Castletown is a village located in the Peak District National Park.

A map to show the location of the Peak District

Castleton lies towards the north of the National Park. It is 10 miles from Buxton, 16 miles from Sheffield and 27 miles from Stockport. Half of the population of England live within 60 miles of the Peak Park.

Castleton has many human and natural attractions. These include:

• Caverns (Peak Cavern, Blue John Cavern, Speedwell Cavern and Trekcliff Cavern)
• Pevril Castle
• Mam Tor
• Attractive Countryside

The map below shows some of these attractions.

Map of Castleton

What problems do tourists cause around Castleton?
Castleton is one of the Peak District’s most popular honeypots. Honeypots are areas which attract many tourists. They are so called because tourists flock to these places like ‘bees around honey’. Castleton receives over 2 million visitors every year. This large number of tourist causes many problems in and around Castleton. These problems include –

• Litter
• Traffic Congestion – This is a problem in the village to both locals and visitors. There is a large car park, with space for coaches, and public toilets but as peak times (Summer Sundays or during the Garland ceremony) the parking provision is not enough and the congestion spoils the character of the village and affects its enjoyment by all.
• Footpath erosion resulting from overuse. This is particularly the case around popular natural attractions such as Mam Tor and Winnats Pass.
• Conflict with other land users e.g. farmers and walkers

How are these problems being tackled?

• Footpath erosion – Improvements such as surfacing paths in local stone or re-routing certain paths have been undertaken to reduce the impact of erosion.
• An increasing number of litter bins have been provided throughout the village.

What problems are caused by industry in the area?
There is a cement works located to the south-east of Castleton. It uses limestone quarried nearby. The works cause a number of problems. Firstly it spoils the attractive view from the top of Mam Tor. This is a form of visual pollution. Click here to see a photograph of the view. Noise from the trucks moving between the works and the quarry causes noise pollution. Dust is blown from the works and trucks.  

What benefits are created by the industry in the area?

Social Benefits:

• Jobs are created
• Crime reduces due to higher levels of employment

Economic Benefits:

• Jobs are created. Therefore people have more money to spend on local goods and services.
• Multiplier effect – by creating a factory and providing new jobs, the local economy grows by more than the original cash injection