Geological Wonders in the Peak District

The Peak District became the first of the national parks in England and Wales in 1951. The prehistoric landscape attracts thousands of visitors every year. Here we list places that are worth a visit in this amazing national park.

THE ROACHES

The Roaches is a prominent rocky ridge formed from a thick bed of coarse sandstone of Namurian age, which occurs widely across the Peak District. The gritstone escarpment consists of amazing rock formations which are very popular with hikers and rock climbers. The most famous rock formations are Hen Cloud and Ramshaw Rocks.


DOVEDALE

Dovedale is a limestone valley famous for its interesting rock formations. The rock formations are the result of fossilised remains of sea creatures that lived in a shallow sea over the area during the Carboniferous period, about 350 million years ago. The rocks were cut into craggy shapes by glacial meltwater during the two ice ages and formed the landscape we see in these days. The caves in the area were also formed during that period of time and used as shelters by hunters around 13,000 BCE. Dovedale has seen continuous human activity since. Neolithic people used the caves as tombs around 4,500 years ago. Vikings also settled in the area around 800 CE.


STANAGE EDGE

Stanage Edge is one of the many gritstone escarpments in the Peak District. These escarpments started to form over 300 million years ago in the Carboniferous Period, when the Peak District was submerged beneath a warm and shallow sea. Once the sea level dropped, the Peak District emerged and its sediments were exposed to erosion and weathering, creating the spectacular rock formations we see in these days. Stanage Edge rises some 100 metres above the moorland and stretches more than 4 miles along its top. It's a very popular destination for climbers and walkers. The most interesting attraction on the upper section of the escarpment is certainly the Robin Hood's Cave. Legend has it that the famous outlaw used the cave as a hideaway.


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