The Peveril Castle view
Fifteen minutes up, turn round and the Norman castle sits on the cliff edge with Lose Hill behind; it is one of Castleton's best-known views.
Mick Knapton at English Wikipedia — CC BY-SA 3.0 · It's No Game from Leicestershire, UK — CC BY 2.0 · Peter Barr — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Gareth James — CC BY-SA 2.0
Off a corner of Castleton's Market Place, between the houses, there is a narrow gate nobody notices. Walk through it and within a few strides you are inside a rock cleft with limestone walls more than fifty metres high, and the village you stood in a minute ago has vanished. That is how Cave Dale begins, and that jolt from market square to gorge mouth is the whole trick; it is also why film crews keep finding their way here — scenes for the 1987 film «The Princess Bride» were shot in the dale, and later productions have used it too. The dale is dry, with no river or stream, because the glacial meltwater that carved it thousands of years ago long since found its way underground. Directly beneath your feet run the chambers of Peak Cavern, one of Castleton's four show caves, and when some of those roofs collapsed the valley deepened; a natural rock arch stood at the entrance until roughly two hundred years ago, then it fell too. The dale is protected as an SSSI, and halfway up a small outcrop of basalt lava shows a few weathered but clearly hexagonal columns against the pale limestone. The real prize comes ten to fifteen minutes up the rough, rocky path: turn around and Norman Peveril Castle is perched on the cliff edge above you, with the green bulk of Lose Hill behind. It is one of Castleton's best-known views, and it is taken from here, not from inside the castle. Beyond that point the dale widens, the gradient eases and the walls give way to open pasture on the Limestone Way, the long bridleway that runs south towards Staffordshire; carry on if you want a proper walk, or turn back satisfied. The whole dale is about 1.2 km. Practical advice: footwear matters more than anything. The lower section is loose scree and polished rock that turns slick after rain, which in a Peak District winter means most days. No pushchairs, and no facilities in the dale itself; the nearest toilets are back in the village by the main pay-and-display car park. With children of about six and up it is a short, exciting scramble; younger ones will need carrying. Best folded into a Castleton day with Peveril Castle and the show caves, all within minutes on foot. Hope station, on the Hope Valley line between Manchester and Sheffield, is under 3 km away.
Fifteen minutes up, turn round and the Norman castle sits on the cliff edge with Lose Hill behind; it is one of Castleton's best-known views.
Fifty-metre limestone walls a few strides from the square, with the chambers of Peak Cavern running directly beneath.
Scenes for the 1987 film were shot in the dale, and the Limestone Way continues up it for anyone wanting a longer walk.
Market Place, Castleton, Hope Valley S33 8WQ
A pushchair will not get through: the entrance is a narrow gate and the path is loose scree and polished rock. Children of about six and up enjoy it as a short adventure in proper shoes; younger ones need carrying, and after rain it is slippery even for adults.
Winnats is bigger and better known, and you can drive through it or walk beside it from the Speedwell car park; Cave Dale is smaller and more intimate, starts in the village with no car needed and gives you the castle view. With a tired family, pick Cave Dale alone.
