Back to rocks and minerals

Search this Peak District map to discover amazing landslips, gorges, fossils and ancient reefs.

• Winnats Pass, near Castleton (GR135825) – deep gorge cutting through ancient limestone reefs.
• Mam Tor, near Castleton (GR129836) – hill topped by an Iron Age hill fort 'eaten' into by landslip. Remains of the broken road below destroyed by the moving hillside.
• Odin’s Mine, near Castleton (GR136835) – mined since Roman times, a deep cut disappears into the limestone hillside. Across the road is a lead crushing circle amongst the waste hillocks from the mine.
• Cavedale, Castleton (GR149825) – dry valley through reef limestone with pockets of basalt lava
• Alport Castle, near Ladybower Reservoir (GR143913) – landslip in gritstone of part of valley side
• Black Rocks, near Cromford (GR295557) – landslip in gritstone
• Robin Hood’s Stride, Stanton Moor (GR225623) – gritstone tor
• Stanage, (GR?) – gritstone edge
• Miller’s Dale and Monsal Dale (GR165732, GR175714) – spectacular deep valleys of the River Wye
• Lathkill Dale (GR186658) – a dry valley at the top, the river appears further down stream, depending on the time of year. Lots of old mining structures.
• Lower Dovedale (GR145526) – the River Dove runs through varied valley types, on and off the shales, through limestone gorges and winds between reef knolls (look for where the footpath has eroded into shales at the foot of reef hills e.g. Penilow in Beresford Dale).
• Tideswell Dale (GR154740) – above the main footpath in the dale a picnic site has been made in a rare dolerite quarry where beautiful orchids can be found in the meadow.
• Kinder Scout (GR124857 at Edale) – a strenuous walk up Grindsbrook onto the plateau to see the change in rock types (particularly in the stream sides) from shales to gritstones. There are many tors and edges on the plateau itself.

Other site to visit are Regionally Important Geological and Geomorphological Sites (RIGS). RIGS complement Sites of Special Scientific Interest and were introduced in 1990. They are chosen by local voluntary groups and aim to:

• protect important sites through awareness in the planning and development process
• provide opportunities for education for amateur and professional earth scientists
• conserve the historical values and beauty of the site as well as its scientific importance

To find out more about RIGS go to www.english-nature.org.uk.