Poole's Cavern

It's the people who work here that really makes this place. The cavern is a fascinating, geological wonder with an interesting history, but it was our tour guide, Callum that brought it all to life. He told us about the man John Poole who the cave was named after. He was a thoroughly nasty character who got a very satisfying cummupence, courtesy of the Buxton locals. Next he spoke of some of the other artifacts found including but not limited to Roman remains in a shrine to a water goddess. He spoke of the caves acquisition by a rich Victorian gentleman, and the side hustles that the impoverished children that were hired as tour guides at the time would use to extort more money out of the wealthy elite. Very industrious. It even has connections to Mary Queen of Scots, more specifically her portrait artist. The cavern also boasts 'poached egg stalacmites' that are only found in this cave system. Fascinating. This excavation is run through a charity that has already broken through into more of the cavern and hopes to soon use drones to bring footage from a cave blocked off from human eyes thousands of years ago. I would urge you to book a guide, buy the guidebook which is excellent and run amok in the giftshop which is full of crystally goodness as all this goes in towards this very important research. If you're really lucky, you might even get Callum to show you around.

Our tour guide Anne was absolutely brilliant. She answered my children’s endless questions and was so knowledgeable and interesting. She made it very fun. The cave was gorgeous and truly fascinating.

Brilliant experience! It’s really well laid out and the lighting is very atmospheric. Dog friendly too, for a quid. There are guides in there too with lots of info if you’re on a self-guided tour. Can walk through it in 20-30min if you’re in a rush.

Poole's Cavern is a hidden gem! This is a naturally formed cave and offers lovely views. it is worth a 30-minute visit. We visited on a weekend and it was quiet but I have learnt it gets very busy during weekends. Tip: Bring warm clothes as it can get chilly inside. Tickets can be bought online or at the store, with entry timings every 30 minutes. Parking and toilets are available on site. A great spot to explore!

Visited Poole’s Cavern yesterday and had a great experience. Our guide, Anne, was friendly, welcoming, and made the tour really engaging. She explained everything in an interesting and clear way, which made the visit even more enjoyable. Highly recommend!

Really good place for a family visit. The tour guide is very informative and lively. Kids would love learning about the history of the cavern and history of the place. It also has a very good cafe with good food options. It is a bonus that you can take your dog into the cave with you. After the visit to the cavern, if kids are old enough you can even go to the Go Ape activity right next to the cavern.

First time visiting Buxton and this was a must see. The cave itself is quite something and access is straightforward with an easy to follow linear path. The kids loved it! Guides are approachable and knowledgeable. The gifts shop has some wonderful little keepsakes and is actually very fairly priced (not often the case for gifts shops) with some wonderful things for under a tenner. Plus, it sells Buxton brewery beers! Highly recommended day out.

Great tour and a really interesting story about the history of the cavern. Plenty of parking onsite, cafe and shop onsite too. Had a small wait as the tours are scheduled so you may have to wait for the next one to start but we were waiting around 10/15mins but it’s no issue as you can still walk round and look at all the artefacts on display or have a brew in the cafe. Quite pricey at £20 each but I thought it was worth it overall. Also nice walks to be had in the woodland too. Well worth a visit.