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Geology

The Swallow Hole

13th June 2019 by

A trickling noise gives away the presence of flowing water, the first we have encountered, since climbing Chrome Hill; but where does it go?  Seemingly nowhere. In fact it plunges down a swallow hole at the bottom of that pit, whose rim is just visible from here.  Get closer to the tiny stream and you will see a small pit, with a large, rusty metal disc lying in its bottom.  Gently and carefully lift this by the handle and suddenly you are staring down a shaft.  Unless you have come prepared for serious pot-holing, do nothing more than replace the cover.  This disappearing little stream brings us to the final chapter in the story of the Dragon’s Back.

Having been built up by tiny organisms in a tropical sea, left high and dry as a playground for dinosaurs, covered by muddy shale, scoured and cleaned by ice, it is fresh water that has the final word.  Ever since the retreat of the last glacier, rainwater has been exploiting small weaknesses in the rock. The water has found, found secret routes down towards the river, further eroding the rock as it travels on its journey, creating dark, underground caverns for the adventurous to explore and the perfect home, perhaps, for sleeping dragons?

[Read more…] about The Swallow Hole

The Arch

13th June 2019 by

Travelling back to that ancient period around 350 million years ago when these reefs were relatively new, it is not hard to imagine prehistoric fish of bright tropical colours swimming through here in a warm sea of crystal blue waters.  Perhaps the arch was part-exposed by the tide for some of the day, with waves crashing and surging through.  Stand inside and feel its sides, worn by the passage of 350 million-year-old currents.

A little further down the ridge, you will come across a small cave, (you may have already spotted it from the hilltop); just as with this arch, the cave at once reminds me of a scene on a rocky seashore.

[Read more…] about The Arch

Summit of Parkhouse Hill

13th June 2019 by

 

View from the summit

Congratulations!  That is the steepest climb of the whole walk over with and we need somewhere to get our breath back.  This pronounced summit offers an obvious place to sit, almost like a few stone stools bunched together – so take the weight off your feet.  You might need something for a cushion as you will quickly notice that this limestone is very hard indeed.

View towards Chrome Hill

The view westward is towards Chrome Hill, our next objective and at once you will see how much higher it is.  Best, for now, to ignore it and turn the other way. Take in the calming, broad sweep of the Dove Valley behind you.  The river’s course can be made out by that sinuous line of alder trees which line the riverbanks for almost its entire progress.

[Read more…] about Summit of Parkhouse Hill

Alport Castles

13th June 2019 by

Alport Castles © Chris Morgan via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0)

This is one of the geological and scenic highlights of the Peak District National Park. Alport Castles is said to be the largest landslip in Britain, but it is rarely visited because of its remoteness.

View from top of Alport Castles © James Daniel via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

The Alport Valley is made up of weak Carboniferous shales (fine-grained rocks made of mud) overlain by harder Millstone Grit. The large cliff face we see here is the Birchin Hat escarpment. Alport Castles formed when the softer sandstones and shales of Birchin Hat slipped away from the rock-face. The Millstone Grit on the top broke up into blocks and tumbled down the valley side, creating a chaotic landscape of fallen boulders. With a little imagination, they can resemble castles – hence the name.

[Read more…] about Alport Castles

The Aquarium

13th June 2019 by

Standing on the main street, look along the line of shops, arcades and attractions. The tranquility of our view from High Tor above may seem like a lifetime ago!

Imagine the hustle and bustle of this main thoroughfare when the railways first ferried visitors in droves. The sights prompted J. B. Firth in 1908 to describe

the bawling of the drivers of brakes and waggonettes, the attentions of the pushing salesmen“.

Today the bold blues, yellows and pinks of ice cream shops, fish and chip bars and arcades are hard to miss. And neither is the Aquarium. This building holds another clue to Matlock’s visitor appeal. Of the many spas and wells that first brought visitors to Matlock in their thousands, behind these walls is the only one that still works today – the Petrifying Well.

A ‘Petrifying Well’, as advertised on the board outside, was once a real feature of the town and drew in crowds of thrill seekers from the surrounding cities. But what is a ‘Petrifying Well’?

[Read more…] about The Aquarium

Sheepwash Bridge

13th June 2019 by

As its name suggests, the bridge spans a pool once used by local farmers to wash their sheep’s fleeces. Now it is a haven for ducks, water voles, dippers, grey wagtails and many other birds which come to drink among the boulders and aquatic plants like meadowsweet, watercress and watermint.  A bubbling and vibrant reminder of how precious water is to all forms of life.

In very dry years, the water is absent even at this point and young fish have to be rescued and moved further downstream.  Some of this is due to centuries-old mine workings, the drains from which have deprived the Lathkill River of much of its former flow.  Plans are now in place to block the biggest of these drains, to the great benefit of all this local wildlife.

[Read more…] about Sheepwash Bridge

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