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On the way from Woolley Moor....

[CreationBear]

Really bucolic...I always associate Derbyshire with mining country, so this one is surprise to me.

[Peter Nutkins]

Really bucolic...I always associate Derbyshire with mining country, so this one is surprise to me.

Thanks CreationBear....(had to look up bucolic as it sounded like a nasty cough )

There are some lovely parts of Derbyshire - particularly off the main routes.

[CreationBear]

lovely parts of Derbyshire

I might have to get up in that country the next time I'm in London (I've been known to leave my wife at academic conferences and to hie out for the wilder parts of Wales and Scotland.)

[Tako Kichi]

The Peak District National Park covers most of northern Derbyshire but also includes parts of North Staffordshire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and South and West Yorkshire. It was Great Britain's first National Park and it is a fascinating place to visit as the scenery changes quite dramatically in fairly short distances. The northern area is known as the Dark Peak while the southern area is known as the White Peak and each has it's own underlying geology that affects the general look.

I lived in North Staffordshire for 35 years before I emigrated so I was only about 45 minutes by car from the area and spent a lot of time there growing up as my extended family were avid campers and several family groups used to camp together. I have very fond memories of hiking the hills and valleys and exploring the numerous caves and abandoned lead and copper mines (I had uncles and a brother who were either current or former coal miners so being underground was second nature to them).

I can highly recommend visiting the area if you ever get the chance to.

[CreationBear]

I can highly recommend visiting the area if you ever get the chance to.

Awesome, Tako--thanks for the background information...I might make York "home base" this Spring and see how best to venture further afield. (Too bad you blokes had the bad manners to put the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car...
)

[lesmore49]

I look forward to your photographs...of this scepter'd isle...this England.......etc, etc and etc.....and apologies to both Richard ll and William Shakespeare.

All kidding aside you do capture scenes of rural England that are evocative for me. A long time ago my wife and I spent a number of wonderful days and nights in an old farmhouse, that also had a bed and breakfast, somewhere in the English Lake District. I can't remember where now, it's been so long ago.

We went for long walks while there and drank in the scenery ...wherever we wandered among hill and dale.

Excellent photographs, please keep posting.

[Janse]

A nice shot Peter!

[sealonsf]

Wonderful photo.

[old4570]

Simply Lovely ...

[Peter Nutkins]

I might have to get up in that country the next time I'm in London (I've been known to leave my wife at academic conferences and to hie out for the wilder parts of Wales and Scotland.)

Great idea...we are hoping to move to the area in the New Year.

---------- Post added 29th Oct 2016 at 12:09 AM ----------

The Peak District National Park covers most of northern Derbyshire but also includes parts of North Staffordshire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and South and West Yorkshire. It was Great Britain's first National Park and it is a fascinating place to visit as the scenery changes quite dramatically in fairly short distances. The northern area is known as the Dark Peak while the southern area is known as the White Peak and each has it's own underlying geology that affects the general look.

I lived in North Staffordshire for 35 years before I emigrated so I was only about 45 minutes by car from the area and spent a lot of time there growing up as my extended family were avid campers and several family groups used to camp together. I have very fond memories of hiking the hills and valleys and exploring the numerous caves and abandoned lead and copper mines (I had uncles and a brother who were either current or former coal miners so being underground was second nature to them).

I can highly recommend visiting the area if you ever get the chance to.

Tako - did you ever go to the Blue John Mines? I am thinking of nipping over and having a look around

---------- Post added 29th Oct 2016 at 12:10 AM ----------

I look forward to your photographs...of this scepter'd isle...this England.......etc, etc and etc.....and apologies to both Richard ll and William Shakespeare.

All kidding aside you do capture scenes of rural England that are evocative for me. A long time ago my wife and I spent a number of wonderful days and nights in an old farmhouse, that also had a bed and breakfast, somewhere in the English Lake District. I can't remember where now, it's been so long ago.

We went for long walks while there and drank in the scenery ...wherever we wandered among hill and dale.

Excellent photographs, please keep posting.

Thank you so much - I am glad you like my snaps!

---------- Post added 29th Oct 2016 at 12:10 AM ----------

A nice shot Peter!

Thanks Janse - have a great weekend

---------- Post added 29th Oct 2016 at 12:11 AM ----------

Wonderful photo.

Thank you

---------- Post added 29th Oct 2016 at 12:11 AM ----------

Simply Lovely ...

Thanks - glad you like it!

[Tako Kichi]

Tako - did you ever go to the Blue John Mines? I am thinking of nipping over and having a look around

There are four show caves in the same valley and I have been in them all several times (although the last time was back in the early 80's). Each one is unique in it's own way but only two were mined for the Blue John semi-precious stone. They are Blue John Cavern and Treak Cliff Cavern, while Speedwell Cavern and Peak Cavern have a different history but are interesting nonetheless. My personal favourites were Peak and Treak Cliff.

