Sights in Peak District
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Poole's Cavern
Poole's Cavern is a magnificent natural limestone cavern, about a mile from central Buxton. Guides take you deep underground to see an impressive formation of stalactites (the ones that hang down) - including one of England's longest - and distinctive 'poached egg' formation stalagmites.
From the cave car park, a 20-minute walk leads up through Grin Low Wood to Solomon's Temple, a small tower with fine views over the town and surrounding Peak District.
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Peveril Castle
Topping the ridge to the south of Castleton, this evocative castle has been so ravaged by the centuries that it almost looks like a crag itself. Constructed by William Peveril, son of William the Conqueror, the castle was used as a hunting lodge by Henry II, King John and Henry III, and the crumbling ruins offer swoon-inducing views over the Hope Valley.
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Bridges
A stroll from Rutland Sq down Bridge St brings you - not surprisingly - to the pretty medieval bridge over the River Wye, from where riverside walks lead in both directions. Go upstream through the water meadows, and then along Holme Lane to reach Holme Bridge, an ancient stone structure used by Peak District packhorses for centuries.
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Slopes
Opposite the Crescent, a small park called the Slopes rises steeply in a series of grassy terraces. From the top there are views over the centre and across to the grand old Palace Hotel and the former Devonshire Hospital, with its magnificent dome. It is now part of the University of Derby.
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Pavilion Gardens
Next to the Opera House is the Pavilion, an impressive palace of glass and cast iron built in 1871, which overlooks the impeccably manicured Pavilion Gardens. Skirting the gardens, the grand, pedestrian Broad Walk promenade is the perfect place for a gentle evening stroll.
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Speedwell Cavern
Claustrophobics should steer clear of Speedwell Cavern , which includes a unique boat trip through a flooded mineshaft, where visitors glide in eerie silence (save for the garrulous guides) to reach a huge subterranean lake called the Bottomless Pit.
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Peak Cavern
The most convenient, Peak Cavern , is easily reached by a pretty streamside walk from the village centre. It has the largest natural cave entrance in England, known (not so prettily) as the Devil's Arse. Visits are by hourly guided tour only.
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St Ann's Well
Just outside the Pump Room is St Ann's Well, a fountain from which Buxton's famous thermal waters still flow - and where a regular procession of tourists queue to fill plastic bottles and slake their thirst with the liquid's 'curative' power.
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Cavendish Arcade
Just east of the Crescent is Cavendish Arcade, formerly a thermal bathhouse (you can still see the chair used for lowering the infirm into the restorative waters) with several craft and book shops, and a striking coloured-glass ceiling.
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Natural Mineral Baths
On the other side of the Crescent, the tourist office is in the old Natural Mineral Baths, where you can still see the source of the mineral water, now Buxton's most famous export. A small display tells the full story.
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All Saints Church
Up on the hill above Rutland Sq, All Saints Church has some ancient Norman features, and even older Saxon stonework remains, including a tall cross in the churchyard, which sadly has suffered at the hands of time.
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Crescent
Another impressive Buxton construction, the graceful curved terrace of the Crescent - reminiscent of the Royal Crescent in Bath - is waiting its turn for regeneration. A luxury hotel complex is imminent.
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Blue John Cavern
Blue John Cavern is an impressive set of natural caverns, where the rich veins of the Blue John mineral are dazzling. You can get here on foot up the closed section of the Mam Tor road.
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Treak Cliff Cavern
Treak Cliff Cavern is a short walk from Castleton, with colourful exposed seams of Blue John and great limestone stalactites including the much-photographed ‘stork'.
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Old House Museum
Near the church, Old House Museum displays a Tudor loo and, also on a scatological theme, shows how early Peakland houses used to be made with materials including cow dung.
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market
Bakewell's weekly market is on Monday, when the square behind the tourist office is very lively.
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Treak Cliff Cavern
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Speedwell Cavern
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Peak Cavern
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Blue John Cavern
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Eyam Parish Church
Inside this church, where many of the plague victims were buried, you can view stained-glass panels and moving displays telling the story of the outbreak, and a plague register, recording those who died, name by name, day by day. Note the morbid skeleton mural on the tower wall, painted to illustrate a bible story, but extremely apt to the Eyam tale. The churchyard contains a fantastically well-preserved Celtic cross, carved in the 8th century.
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Eyam Museum
The town's museum has some vivid displays on the Eyam plague, plus exhibits on the village's history of lead-mining and silk-weaving.
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Eyam Hall
This solid-looking 17th-century manor house with stone windows and doorframes is home to a craft centre and several eateries, surrounding a traditional English walled garden.
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Castleton Museum
Attached to the tourist office, the cute town museum has displays on everything from mining and geology to rock climbing, hang-gliding and the curious Garland Festival.
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Castleton Caves
The limestone caves around town have been mined for lead, silver and the semiprecious Blue John Stone for centuries and four are open to the public on guided tours.
Peak Cavern (01433-620285; www.devilsarse.com; adult/child £7.75/5.75; h10am-5pm, tours hourly till 4pm) A short walk from the castle tourist office is the largest natural cave entrance in England, known locally as the Devil's Arse. Should you choose to enter Beelzebub's rocky crevasse, you'll see some dramatic limestone formations, lit with fibreoptic cables.
Speedwell Cavern (01433-621888; www.speedwellcavern.co.uk; adult/child £8.25/6.25; 10am-5pm, tours hourly till 4pm) About half a mile west of Castleton at …
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