Creswell Crags Museum and Visitor Centre

In this section...

• The Creswell Area
  • The Creswell gorge and caves
  • The Local Landscape
  • Other things to do
  • Walks and Trails
  • Longer walks from Creswell
• Exhibition Objects
• Virtually the Ice Age

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• Explore Limestone Vales and Gorges:

  Anston Stones and Lindrick Dale
  The high limestone cliffs of Anston gorge dominate this valley. Good paths through the valley make it easy to explore this site which has ice age cave and rock shelters including Dead Man's Cave as well as attractive limestone grassland. A walk through this valley is featured in Walking in the Creswell Limestone Heritage Area published by Creswell Heritage Trust.

  Creswell Crags
  Creswell Crags is one of the better known sites in the area. This limestone gorge was visited more than 10,000 years ago by stone age people hunting during the ice age. Today a Museum and Education Centre tells the story of Creswell during the Ice Age. Click to explore what you can do at Creswell Crags.

  Limestone Gorges
  In and around the limestone gorges the limestone rock is either exposed or just under the surface. These valleys are often cliff sided and form narrow channels through the countryside. These areas are difficult to farm and have been protected from development. This has created ideal spots where rare plants have survived and animals can thrive. The limestone valleys at Creswell Crags, Pleasley Vale, Markland Grips, Anston Stones and Roche Abbey preserve some of the only surviving patches of rare limestone grassland and characteristic ancient semi-natural woodland. A number of walks through these valleys are possible.

  Markland and Hollinhill Grips
  'Grips' is a local name for a cliff sided valley. These 'grips' just outside the village of Clowne provide an attractive area for walking. The archaeologist Leslie Armstrong carried out a number of excavations in the caves and fissures here. In one cave he called Sepulchral cave he found human remains from the Neolithic period. A walk through this valley is featured in Walking in the Creswell Limestone Heritage Area which starts at Creswell Crags Museum and Education Centre.

  Roche Abbey and Vale
  Nestled in this secluded limestone valley to the south of Maltby, South Yorkshire is Roche Abbey, a 12th century Cistercian monastery. Capability Brown later created the wild garden behind the abbey. The abbey is managed by English Heritage. The limestone valley provides excellent walks which take in ancient woodland, wildlife rich common land and exposed reef limestone. A walk through this area is featured in Walking in the Creswell Limestone Heritage Area published by Creswell Heritage Trust. For details of opening times of the abbey please contact English Heritage www.english-heritage.org.uk

  The Limestone
  The limestone exposed in the gorges was once the sand and mud that settled on the floor of a shallow tropical sea 250 million years ago. This was during the Permian Age, when Britain was part of a great continent that lay just north of the equator. This area lay on the western shore of the shallow Zechstein sea, a huge inland sea that stretched to Poland. The sands and mud on the sea bed formed into huge underwater dunes. The shape of these dunes can be seen in the limestone cliffs exposed in the gorges today.

• Discover other local attractions

  Bolsover Town and Castle
  Bolsover Castle dominates the limestone escarpment on the west of the area. The buildings in the castle today were constructed by the Cavendish family over the site of the original Peveril Castle dating from the 11th century. The rich painted rooms and elaborately carved fireplaces in the Little Castle puts visitors in touch with the romanticism of the English renaissance. For information about the Castle events and opening times contact English Heritage on 01246 822844 www.english-heritage.org.uk . Exploring the town can be equally rewarding by visiting the medieval earthwork to the town, the 13th century church tower and exploring the stone houses that line the market place. For more information on events and what you can do at Bolsover please contact Bolsover District Council tourism department on 01246 240000 and visit the Events Page.

  Hardwick Hall and Hardwick Old Hall
  Described as 'more glass than walls' this Elizabethan mansion was built by Bess of Hardwick between 1590 and 1597. Visitors can explore the world-renowned collection of furniture, textiles and paintings as well as the gardens and 500 acre park.Also visit the spectacular ruined home of Bess of Hardwick with impressive views over the surrounding Hardwick estate. For information about Hardwick please telephone the National Trust on 01246 850430 www.nationaltrust.org.uk.

  Pleasley Park
  Perched on the edge of Pleasley Vale is Pleasley Park. This woodland is one of the largest semi-natural ancient woodlands in Derbyshire first recorded in 12 09 as a Royal deer hunting park. Today, the park is managed by the Forestry Commission. A series of footpaths can be followed through the park. In certain areas the land is fissured and care needs to be taken. Please report any new fissures to the Forestry Commission on 01623 822447.

  Pleasley Pit
  This pit, which closed in December 1983, is now being restored by a group of committed volunteers. The pit headstocks are the last of their kind in the whole of Derbyshire. Inside the engine house a steam winding engine is preserved. For information about this site and opening times please telephone 01283 2223302.

  Pleasley Vale and Mills
  The mill buildings in Pleasley Vale are some of the most impressive industrial building in the area. The complex of four mills dating from the 18th century were built to manufacture cotton and silk. Other buildings included a school, library, chapel and workers houses. Pleasley Vale also contains caves where remains of woolly mammoth, rhinoceros, reindeer, wolf, bison and horse have been found. A walk through this valley is featured in Walking in the Creswell Limestone Heritage Area published by Creswell Heritage Trust.

  Poulter Valley Country Park
  This park is great for a walk from Whaley Thorns Heritage Centre. The park has been created out of the spoil tip of Langwith Colliery and includes excellent views of the attractive surrounding countryside. Careful management of the park has preserved areas of species rich grassland. A walk through this park is featured in Walking in the Creswell Limestone Heritage Area published by Creswell Heritage Trust.

  Scarcliffe Park
  This site was a medieval deer park in the 13th and 14th centuries. A footpath takes you through the eastern side of the park where it is possible to see the remains of the boundary bank and ditch used to control the deer herds. A walk through this park is featured in Walking in the Creswell Limestone Heritage Area published by Creswell Heritage Trust.

  Whaley Thorns Heritage Centre
  The Heritage Centre stages regular exhibitions on the past life and work of the local area. A wide range of events and activities are run from the centre including a number of guided walks throughout the year. Click here to explore up and coming events. For details about opening times please telephone 01623 742525.