Here's a brief synopsis from memory (with a bit of Googling) but bear in mind that it is 30+ years since I last visited the caverns so things may have changed a bit.

Blue John Cavern
A vertical cavern with very steep staircases, climbing back out requires a lot of effort and in some places the walls and roof are very close to the staircases which can be claustrophobic for some people.

Speedwell Cavern
This is a former lead mine and the journey to the actual cavern itself is via the 200 year old mining tunnel which is partially flooded and thus the trip is completed in boats. Each boat has a guide who lies on his/her back on the rear of the boat and propels it along the tunnel by placing their feet on the roof of the tunnel and 'walking' the boat along (it would appear that they may be using electric motors on some boats now). The cavern was discovered when the miners broke through the wall while digging out the lead ore. It is quite an impressive space and contains the 'Bottomless Pit' which obviously is not 'bottomless' but is pretty deep. It is estimated that the pit was originally around 490 ft (150m) deep but the miners used the hole to dump the spoil from their mining operations and it is now only 66 ft (20m) deep. There is only the single cavern so after having a look around it's back onto the boat for the return journey. Time in the main cavern can be limited at peak visitor times as there are obviously other boats trying to bring visitors in too and there is only one place in the tunnel where boats can pass each other.

Treak Cliff Cavern
This cavern was the original source of the Blue John stone and it still contains the largest single piece of Blue John yet to be discovered (worth several million Pounds) but it cannot be removed as it is supporting the roof of the grotto! This is another vertical cavern, but with a twist. Your senses tell you that you are inside a hill and therefore must be going down inside it but when you come out of the exit you discover you are 2-300 feet higher up the hill than where you went in. The whole cavern is a series of small galleries and grottoes and each is spectacular in terms of the geology on display, stalagmites, stalactites and flowstone adorn every surface. It really is a place of outstanding natural beauty and my favourite of all the caverns.

Peak Cavern
This cavern has an amazing history and I like it for the social/historic aspects as much as the geological marvels it contains. The initial cavern in the series (and therefore the mouth of the cave) was originally known as the Devil's Arse and the first recorded use of this name dates back to 1586! It was named for the flatulent noises that emanate from the cave mouth when flood water is draining out of the cave system. The original village of Castleton was actually built inside the mouth of the cave and the whole village was based on rope making. None of the buildings remain but there are displays of the rope making equipment in the cave mouth. The cave mouth has also been used for things like rock concerts and even as a cinema. It is the longest cave system in the Peak District and the mouth is the largest cave opening in the UK. Apparently the 'show cave' section is not as long as it used to be as several sections have been closed to the general public for some reason (probably 'elf 'n' safety') but the cave system extends far beyond the current 'end' and in fact new discoveries have been made that extend the cave system even further including the discovery of the Titan Shaft, a vertical crack in the rock that descends for 464 ft (141.5 m) making it the deepest 'pitch' in Britain. Talking of cracks in the rock, there is one in the roof of one of the caverns that used to be part of the show cave section (and may be still) that has a rather dramatic and sombre history. Sitting on top of the hill that has the cave at the bottom are the ruins of Peveril Castle which were built sometime between 1066 and 1086. In the 'keep' to the castle was an 'oubliette' (a French term meaning 'forgotten place') which was basically a hole in the ground into which miscreants and wrong-doers were dropped to be 'forgotten' (a brutal form of capital punishment). During the early explorations of the Peak Cavern system cavers came upon a large grotto and were horrified to discover piles of human bones with no apparent explanation of how they got there. Further research revealed the truth, The oubliette was in fact over a crevasse that led directly into the roof of the grotto. The poor victims who were thrown into the oubliette would have bounced down the crevasse and then plummeted from the roof of the grotto onto the floor of the cave below. If they weren't killed by the fall they would have certainly suffered multiple broken bones (as shown by the remains) and would then have died a slow and painful death of thirst or starvation in the absolute blackness of the cave (a gruesome thought).

I can highly recommend a visit to anyone in the area and would love to go back to see how things have changed. I still have some photos (on slides) taken in the various caverns.

[Peter Nutkins]

There are four show caves in the same valley and I have been in them all several times (although the last time was back in the early 80's). Each one is unique in it's own way but only two were mined for the Blue John semi-precious stone. They are Blue John Cavern and Treak Cliff Cavern, while Speedwell Cavern and Peak Cavern have a different history but are interesting nonetheless. My personal favourites were Peak and Treak Cliff.

Here's a brief synopsis from memory (with a bit of Googling) but bear in mind that it is 30+ years since I last visited the caverns so things may have changed a bit.

Blue John Cavern
A vertical cavern with very steep staircases, climbing back out requires a lot of effort and in some places the walls and roof are very close to the staircases which can be claustrophobic for some people.

