Poole’s Cavern & Buxton Country Park
The first ‘Wonder of the Peak’
This great carboniferous limestone cavern is one of the finest show caves in England and boasts many strange and wondrous formations, sculpted over millions of years. Mary, Queen of Scots, is said to have explored it and people have been visiting ever since.
Evidence of prehistoric life, from the Neolithic and early Bronze ages, has been found. Romano-British finds also point to this area being farmed and populated and the cavern seems to have been the centre for bronze work in the area.
The cavern, cared for and operated by local environmental and heritage charity, Buxton Civic Association (BCA), benefits from a state-of-the-art LED lighting system highlighting the delicate crystal formations and creating a wonderful effect when the 300ft main chamber is fully illuminated.
Guided tours and Self-Guided Audio tours (via a newly launched app in Spring 2026) are available daily. Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the cave.
Also new for Spring 2026 is “Thomas’s Trail: Animals of Buxton – Past and Present in Grin Low Woods”! Embark on a woodland quest to find 14 large animal discs amongst the trees. Created in partnership with two local charities, BCA and the Thomas Theyer Foundation, the trail is suitable for all ages and designed to encourage children and young people to explore in green spaces and connect with nature. The trail is free with any tour ticket to Poole’s Cavern, or £2 for those who just wish to visit the trail. Find out more here.
There is a modern visitor centre and gift shop supporting local artisans, a café with home-made bakes and cakes, and small exhibition highlighting the human history and geology of Poole’s Cavern.
Set at the foot of Buxton Country Park and Grin Low Woods, there are outdoor picnic benches perfect for bird spotting, as they visit our bird feeders. At the top of the hill you will find Solomon’s Temple, a folly which provides a panoramic view of Buxton and the surrounding hills. Country Park maps are available from the Visitor Centre, marked with our sculptured walking trails, as are a range of woodland and town walk guides including Hidden Buxton, The Wild Flowers of Grin Low, Grotesques of Buxton and Ring of Trees.
Book cave tour tickets online on the Poole’s Cavern website here.
Poole’s Cavern
Green Lane
Buxton
SK17 9DH
Telephone: 01298 26978
E-mail: info@poolescavern.co.uk
Website: buxtoncivicassociation.org.uk/pooles-cavern/
Facebook: @Poolescavern
TikTok: @poolescavernbuxton
Instagram: @pooles_cavern
Opening Times
9:45am to 5pm* daily^
^Closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day
From November 2025, this website is owned and managed by Buxton Civic Association Ltd - Charity No. 258163.
Buxton Civic Association celebrates the natural and human heritage of Buxton including its outstanding buildings and wildlife. We conserve and enhance this heritage and advocate its importance in making Buxton a special place to live or to visit.
