Cavern Tour with make a Blue John necklace Activity

Cavern Tour with make a Blue John necklace Activity

Take the 45 minute guided tour of the Cavern to see an Underground Wonderland of rocks, minerals and fossils. Your tour takes in 7 chambers, and you see and touch the largest Blue John stone deposits still in situ: the Blue John Pillar, The Pocket and the Blue John Arch.
Deeper into the hill your Guide explains how the stalactites and stalagmites formed. Discover where our drinking water comes from, then return outside to see views of Castleton and Hope Valley. Gently stroll downhill to the Entrance buildings to look in the Museum. See the different colours and patterns of the Blue John Stone ornaments on display. Next go into the workshop where the crafts people help you select a semi prepared piece of Blue John stone for your pendant/necklace. They show you how to rub it with different grades of abrasive paper until it is ready for the final finish. They supervise whilst you polish it to a lovely shine, attach a bail, and a leather cord, and then try on your finished necklace!

Itinerary

Take the 45 minute guided tour of the Cavern to see an Underground Wonderland of rocks, minerals and fossils. Your tour takes in 7 chambers including The Witch's Cave, Aladdin's Cave, Fairyland and the Dream Cave.

Deeper down are the finest stalactites and stalagmites in the Peak District, and your guide will tell you how they formed, along with some geological history of the Cavern. Discover where our drinking water supply comes from, before returning to the outside to take in the lovely view of Castleton and the Hope Valley from the cavern Exit area. Learn more from the information panels about the mining history of this hillside.

Next you go into the work shop where the crafts people will help you select your semi prepared piece of Blue John Stone: they will show you how to rub it with different grades of abrasive paper until ready for the final stage. Then they will supervise while you polish it to a lovely shine, and attach a bail and leather cord. (Sterling silver chains are available to purchase for an additional charge, depending on length, weight, design etc.)

Then you can try your necklace on and adjust the length to fit !!