|
| |
Salt_cellar_2_(2)jpg
|
| |
The Salt Cellar with Ladybower Reservoir in the Background
|
| |
Peak District , England
|
is a
Millstone Grit escarpment that lies above the
Upper Derwent Valley in the
Peak District National Park in the
English county of
Derbyshire . The
Millstone Grit forms the edge of the high peat
Moorland plateau on the eastern side of the valley above
Ladybower Reservoir , the edges being the last remains of the gritstone which originally covered all of the Peak District, most of which was scraped of by glaciers in the last
Ice Age . An
Ordnance Survey Column marks the highest point of the Edge at Back Tor at a height of 538 metres (1765 feet). North of Back Tor the edge extends into
Howden Edge and enters the county of
South Yorkshire .
The Edge itself is notable for its unusual millstone
Tors and its views of the Derwent Valley and the
Dark Peak landscape, these features along with its close proximity to
Sheffield has made it a popular venue for walkers. Its popularity has led to substantial path erosion and the most affected parts of the edge between The Salt Cellar and Lost Lad Hillend have been paved with natural stone slabs to reduce further damage as part of the Lottery Paths Project.
Derwent Edge has several examples of unusually shaped gritstone
Tor s which have been formed by the actions of
Wind ,
Rain and
Frost over many centuries. These tors have been named over the years by local residents and have now been officially titled on Ordnance Survey maps. These include the ''Cakes of Bread'', the ''Coach and Horses'' and the ''Salt Cellar''. The Coach and Horses (also known as the Wheel Stones and thus named on Ordnance Survey maps) resembles a coach and horses on the horizon when viewed from the
A57 Road to the south. Lost Lad Hillend is worth visiting as it has a stone built topographic indicator to aid identifying landmarks in the extensive view.
Derwent Edge is popular with walkers and is described in many walking guides. Mark Richards describes a 10.5 mile walk in his book “High Peak Walks” (ISBN 0902363433), starting at the Fairholmes car park in the Upper Derwent Valley (Grid Reference ) at the northern end of Ladybower Reservoir, however it is possible to access the edge from Cutthroat Bridge (lay by parking) on the A57 () or from
Strines Reservoir car park () near the Strines public house. Derwent Edge is popular with
Rock Climbers and has about 50 different routes ranging from difficult to hard very severe, however it is not as well used as the nearby
Stanage Edge.
Much of the moorland around Derwent Edge has been declared a
Site Of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of its special vegetation and rare birds and animals, such as the
Eurasian Golden Plover ,
Red Grouse ,
Ring Ouzel and
Mountain Hare . Rare species of plants such as
Common Cottongrass , Mountain Strawberry, and
Crowberry grow in the area. It has been proposed as a
Special Protection Area for birds under a European Directive. The edge is part of the
National Trust's High Peak Estate and visitors are free to roam at will but are urged to keep to established routes to avoid disturbing breeding birds. There are occasional times that the moors are closed for management purposes.
