Castleton Area Case Study

To what extent will a rise in tourist numbers have a positive effect on the Castleton area’

Castleton is a small village located in the western end of Hope Valley, in the Derbyshire Peak District National Park. Three sides of Castleton are surrounded by steep hills such as Mam Tor which is two miles from the north west of the village. Castleton was named after Peveril Castle, which overlooks the village, and has origins dating back to the Norman times. The village was once surrounded by a moat, but it has dried up now. Castleton is a honeypot village. This means that it is a tourist destination and is likely to draw in visitors from surrounding areas. There are many reasons why Castleton has become a honeypot. Three are many hills surrounding Castleton which are a great place for walkers and hikers. Furthermore, there are four underground show caves in Castleton which allow tourists to learn more about how the minerals and

materials used in products sold in Castleton are mined. These four caves are Blue John Cavern, Speedwell Cavern, Treak Cliff Cavern and Peak Cavern. Due to all these spots which are frequently visited by tourists, the village of Castleton itself has developed into a honeypot, attracting tourists to it like bees are attracted to honey.
There are many positive effects if tourism increased in Castleton. An increase in tourism will increase the profit earnt from the many services in Castleton. As shown in the pie chart below, 32% of the services in Castleton are accommodated to tourists. These services include tourist shops which sell souvenirs as well as jewellery made from Blue John which is mined from the mines, hotels, Bed and Breakfasts and Guest Houses which accommodate tourists if they are staying for longer than one day and camping and caravan sites which allow tourists to stay closer to the hills. Moreover, there is a visitor’s centre which houses a museum as well a tourist information centre. The Castleton Information Centre provides services such as accommodation and local theatre bookings, brochures, latest information on attractions, events and the Peak District National Park and information on the sites to see and shops to visit in and around Castleton. Tourists who visit the centre will be more likely to buy things from the village and allow the residents to earn a larger profit.

However, there is a downside to this. If the number of tourists increases, the small village will be crowded and there will be a lot of damage down to the area. The footpaths will eventually wear away from the excessive use and become dangerous to use. If this happens, tourist may decide to trespass through vegetation, therefore destroying the vegetation and causing conflicts between the owners of the land and themselves. The owners may fence up their land ergo destroying the beauty of the plain unfenced hills. If there is an increase in tourists, there will also be an increase in vandalism and litter, causing a lot of pollution and destruction to the environment. If the area is heavily littered and vandalised, it will turn away potential visitors and cause a huge loss to the residents of Castleton.
On the other hand, an increase of visitors would inevitably trigger further development in Castleton which will in turn increase the profit that the residents earn.

With further development of modern buildings, Castleton may evolve into a town or even one of the most visited tourist spots in the UK. The village already has the potential to be evolved further; it merely needs to become more popular. If the village is evolved, larger caravan and camping sites could be built to increase the number of tourists. In addition, more residential buildings could be built so that there would be more residents to run the local businesses. If these succeed, a secondary school could be constructed so that locals will not have to travel as far to get their education. Also, developing the area would increase the wealth of the land. The village could also be made more accessible by building wider roads for transport. By developing Castleton, a large fortune could be made from all of the natural resources and historical value of the village and surrounding

areas.
Nevertheless, an increase in torisim would mean that there would be an increase in pollution created from transport. Tourists are most likely to come in cars or coaches which block up the narrow roads and spread pollution into the countryside, therefore causing the natural beauty of Castleton to be destroyed. This traffic is also a safety hazard for both the residents and the tourists. The corner of the road in front of the primary school tends to get congested and puts the school children at risk.