'I went to the Peak District cave which is like entering another world'

On the edge of Buxton lies a surreal subterranean world. It’s a place where sunlight never reaches, strange formations hang from the ceiling and the temperature remains a constant 7C. It’s in this underworld where I found myself on a summer’s afternoon.

I was visiting Poole’s Cavern, a huge carboniferous limestone cavern which writer Charles Cotton named one of the seven ‘Wonders of the Peak’. For centuries Poole’s Cavern has been a magnet for visitors. Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, is said to have visited in the 1580s, while evidence of prehistoric life has been found within the cave.

READ MORE: Gorgeous Greater Manchester village has a river running through it, lovely walks, great pubs and top chippy Walking into this underground world it’s easy to see why it’s attracted adventurers, scientists and tourists alike. It’s not a cave where you have to descend down hundreds of steps or navigate any tight squeezes, yet within a few metres from the entrance you already feel cut off from the outside. Poole's Cavern is divided into different chambers (Image: MEN Staff) The area which is open to the public is divided into different chambers, including the Roman Chamber and the intriguing Poached Egg chamber.

Each one is beautifully illuminated and knowledgeable guides talk you through their features. One thing you can’t ignore are the caves' impressive stalagmites, which protrude from the ground, and stalactites, which hang down over your head. The bizarrely name.