Speedwell Cavern

Did the small tour here as part of our winter itinerary and it was a great way to pass some time. Sam, our tour guide, was brilliant — full of fun and jokes from start to finish, which made the whole experience really entertaining as well as interesting. The tour isn’t huge, but for the winter cost it’s definitely worth it. A cozy, quirky little adventure when the weather isn’t great outside. Would happily recommend. Follow us for more ➡️ @daddyslittlelunchbox

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Absolutely Incredible Experience! Speedwell Cavern is one of the most breathtaking places I’ve ever visited. The boat ride through the underground tunnels is magical — peaceful, unique, and something you won’t forget. The guide was friendly, knowledgeable, and made the whole trip fun with interesting history and stories. The moment you reach the cavern at the end, the view is unbelievable. It feels like stepping into another world. The whole experience is well organised, safe, and perfect for families, couples, or anyone who loves adventure. Highly recommended — 5 stars without a doubt. A must-visit in the Peak District!

We booked in advance online for 3 adults and 2 children and arrived in good time to pay for parking and obtain the partial redund for it. We also later used the toilets for 50p too. Can't see any issues there. The staff in the shop were lively and helpful and ticked our name off the list. We headed to wait to go underground. Archie was our guide and provided us with our hard hats and we headed down the 106 steps to the boat. He kept us all thoroughly entertained for the 90 minutes we were with him. The 10 minutes in the cave at the end were a great photo opportunity and when we headed back, he discovered the boat had a power issue and he had to use hand and foot power to get us back! A great trip! Archie kept us informed throughout with some great stories....

A good trip through the old lead mine, thank you to the team. The steps down are steep but very manageable. The narrow boar ride through the tunnel is quite awesome, however I would have like to have known more facts and figures about the mine and tunnels to make it more interesting, also we could not hear much due to shouting pre schoolers!

We had a great time here. We booked last minute as the weather was bad but this was a really interesting trip. Freddy was our guide on the boat and he made the tour fun and informative.

This trip is a complete rip off. Hands down it is the worst ‘cave visit’ we have ever been on. After telling 8 family members I’d found an exciting day out we paid in total £176. we arrived at the carpark looking forward to our day out. Although this is advertised online I am still astounded that the cavern owners find it acceptable to charge £6 to park for visitors who book the tour. They ‘kindly’ reimburse each visitor £2.50 on arrival but then in the same transaction demand 50p per person each time someone wishes to use the toilet. Never mind I thought, the tour will be worth it. It isn’t, don’t waste your money. You sit in a boat to be floated along a dark passageway unable to hear the tour guide tell you useless information. At the far end of the tunnel I believed that there would be a cavern or cave to explore…. It turns out there is a very small opening with nothing to see. So you stand and look at nothing for 10 minutes and then get back in the same boat and take exactly the same journey out, I left the cavern not knowing any more information about its history than when I arrived. Even at half the price the tour wouldn’t be worth the money. My advice would be to visit the other showcases in the area. They can’t possibly be any worse value for money.

Had a great time visiting Speedwell Cavern today! The underground boat trip through the old lead mine was a really unique experience – eerie, atmospheric, and surprisingly peaceful. The guide was friendly and knowledgeable, sharing some fascinating history as we drifted through the narrow tunnels. It’s not something you get to do every day, and definitely worth checking out if you’re in the area. Wear warm clothes – it gets chilly down there!

Really great tour, and the guid was so knowledgeable. Book ahead so as not to be disappointed and to get a time slot you want, lovely gift shop, and although the sign says no public toilets, there are toilets for those who book on to a tour you pay 50p for a token to use the loo and return the token when finished, it's opposite the gift shop through a turnstile, I did not know this and went down to the village and back to use the loos there but it's down hill and about a 20 min walk down and a hard walk back up.

The Speedwell Cavern trip involves taking 105 slippery steps (definitely no disabled access here) down to a bizarre underground waterway, getting on a rickety boat which then takes you down a flooded old lead mine, into an impressive natural cavern, while your guide tells you a little about the history of the mine. The round trip takes about 40 minutes. If you have ever had claustrophobia, don't go- it's a very tight tunnel, you need to take care not to bang your head and there's no easy way out. The guide we had was very friendly, and threw in a few jokes (although he acknowledged they were awful). He didn't bombard you with facts during the tour but you could ask him questions and he knew what he was talking about. The cavern itself is a wonder of nature. It's not actually all that wide, but it is exceptionally tall. It's all reasonably lit- it's not as 'showy' as the National Show Caves of Wales, if you've ever been there (we don't make a habit of visiting caves particularly, honest). A worthwhile trip.

One of the best caves in castleton as you go down in a boat. Though the tour doesnt last two long, the experience of being in a boat underground makes it well worth it. NOTE. there are a lot of steep steps to walk back up!

Found the caves a bit tame as caves go. Thought it was a bit overpriced for what you got. Very steep steps lead to the boat. Guide was good and funny,well done Rob.

Callum was a fantastic guide. Knowledgable, amiable and full of gritty northern humour. Nice to see a man loving his job. The cavern and boat ride were quite unique.