Take home a piece of the Peak District

Treak Cliff Cavern is home to the world’s largest deposit of Blue John stone and around 50kg of the semi-precious mineral is mined there each year.

The cave’s master craftsmen will be helping visitors to turn the stones into souvenirs from March 29 to April 14.

Manager Vicky Turner said: “Our craftsmen create some stunning ornaments and jewellery which are sold around the world.

“During the Easter school holidays visitors will get a chance to work alongside the craftsmen and learn how to polish their own piece of Blue John stone.

“Kids love getting stuck in and get to take away the fruits of their labour.”

Blue John stone is a unique banded form of the mineral fluorspar. Its name is believed to originate from the French ‘bleu et jaune’, meaning blue and yellow, which came to be called Blue John by Derbyshire folk in the 18th century when it began to be mined in the Hope Valley.

It is Britain’s rarest mineral and Treak Cliff Hill, into which the cavern is set, is the only known place in the world where it naturally occurs and is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Treak Cliff Cavern, along with neighbouring Blue John Cavern, is one of only two working Blue John stone mines in the country.

All the deposits on its visitor route are preserved and the cavern also contains a spectacular display of stalactite flowstone, which is coloured by copper, iron and manganese.