Castleton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the English village in Derbyshire. For other uses, see Castleton (disambiguation).
Castleton is a honeypot village in the Derbyshire Peak District, in England. The village lies at the western end of the Hope Valley, on the Peakshole Water, a tiny tributary of the River Derwent. The towns population in 2000 was estimated 750.
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[edit] History
Castleton village originally grew around the Norman Peveril Castle at around 1198, and later prospered from lead mining, the Odin Mine one of the oldest lead mines in the country is situated 1.5 km (about a mile) west of the village (see also Derbyshire lead mining history). This created and enlarged local caverns, four of which are now open to the public as The Devil's Arse or Peak Cavern, Blue John Cavern, Speedwell Cavern and Treak Cliff Cavern. A limited supply of Blue John is mined locally.
[edit] Geography
The village is surrounded on three sides by hills. Most prominent is the ridge to the north. This is called the Great Ridge, it runs east from Mam Tor to Back Tor and Lose Hill, via the pass (hause) of Hollins Cross, where paths from many directions can be seen converging to cross over to Edale.
[edit] Road communications
Castleton used to be on the "A" road from Sheffield to Chapel-en-le-Frith, on the way to Manchester. Leaving Castleton, the western road used to go over Mam Tor, but after continual collapses and repairs (Mam Tor is called the "Shivering Mountain" because of its very loose shales) it was eventually abandoned.
The only westbound exit from Castleton is now the unclassified road over the narrow Winnats, now more frequently called "Winnats Pass". This road is very narrow and steep, and unsuitable for heavy vehicles or high volumes. Road signage has been designed to discourage through traffic - only local destinations are shown. Thus, most traffic enters and leaves the village on the eastern (Hope-Hathersage-Sheffield) road, for traffic going west this involves a long diversion via the villages of Bradwell and Peak Forest.
There are many bus routes to Castleton, but in the winter the majority of services are infrequent (except on Sundays, when extra buses are laid on - the reverse of the situation in larger English towns). There is no railway station, but Hope station is an easy walk away, and train tickets to Hope and Edale are valid on connecting buses to Castleton.
[edit] Tourism
Castleton attracts large numbers of tourists, and there are many pubs (some with accommodation), tea shops, "smelly pencil shops", and guest houses to supply their needs. There is also a large car park, an information centre, and a youth hostel.
[edit] Events
On Oak Apple Day, a garland king is paraded around the streets wearing an extremely large garland of flowers, followed by local girls dressed in white with flowers. The village is also famous for its display of Christmas lights and decorations during the festive season. There are four "show caves" to visit (one of them by boat) and at least one of them is open all year.
[edit] Walking
Castleton is popular with walkers, as the area is very beautiful, there is plenty of accommodation, and there are many public footpaths leading from the village. There are easy walks along the river to Hope, Brough, Bamford and (rather further) Hathersage, or there is a short strenuous walk up ono the Great Ridge where magnificent views can be enjoyed before descending to Edale or returning to Castleton. Hayfield is a short day's walk away beyond Rushup Edge. A medium-distance two- or three-day "trail", the Limestone Way, starts in Castleton by running south down Cave Dale (past the rear of the impressive castle) before climbing out of the vllage and heading for Monyash, Youlgreave, and Matlock.