Speedwell Cavern
This is a former lead mine and the journey to the actual cavern itself is via the 200 year old mining tunnel which is partially flooded and thus the trip is completed in boats. Each boat has a guide who lies on his/her back on the rear of the boat and propels it along the tunnel by placing their feet on the roof of the tunnel and 'walking' the boat along (it would appear that they may be using electric motors on some boats now). The cavern was discovered when the miners broke through the wall while digging out the lead ore. It is quite an impressive space and contains the 'Bottomless Pit' which obviously is not 'bottomless' but is pretty deep. It is estimated that the pit was originally around 490 ft (150m) deep but the miners used the hole to dump the spoil from their mining operations and it is now only 66 ft (20m) deep. There is only the single cavern so after having a look around it's back onto the boat for the return journey. Time in the main cavern can be limited at peak visitor times as there are obviously other boats trying to bring visitors in too and there is only one place in the tunnel where boats can pass each other.

Treak Cliff Cavern
This cavern was the original source of the Blue John stone and it still contains the largest single piece of Blue John yet to be discovered (worth several million Pounds) but it cannot be removed as it is supporting the roof of the grotto! This is another vertical cavern, but with a twist. Your senses tell you that you are inside a hill and therefore must be going down inside it but when you come out of the exit you discover you are 2-300 feet higher up the hill than where you went in. The whole cavern is a series of small galleries and grottoes and each is spectacular in terms of the geology on display, stalagmites, stalactites and flowstone adorn every surface. It really is a place of outstanding natural beauty and my favourite of all the caverns.

Peak Cavern
This cavern has an amazing history and I like it for the social/historic aspects as much as the geological marvels it contains. The initial cavern in the series (and therefore the mouth of the cave) was originally known as the Devil's Arse and the first recorded use of this name dates back to 1586! It was named for the flatulent noises that emanate from the cave mouth when flood water is draining out of the cave system. The original village of Castleton was actually built inside the mouth of the cave and the whole village was based on rope making. None of the buildings remain but there are displays of the rope making equipment in the cave mouth. The cave mouth has also been used for things like rock concerts and even as a cinema. It is the longest cave system in the Peak District and the mouth is the largest cave opening in the UK. Apparently the 'show cave' section is not as long as it used to be as several sections have been closed to the general public for some reason (probably 'elf 'n' safety') but the cave system extends far beyond the current 'end' and in fact new discoveries have been made that extend the cave system even further including the discovery of the Titan Shaft, a vertical crack in the rock that descends for 464 ft (141.5 m) making it the deepest 'pitch' in Britain. Talking of cracks in the rock, there is one in the roof of one of the caverns that used to be part of the show cave section (and may be still) that has a rather dramatic and sombre history. Sitting on top of the hill that has the cave at the bottom are the ruins of Peveril Castle which were built sometime between 1066 and 1086. In the 'keep' to the castle was an 'oubliette' (a French term meaning 'forgotten place') which was basically a hole in the ground into which miscreants and wrong-doers were dropped to be 'forgotten' (a brutal form of capital punishment). During the early explorations of the Peak Cavern system cavers came upon a large grotto and were horrified to discover piles of human bones with no apparent explanation of how they got there. Further research revealed the truth, The oubliette was in fact over a crevasse that led directly into the roof of the grotto. The poor victims who were thrown into the oubliette would have bounced down the crevasse and then plummeted from the roof of the grotto onto the floor of the cave below. If they weren't killed by the fall they would have certainly suffered multiple broken bones (as shown by the remains) and would then have died a slow and painful death of thirst or starvation in the absolute blackness of the cave (a gruesome thought).

I can highly recommend a visit to anyone in the area and would love to go back to see how things have changed. I still have some photos (on slides) taken in the various caverns.

Thanks For the detailed information Tako....very helpful indeed! I will try and get over and take some snaps.

Have a great day

Peter

[Tako Kichi]

I am sure you will have a good time and I look forward to your shots. I just had a look at the area in Google Earth and was surprised to see that it appears that the main road into Castleton (around the base of Mam Tor) is open again. It was closed for many years (decades even) after the last big landslide and all traffic was diverted onto the very steep and narrow Winnat's Pass which is a handful in the summer and really nasty in the winter, especially if you meet truck traffic coming the other way.

Here is a video I just found showing the descent of Winnat's Pass, the entrance to Speedwell Cavern (the one with the boats) can be seen on the right about two-thirds of the way through the video.

Youtu.be

Youtu.be

[Peter Nutkins]

I am sure you will have a good time and I look forward to your shots. I just had a look at the area in Google Earth and was surprised to see that it appears that the main road into Castleton (around the base of Mam Tor) is open again. It was closed for many years (decades even) after the last big landslide and all traffic was diverted onto the very steep and narrow Winnat's Pass which is a handful in the summer and really nasty in the winter, especially if you meet truck traffic coming the other way.

Here is a video I just found showing the descent of Winnat's Pass, the entrance to Speedwell Cavern (the one with the boats) can be seen on the right about two-thirds of the way through the video.

Winnatt's Pass Revisited - YouTube

Thanks Tako...getting excited now!

Just waiting for my camera after I handed it in for a sensor clean

Peter