Cafe sights in Europe
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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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Clearwell Caves
To explore one of the oldest professions of the residents of the Forest of Dean, descend into a damp subterranean world, mined for iron ore for more than 4000 years, and comprising a warren of dimly lit passageways, caverns and pools – home to several species of bat. Scattered throughout are descriptions of child labour in the mines in the 19th century, with billy-boys as young as seven working 10-hour days. Ye olde miner gear is on display – a nelly (tallow candle) and billy (backpack) for transporting ore. Deep-level caving can be arranged for small groups. The caves are signposted off the B4228 a mile south of Coleford.
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Coves d’Artà
This series of natural caves burrows into the coast 1km north of Canyamel. Although Porto Cristo's Coves del Drac are more spectacular, these caves aren't far behind – the exit from the cave and views out over the Med are something special. Guided tours of the caves leave every 30 minutes. Once inside, you'll quickly discover that this is a seriously beautiful work of nature.
The guided visits, which last around 40 minutes and are offered in English, German, Spanish and French, lead visitors through an unassuming fissure in the rock wall that buffers the coast.
Soon you'll find yourself in a soaring vestibule, walking along a raised footpath past the 22-metre-tall 'Queen…
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Dachsteinhöhlen
Climb to the Dachstein caves and you’ll find yourself in a strange world of ice and subterranean hollows extending 80km in places. The two caves take about 15 minutes to reach by foot in different directions from the Schönbergalm cable-car station at 1350m. Tours of each cave last an hour.
The ice in the Rieseneishöhle is no more than 500 years old, forming an ‘ice mountain’ 8m high – twice as high now as it was when the caves were first explored in 1910. The formations here are illuminated with coloured light and the shapes they take are eerie and surreal. This cave can only be seen on a guided tour; if you let the tour guide know, they will do the tour with English…
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Aillwee Caves
Send the kids underground. The main cave here penetrates 600m into the mountain, widening into larger caverns, one with its own waterfall. The caves were carved out by water some two million years ago. Near the entrance are the remains of a brown bear, extinct in Ireland for more than 10,000 years. Often crowded in summer, there's a cafe, and a large raptor exhibit has captive hawks, owls and more. A shop sells locally produced Burren Gold cheese, which is excellent.
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