A Trip to Castleton Christmas Tree Festival

Castleton has always been a picturesque village in the heart of the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire, UK. At Christmas, it is even prettier as they place a Christmas tree and decorations outside nearly every shop, cafe and pub attracting even more visitors.

It's also a good place to visit as there are gift shops and jewellery shops that sell Blue John Stone which is actually mined only in Castleton from the nearby caves.

They also have a Christmas tree festival inside the church with around 50 trees.

The trees were decorated by local groups, shops, businesses, and caverns with refreshments on hand.

You can also remember past loved ones by writing on a star and putting it on the prayer tree.

I think the gingerbread man was one of my favourites.

It got quite crowded. I suspect they've never had so many in the church at one time!

The ruins of the Norman fortress, Peveril Castle stands on the hill. It was built by Henry II in 1176. Source I'd like to walk up to it but I don't fancy the ascent.

The only problem is that it's a lot colder here as it's up in the High Peak District, so you don't want to stick around for too long. It's usually the first place to snow. Time to go home ...