Dark Peak

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Dark Peak landscape seen from Stanage Edge View-north-west-along-stanage-edge-uk.jpg
Dark Peak landscape seen from Stanage Edge
The summit of Bleaklow, second highest hill in the Dark Peak Bleaklow.jpg
The summit of Bleaklow, second highest hill in the Dark Peak

The Dark Peak is the higher and wilder part of the Peak District in England, mostly forming the northern section but also extending south into its eastern and western margins. It is mainly in Derbyshire but parts are in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire.

Contents

It gets its name because (in contrast to the White Peak), the underlying limestone is covered by a cap of Millstone Grit sandstones with softer shale underneath, [1] meaning that in winter the soil is almost always saturated with water. The land is thus largely uninhabited moorland plateaux where almost any depression is filled with sphagnum bogs and black peat. The High Peak is an alternative name for the Dark Peak, but High Peak is also the name of an administrative district of Derbyshire which includes part of the White Peak.

The areas of Millstone Grit form an 'inverted horseshoe' around the lower uncapped limestone areas of the White Peak, enclosing it to the west, north and east. [2] Hence the Dark Peak is said to cover the higher, northern moors between the Hope Valley to the south and the Tame Valley, Standedge and Holme Valley to the north, separating it from the South Pennines, the Western Moors stretching south to near the Churnet Valley, and the Eastern Moors southwards towards Matlock. The Dark Peak is one of 159 National Character Areas defined by Natural England; as defined by Natural England, the Dark Peak NCA covers 86,604 hectares (334 sq mi) and includes the northern block of hills approximately bounded by Marsden, Stocksbridge, Hathersage and Chapel-en-le-Frith, plus the eastern moors between Hathersage and Matlock, [1] but excludes the western moors between Chapel and the Churnet Valley (which it places in NCA 53, the South West Peak), [3] and the area around Glossop (in NCA 54, Manchester Pennine Fringe). [4]

An area of 31,852 hectares (123 sq mi) is designated as the Dark Peak Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), [5] which excludes the separately designated Eastern Moors. [6] The SSSI extends over the borders into Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire. A large part of the SSSI is included in the South Pennine Moors Special Area of Conservation. [7]

Principal upland areas within the Dark Peak include Kinder Scout, Bleaklow (both of which rise to over 600 m (2,000 ft)), Black Hill, the Roaches, Shining Tor, Mam Tor, Win Hill and Stanage Edge.

Aircraft crashes

Over the years, military aircraft have crashed on the Dark Peak, generally because of a combination of numerous nearby air bases, inexperienced pilots, primitive or faulty equipment and poor visibility. [8] Because of the bleakness and emptiness of the high moorlands and the consequent difficulties of recovery, [9] substantial wreckage remains at some sites in remote parts of the moorland, though militarily sensitive materials were removed and salvage teams sometimes gathered debris into piles, or burned or buried it. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peak District</span> Upland area in England

The Peak District is an upland area in England, at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire and includes the Dark Peak, moorland dominated by gritstone, and the White Peak, a limestone area with valleys and gorges. The Dark Peak forms an arc on the north, east and west sides; the White Peak covers central and southern tracts. The Peak District was the first of the national parks of England and Wales in 1951. The historic Peak District extends beyond the National Park, which excludes major towns, quarries and industrial areas. Nearby Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and Sheffield send millions of visitors. Inhabited from the Mesolithic era, it shows evidence of the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. Settled by the Romans and Anglo-Saxons, it remained largely agricultural; mining arose in the Middle Ages. Richard Arkwright built cotton mills in the Industrial Revolution. As mining declined, quarrying grew. Tourism came with the railways, spurred by the landscape, spa towns and Castleton's show caves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derbyshire</span> County of England

Derbyshire is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south and west, and Cheshire to the west. Derby is the largest settlement, and Matlock is the county town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Yorkshire</span> County of England

South Yorkshire is a ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the north, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north-east, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire to the south-east, and Derbyshire to the south and west. The largest settlement is the city of Sheffield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennines</span> Range of uplands in Northern England

The Pennines, also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of uplands mainly located in Northern England. Commonly described as the "backbone of England" because of its length and position, the range runs from the north Midlands to North East England, near the Anglo-Scottish border. The Peak District is the southern end of the range, rising northwards from its foothills near the Trent Valley in northern Staffordshire, and further north into eastern Cheshire and southern Derbyshire. Beyond this are the South Pennines, Yorkshire Dales, and North Pennines, ending at the Tyne Gap. Beyond the gap are the Border Moors and Cheviot Hills, which are included in some definitions of the range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilkley Moor</span> Moorland in West Yorkshire, England

Ilkley Moor is part of Rombalds Moor, the moorland between Ilkley and Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. The moor, which rises to 402 m (1,319 ft) above sea level, is well known as the inspiration for the Yorkshire "county anthem" On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hathersage</span> Village in Derbyshire, England

