Peak Cavern
Peak Cavern is one of the most celebrated natural cave systems in England, located at the heart of the village of Castleton in the Peak District National Park, Derbyshire. Known colloquially as the "Devil's Arse" — a name that dates back centuries and remains in popular use alongside its more formal title — it holds the distinction of having the largest natural cave entrance in the British Isles. The sheer scale of the entrance porch is immediately arresting: it stretches approximately 30 metres wide and 10 metres high, creating a vast sheltered space that was itself home to a thriving community of rope-makers for hundreds of years. The cave draws visitors from across the world, combining dramatic geology, rich folklore, industrial heritage, and guided underground exploration into an experience unlike almost anything else in Britain.
The history of human activity at Peak Cavern stretches back at least to the medieval period. The village of rope-makers who lived and worked within the entrance cavern formed one of the most unusual communities in England; their cottages and workshops were built directly inside the cave mouth, and families dwelt there as recently as the early twentieth century. The rope-making tradition at the cave dates to at least the sixteenth century and possibly earlier, with workers using the damp, sheltered environment to twist hemp into ropes using techniques that had changed little over generations. This peculiar domestic arrangement gave the cave its crude nickname, reputedly coined because of the sounds produced by the underground stream. Queen Victoria is said to have visited and, on learning the popular name, requested it be referred to as Peak Cavern instead — though the older name has cheerfully persisted.
The physical experience of Peak Cavern is one of gradual revelation. Entering from the enormous open porch, visitors descend into a series of chambers and passageways carved by the River Styx, an underground watercourse that still flows through the system. The air inside is consistently cool throughout the year, hovering around eight degrees Celsius, and carries the mineral freshness characteristic of limestone cave environments. The acoustics are exceptional — sound moves strangely in the chambers, and the cave has become a venue for underground classical concerts owing to its extraordinary natural resonance. Stalactites, flowstone formations, and the ancient ropes still strung within the entrance porch all contribute to an atmosphere that is simultaneously geological and deeply human.
The cave system itself extends for several kilometres, though not all of it is accessible on standard tours. The show cave route takes visitors through the main accessible chambers, past the point where the River Styx disappears beneath a low passage known as Roger Rain's House, and through into spectacular spaces with evocative names like the Bell House and the Orchestra. Specialist caving expeditions — for which booking and equipment are required — penetrate deeper into the system, connecting eventually with other cave networks in the area. The cave is also associated with the legend of a criminal who supposedly hid within its depths and whose ghost is said to still wander the passages, one of several folkloric threads woven into the site's identity over centuries.
Castleton itself, which surrounds the cave entrance, is a handsome stone village nestled in the Hope Valley where the limestone White Peak meets the gritstone Dark Peak. The village is dominated by the ruins of Peveril Castle, which cling dramatically to a limestone crag directly above Peak Cavern — the castle was built by William Peverel, an illegitimate son of William the Conqueror, and both castle and cave appear in Sir Walter Scott's novel Peveril of the Peak. The area around Castleton is also home to three other show caves — Speedwell Cavern, Blue John Cavern, and Treak Cliff Cavern — making it the most concentrated cluster of publicly accessible cave systems in England. The landscape is one of steep dales, dry valleys, and moorland, with the dramatic Winnats Pass cutting through the limestone upland immediately to the west.
Visiting Peak Cavern is straightforward and well-organised. The cave is open to the public year-round, with guided tours departing regularly throughout the day. The walk from Castleton village centre to the cave entrance takes only a few minutes along a pleasant gorge path following the stream. The site is managed by the landowner and has good visitor facilities including a gift shop and toilets. Sturdy footwear is advised as the cave interior can be damp and the paths uneven in places. The cave maintains its cool temperature regardless of season, so a light jacket is recommended even on warm summer days. Peak season runs from spring through autumn when the village and surrounding trails can be busy; visiting midweek in shoulder seasons offers a quieter experience. There is no parking directly at the cave, but several car parks are available in Castleton village a short walk away.
One of the more remarkable facts about Peak Cavern is that it was for a time genuinely inhabited — census records confirm that people were listed as residing inside the cave entrance as late as the nineteenth century, making it one of the few places in England where families lived in a cave within living historical memory. The rope-making equipment and the low wooden structures of the workers' dwellings within the entrance porch have been preserved and are explained on tours, offering a tangible connection to this vanished way of life. The cave has also served as a film location and continues to host musical events, proving that its remarkable interior remains in active cultural use rather than existing merely as a preserved relic.