The Blue John Cavern

A day trip to Derbyshire and we decided to head underground to one of the various Blue John mines in the area. Blue John is a semi-​precious mineral and in the UK it’s only found in Derbyshire. There are a number of places in the area where you can take a tour of the caves, and we opted for this one.
£10 per adult to go in gets you a 30 — 45 minute guided tour. There are a LOT (literally hundreds!) of steps, and because of the water (the caves were carved out by water during the last ice age, and water still drips through from the surface), it can be damp and slippery in places so make sure you use the handrails and go slowly, and wear good shoes.
Our tour guide was a particularly non-​nonsense Yorkshireman who does tours in the summer and actually mines the blue john in winter. Some would say he was a bit dour (he didn’t suffer foolish questions!) but I thought he really added to the atmosphere because he was a genuine bona fide miner and he really knew his stuff.
The mine is damp and cold, so dress warmly — but be prepared to get warm on the climb back out of the mine. You descend about 100 meters underground (although the mines off the tourist track go deeper). The blue john itself is interesting, but I was most impressed by the sheer cavernous nature of the caves — it’s incredible to think they were carved out by water!
There is a café, shop and toilets on site but they’re pretty basic. I think £10 was pushing the high end of what they could charge, but this is a really fascinating and unusual place to go and visit so I don’t think it’s an excessive charge. Definitely well worth a visit.

Must disagree with the last comment. We found it very interesting and ALL questions were answered.
Bit of difficulty with the climb down at our age but it was worth it. They don’t rush we oldies LOL.

Visited the cave a couple of weeks ago. Fairly dissapointed on the whole. We got the same tourguide as ‘Profairy’ and found him boring not just monotunous. He even rebuffed one lady for asking a question whilst half way through his talk in the dining cave! Toilet facilities are like something I would expect at a football ground in the 1970’s Gents toilet consisted of a trough that only gets flushed when it rains. The gift shop was Ok but the staff are obviously related to Mr grumpy tour guide as they were not much better. A cup of tea for 80p seemed a good idea until it arrived in a very small plastic cup that would normally come out of a machine, this was only about ¾ full as well.
On the whole not impressed with the whole experience and at £25 for a family ticket I really did expect a little more in the way of modern toilets and a decent cup of tea, with friendly staff! We will not be going again!

Blue John is an amazing gemstone and no two pieces are identical. Blue John as been used for decoration purposes as early as the Roman period.
The Victorians were the first to be tourists to the mines and many years on they are as beautiful and interesting as when first discovered.
Unfortunately the Blue John gemstones are becoming a rarity and the only pieces left are usually taken from the spoil heaps as the mines are nearly bereft of this precious gem.
For lovers of Blue John jewellery please visit our website at

Me and my husband visited here the other day. I remembered going there as a child with school. It cost £16 for 2 adults and the tour runs on a regular basis throughout the day. The tour of the cave lasts about 50 mins. There are around 220 steps in the cave so it’s not really suitable for anyone unstable on their feet, this includes very small toddlers. The info on the sign outside the cavern said not suitable for anyone with a heart condition or bronchial problems. There was a lady with a young boy of about ²⁄₃ years who really struggled with the steps, which are steep and often slippy so you can’t carry a child and hold on to the rails, as there were too many for small legs. Slightly older kids seemed to really enjoy this tour though.
The guide we had was a nice gentleman but he wasn’t really much of a guide as he had a very monotonous tone of voice but he imparted all main points of interest clearly enough.
We thought it was ok on the whole.

I was there last weekend and it was a very nice place and well hidden. Somewhere in the nowhere stands a small shop and right behind it is the entrance to Blue John Cavern. They still mine for blue john.
The name of the stone does not derive from the name John, it has a different meaning, which you find out, when you participate. The tour takes around an hour and it was very interesting and informative.
This place is definitely not appropriate for disabled access because you have to scale and descend very narrow and small scales.

This is a great day out for kids and adults alike. The location is great, right in the heart of the Derbyshire hills and not too far from Buxton so you can also visit there afterwards to make a real day of it.
The tour itself last around 45 minutes and you’ll be taken round by a knowledgeable guide who is very friendly and will answer any questions you may have. The caverns are fantastic and you’ll find your jaw dropping several times. A must see if you are in this part of the world.

Never been here before — even though I live less than a hour away. Blue John is a semi-​precious stone which is mined in Derbyshire & nowhere else on the planet. You can take a trip down the working mine, which originates from the 1800s, down to about 200 odd feet below the surface. Interesting & informative guided tour & well worth a visit. You may have to queue at busy times, though. When you’ve finished you can take walk up Mam Tor to blow the cobwebs away !

Die Höhlen dieser Gegend besitzen eine Besonderheit: sie enthalten Fluoritadern, wegen der typischen bläulichen bis lila Farbe auch Blue John genannt. Daraus leitet sich auch der Name dieser Höhle ab, die auch die schönsten Fluritadern aller Schauhöhlen in der Umgebung aufweist.
Die Höhle befindet sich am Ende des Tals. Die Straße ist wegen Felsrutschen etwas weiter gesperrt, so daß sie faktisch eine Sackgasse ist. Die Aussicht über das Tal und Castleton ist wunderschön, schon deshalb lohnt sich ein Besuch der Höhle.

I haven’t visited these mines/​caves since I was a nipper. We went with school on a number of occasions and can recall loving them back then.
This time I went armed with a family, a journey of around 50 mins from Manchester (well south Manchester at least).
The location of the cavern and store is nestled into one of ‘a billion’ or so human scale undulating hills in Derbyshire’s fabulous Peak District.
Reputedly the mineral Blue John was first discovered by the Romans over 2000 years ago (excavations in Pompeii it is said, unearthed a couple of vases made from this lovely stone).
Before you enter the cave/​mine entrance you can see the displays of this mineral in the cavern store: jewellery and pots made from this stone can cost into the hundreds of pounds… perhaps hardly the ‘pink panther’ but special never the less.
There is a sign on the entrance asking the infirm or those with heart conditions to reconsider their little adventure ‘downstairs’ (all 240 odd steps). I like the fact that it’s still a little edgy and a decent slip on the wet steps might send you cascading a fair bit into the bowels of mother/​middle earth!
Our tour guide seemed to have a real love for these mines and the wealth of knowledge hits you between your damp eyes like a slowly falling stalactite. One moment you’re nervously tip toeing down some fairly steep steps and then the next you’re looking into a cavern over 175 foot high. The trip lasts 45 mins, although there is another section (about a ¹⁄₅^th the length of the tour) which would in fact take you around –six hours from start to finish. That part of the caves are for the more serious types kind of made me want to give caving a go… and go home and watch ‘the Descent’ later that evening.
These mines are well worth a visit if you’re in the area (the surrounds are beautiful) and the Blue John cavern is often claimed to be the finest in western Europe.