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| A view of Castleton |
It
takes just over an hour by bus from Sheffield Interchange and, along the way,
the Millstone Grit forms some spectacular scenery and, once in Castleton, you
can explore some of the equally impressive landforms of the Carboniferous Limestone.
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| St. Edmund's church |
On a
geology field trip from Nottingham University, I was introduced to the reef knolls and associated fossils around Winnats Pass, the landslides of Mam Tor –
the shivering mountain - and to the lead mining industry of the Peak District.
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| A close up view of Mam Tor |
I
have since visited Castleton many times - with friends, undertaking
geological surveys by myself and with various groups of Spanish summer school students, when my skills as an English language teacher were required.
The
show caves of Castleton attract tourists in their droves, and the unique banded
variety of the mineral fluorite - Blue John - is still extracted in very small
quantities to satisfy the demand for jewellery and gifts.
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| A specimen of Blue John at Clifton Park Museum |
An extended stay is needed to fully explore the places that I have mentioned above but, on this occasion, I only had enough time to take a good look around Peveril Castle, which I had not visited for very many years.
