Veer Shaft

The entrance to Veer Shaft is easy to miss if you're just walking through Hope Valley - it's a proper sinkhole, the kind of thing that stops you dead when you realise there's an entire cave system dropping away beneath your feet. The shaft itself is dramatic: a vertical descent into darkness, with mineral-stained limestone walls that tell you immediately this is serious caving territory, not a tourist-friendly show cave with electric lights and gift shops.

This is where cavers come. If you're an experienced potholer with ropes and the right kit, Veer Shaft opens into a complex of passages and chambers - the kind of exploration that takes hours and requires real skill. For casual visitors, the appeal is different: it's the thrill of standing at the lip of this geological wound and peering into what lies beneath the Derbyshire Hills. Families will find the walk worthwhile for the novelty factor alone, though small children won't get much from it beyond five minutes of "wow, it's deep."

The location is brilliant if you're based at one of the nearby parks like Castleton Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite or Derbyshire Hills Campsite - you're already in prime caving country. Combine Veer Shaft with the more accessible show caves at Speedwell or Peveril, and you've got a proper underground Derbyshire experience. Go in dry conditions; these shafts fill quickly when it rains.