Nettle Pot

The entrance to Nettle Pot is easy to walk straight past if you're not paying attention - a modest opening in the limestone hillside near Hope Valley that doesn't announce itself with fanfare or gift shops. It's a proper caver's cave, the kind where you'll need a torch and a willingness to get your hands dirty.

Once inside, the passage opens up into passages and chambers that feel genuinely remote despite being accessible on foot. The rock formations are the main draw here - stalactites and flowstone that have formed over millennia, though nothing quite as dramatic as the showcase caves you'll find elsewhere in Derbyshire. What makes Nettle Pot different is the sense of discovery. You're not shuffling through a lit tourist route with a hundred other people; you're properly exploring.

It's worth allowing a couple of hours if you're going to do it properly, and you'll definitely want sturdy footwear and a decent head torch - the going can be muddy and uneven in places. Summer's the best time, when water levels are lower and the whole experience is less of a squelch.

For families with young children, this isn't the place. But for walkers staying at one of the nearby campsites - Castleton Caravan and Motorhome Club is closest at just over two miles - it makes a cracking half-day addition to exploring the Hope Valley. Pair it with a walk up Mam Tor or a visit to Castleton's show caves if you want something more polished alongside it.