock and around Castleton. If you get to Matlock Bath visit the Mining Museum as they have an indoor mine that is warm and dry and usually full of kids of all ages up to retirement.
There are a variety of caves/mines of all degrees of difficulty from a walk in the dark to a hard time for midget with an eating disorder, so dont be put off by gripping reads, I am sure Holme Bank, Ashford or Devonshire would all be within your ability

Thanks Brains. I've suggested Buxton/Poole Caverns or Matlock Bath/Heights of Abraham/Mining museum to my partner as some choices for this Saturday.

By Ashford, I presume you mean Ashford in Derbyshire, not the one in Kent. We've discussed camping there a few times. Though, that would be a summer holiday. If I could find out more about the cave, then that might be something we could consider.

If you can get to castleton - you've got Peak Cavern, Speedwell Cavern, Treak Cliff Cavern and Blue John Cavern all within walking distance of the village.  They all have their plus's but I'd say Treak Cliff was the best all round 'cave'.

SamT said:

If you can get to castleton - you've got Peak Cavern, Speedwell Cavern, Treak Cliff Cavern and Blue John Cavern all within walking distance of the village.  They all have their plus's but I'd say Treak Cliff was the best all round 'cave'.

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I'd second that.

A quick search (I am at work ) didn't reveal an easy way to Castleton. So I've emailed the Peak District Tourist Advisory to see if they can suggest a route. Hopefully.......

Edit: Train to Sheffield, then onto Hope Valley Line, through Totley Tunnel. My partner is very much into trains, so that's going to be an easy sell  . From Hope, it's a mile walk. I think that makes it a summer trip. Could take a taxi from Hope of course, direct to Treak Cliff. But, overall, this sounds more like an excellent summer day out. So, that'll go onto the list of things to do in the future.

Yup. Train to Hope. There's a bus from the end of the station approach road into Castleton, and in the summer there's a 'Sherpa' bus that runs to odd little places around the Peak District IIRC. it's a tad over a mile - more like 2 - 3 miles to the show caves.

There's also a bus from Sheffield to Castleton - same one as passes Hope Station. Number 272  I think.

Just remembered that there is a 'rover' ticket available called Derbyshire Wayfarer that covers all buses and trains in Derbyshire for a very reasonable cost. Google Derbyshire Wayfarer.

Martin

Annoying Twit said:

A quick search (I am at work ) didn't reveal an easy way to Castleton. So I've emailed the Peak District Tourist Advisory to see if they can suggest a route. Hopefully.......

Edit: Train to Sheffield, then onto Hope Valley Line, through Totley Tunnel. My partner is very much into trains, so that's going to be an easy sell  . From Hope, it's a mile walk. I think that makes it a summer trip. Could take a taxi from Hope of course, direct to Treak Cliff. But, overall, this sounds more like an excellent summer day out. So, that'll go onto the list of things to do in the future.

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Annoying Twit said:

By Ashford, I presume you mean Ashford in Derbyshire, not the one in Kent. We've discussed camping there a few times. Though, that would be a summer holiday. If I could find out more about the cave, then that might be something we could consider.

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Yes, Ashford in the Water, or more particularly Ashford (Rookery) Black Marble Mine, together with Cumberland Cavern (at Matlock Bath) and Holme Bank Chert Mine (at Bakewell).
Have a search through the trip reports section of this forum, there are pictures of these three and many other places besides as well as some good reports

graham said:

SamT said:

If you can get to castleton - you've got Peak Cavern, Speedwell Cavern, Treak Cliff Cavern and Blue John Cavern all within walking distance of the village.  They all have their plus's but I'd say Treak Cliff was the best all round 'cave'.

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I'd second that.

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I'll third it. Best of the bunch and never seems to be as busy.

Easiest way to get to Castleton is train to Sheffield then DMU to Bamford, then stoll over the bridge to Hitch n Hike for a gander at the guidebooks while you wait for the 272 bus.

You can get to Matlock from Derby. Worth getting the RailRover from Derby as you can then go up and down the Matlock-Cromford stretch of line at your leisure. And there's a very good railway-related bookshop at Matlock station. Not to mention Peak Rail preserved line just up the road at Rowsley.... And the Ecclesbourne Railway at Wirksworth....and the National Stone Centre....

Make sure you remember to get off at the right stop, or be prepared (in every sense) for a bit of a hike.  After going on a school trip to Castleton a good few years ago, I persuaded my mum and dad to take me there again on the Sunday excursion train that used to run from Derby in those days:  up to Dore and Totley, change direction, and along through Hathersage to Bamford, Hope and Edale, dropping off seasoned ramblers along the way.  We were so taken by the scenery that we forgot to get off until we came to the end of the journey at Edale.  "Castleton?" said one of the aforementioned seasoned ramblers, and set our feet on a footpath that brought us to the top of Mam Tor.  We didn't know about the nearby road, and after an attempt to descend by the vertical face decided to slither down at the edge of where the hillside has fallen away.  In ordinary leather-soled shoes, too!

Happy memories!  But sometimes I wonder how come I'm still alive!

The Castleton showcaves were great!  Mind you, in those days the Peak Cavern tour took you to the end of the Five Arches...  Very nice pretties in Treak Cliff, and some serious climbing up and down steps in the Blue John Cavern.  Enjoy your day!

Can i add Don't be afraid to ask if any one on here would mind tacking you to a Non commercial cave This Forum is full of very friendly people willing to show some one new to caving. (speaking from experience)
Don't be put off by most non cavers perception it all squeeze little holes some parts are cathedral like alltho you may have to crawl a bit to get to them.

If you want to go a bit further afield, the railway system will get you to Clapham in Yorkshire (although the clerk will want to sell you a ticket to Clapham Junction in London instead), and from there it's an easy and pleasant walk through woodland to Ingleborough Cave and also, at the right time of year, to the winch meets at Gaping Gill, where you are easily and pleasantly lowered into a cavern large enough to accommodate York Minster with a waterfall higher than Niagara.

But I'd second what Playoutside says. I'm a wimp of the first order, yet I find plenty to amuse myself with underground. And the caving world is full of people very willing to help people experiences the joys of caving.

Just to throw a spanner in the works. You could try making a weekend of it and stay at the Edale YHA and book yourself on one of their 'taster' caving courses. I went last year - excellent instruction, excellent equipment - Saturday spent a couple of hours in a very walkable, clean Giants Hole followed by 2 hours in a very muddy Carlswark. Sunday in Devonshire Mine and a through trip in Jugholes. Totally brilliant.

Thanks everyone. After a family conference, it looks very much like Buxton is on for this Saturday, and Castleton via the Hope Valley Railway is also popular. My eleven year old doesn't want to go down a cave as it would be "damp" and "dark". However, based on past experience, we'll take him in the cave anyhow. And I fully expect that he'll be unsure and say he doesn't want to go, we go, and as we're leaving he'll say "can we come back again tomorrow?", prompting parental facepalms.

Thanks for all the varied suggestions. But, for the immediate future, we are looking for something simple and straightforward. And Poole's Caverns looks to be a reasonable thing for this Saturday.

Another alternative is train to Ribblehead (with the Railway vaiduct that featured in Harry Potter) and then a bus to White Scar caves - but this may only run in summer. You mentioned that your partner likes railways so the Settle-Carlisle is a must which includes both Clapham as Kay suggested and Ribblehead.

Also I would second what Kay said about the Gaping Gill winch meets (Spring Bank and August Bank holidays) - well worth it but get there early i believe they are often fully booked by 11.00am.