Cave Dale, Castleton.

Look hard for this sign when you get to Market Square in Castleton, it is surprisingly easy to miss, but once you find it you will be in for a treat, one of Castletons hidden gems, and indeed on some of the mainstream maps is known as the Secret Valley.

As the name suggests this was once possibly a cave whos roof collapsed over time, although this is very difficult to prove, other schools of thought believe the dale was cut through the rock by an ancient glacier, which ever the case it is known that some 330 million years ago during the Carboniferous Period the area was at the bottom of a lagoon and the Limestone rock that we see today is what formed the reefs that teamed with  life, look closely at the rock and you may be able to see small particles of shells.

Looking back down Cave Dale, notice Peveril Castle up on the hill to the left

As you ascend the hill you will notice that there are signs of Lead mines and Rakes, this activity leaves Lead rich soil, taken out of the mines, on the surface outside, very few plants have the ability to grow in such soils but one or two do, the Spring Sandwort (Known also as Mountain Sandwort) which locally seems to be abundant but nationally is very rare, others include the Moonwort and the Mountain Pansy.

Spring Sandwort

It is worth mulling over the activity that is beneath your feet as you walk up Cave Dale, the floor that you are treading is the roof of a very large cave, Peak Cavern (The Devils Arse) which receives thousands of visitors every year, there are also lots of smaller caves down in the Limestone some of which have yet to be discovered and some that have been found and mined for the Lead but were never recorded, amongst recent finds is a large cavern that is thought to be one of the highest caves in Great Britain, Titon.

View from the ridge, down Cave Dale.

Mountain Pansy, this flower can be colored in yellow, purple and white, purple and yellow even in reds.

Moon Wart.