Hathersage is a village and civil parish in the Peak District in Derbyshire, England. It lies slightly to the north of the River Derwent, approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) south-west of Sheffield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Peak</span>

The White Peak, also known as the Low Peak, is a limestone plateau that forms the central and southern part of the Peak District in England. It is mostly between 270 metres (900 ft) and 430 metres (1,400 ft) above sea-level and is enclosed by the higher altitude Dark Peak to the west, north and east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Wark</span>

Carl Wark is a rocky promontory on Hathersage Moor in the Peak District National Park, just inside the boundary of Sheffield, England. The promontory is faced by vertical cliffs on all but one side, which is protected by a prehistoric embankment. The cliffs and embankment form an enclosure that has been interpreted as an Iron Age hill fort, though the date of construction and purpose of the fortifications remains unknown. The site is a scheduled monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derwent Edge</span> Escarpment in United Kingdom

Derwent Edge is a Millstone Grit escarpment that lies above the Upper Derwent Valley in the Peak District National Park in the English county of Derbyshire. An Ordnance Survey column marks the highest point of the Edge at Back Tor. North of Back Tor the edge extends into Howden Edge and enters the county of South Yorkshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Pennine Moors</span>

The West Pennine Moors is an area of the Pennines covering approximately 90 square miles (230 km2) of moorland and reservoirs in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millstone Grit</span>

Millstone Grit is the name given to any of a number of coarse-grained sandstones of Carboniferous age which occur in the British Isles. The name derives from its use in earlier times as a source of millstones for use principally in watermills. Geologists refer to the whole suite of rocks that encompass the individual limestone beds and the intervening mudstones as the Millstone Grit Group. The term Millstone Grit Series was formerly used to refer to the rocks now included within the Millstone Grit Group together with the underlying Edale Shale Group.

The South Pennine Moors are areas of moorland in the South Pennines in northern England. The designation is applied to two different but overlapping areas, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) covering a number of areas in West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester, and a much larger Special Area of Conservation (SAC) covering parts of Derbyshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, and small areas of Cheshire, Staffordshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and North Yorkshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boulsworth Hill</span>

Boulsworth Hill is a large expanse of moorland, the highest point of the South Pennines of south-eastern Lancashire, England, separating the Borough of Pendle from Calderdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountains and hills of England</span>

The mountains and hills of England comprise very different kinds of terrain, from a mountain range which reaches almost 1,000 metres high, to several smaller areas of lower mountains, foothills and sea cliffs. Most of the major upland areas have been designated as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) or national parks. The highest and most extensive areas are in the north and west, while the midlands, south-east and east of the country tend to be low-lying.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Pennines</span> Region of moorland and hills in northern England

A National Character Area (NCA) is a natural subdivision of England based on a combination of landscape, biodiversity, geodiversity and economic activity. There are 159 National Character Areas and they follow natural, rather than administrative, boundaries. They are defined by Natural England, the UK government's advisors on the natural environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Pennines Regional Park</span> Proposed national park in Northern England

The South Pennines Regional Park is a proposed national park that would cover the South Pennines area in Northern England, encompassing parts of Greater Manchester, Lancashire and West Yorkshire. It would also adjoin the borders of two existing national parks; the Yorkshire Dales in the north and the Peak District in the south. The area was named as a prospective national park in the 1940s when the idea of creating national parks was being carried forward, but it was never given the same status as the Peak District, North York Moors or the Yorkshire Dales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenfield Valley</span> Valley at Saddleworth Moor in the Peak District

Greenfield Valley is a river valley through Saddleworth Moor in England's Peak District National Park. Historically this area of the South Pennines was part of Yorkshire but since 1974 it has been within the eastern edge of the county of Greater Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Totley Moor</span> Hill in the Derbyshire Peak District

Totley Moor is an open moorland hill to the west of the Sheffield suburb of Totley, in the Derbyshire Peak District. The summit is 395 metres (1,296 ft) above sea level.

References

  1. 1 2 "NCA Profile: 51 Dark Peak (NE378)". Natural England. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  2. "Accommodation in Derbyshire and the Peak National Park". Discover Derbyshire and the Peak District. Discover Derbyshire and the Peak District. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  3. "South West Peak". Scottish Natural Heritage. Scottish Natural Heritage. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  4. "NCA Profile: 54 Manchester Pennine Fringe (NE397)". Natural England. Natural England. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  5. "The Dark Peak (SSSI citation)" (PDF). Natural England. 8 July 1993. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  6. "Eastern Peak District Moors (SSSI citation)" (PDF). Natural England. 22 December 1999. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  7. SAC Standard Data Form
  8. McCloy, Andrew. "Walking the Peak District Aircraft Wrecks". Mammut UK. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  9. "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 18762". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  10. Cunningham, Pat (2006). Peakland Air Crashes: The North. Ashbourne: Landmark Publishing. p. 13. ISBN   1843063301.

53°24′N1°48′W / 53.4°N 1.8°W / 53.4; -1.8