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39-397: " Millstone Grit " is an informal term for a succession of gritstones which are to be found in the Pennines (including the Peak District ) of northern England. These sediments were laid down in the late (upper) Paleozoic era, in the Carboniferous period, in deltaic conditions. The Millstone Grit Group is a formal stratigraphic term for this sequence of rocks. The gritstone edges of

78-478: A hugely important landscape-forming element of the rock succession. They also occur in parts of northeast Wales and northwest Ireland . The group comprises a succession of sandstones, mudstones and siltstones , the specifics of the sequence varying from one area to another. They give rise both to a number of escarpments , known locally as edges , and a series of high plateaux throughout the region, many of which are of considerable cultural significance. They are

117-563: A variety of directions, from those surrounding the high plateaux of Kinder Scout and Combs Moss to the imposing crags of the Roaches , Hen Cloud and Ramshaw Rocks in the south. A millstone shaped from Millstone Grit quarried in the area has been adopted as the emblem of the Peak District National Park. As an image, the millstone is widely visible on literature but use is made of the objects themselves at many of

156-874: Is a moorland plateau and National Nature Reserve in the Dark Peak of the Derbyshire Peak District in England. Part of the moor, at 636 metres (2,087 ft) above sea level , is the highest point in the Peak District, in Derbyshire and the East Midlands . Kinder Scout is part of the Dark Peak Site of Special Scientific Interest , and part of the plateau was designated as a National Nature Reserve in 2009. Much of

195-596: Is a strong westerly wind), the water is blown back on itself, and the resulting cloud of spray can be seen from several miles away. In cold winters the waterfall freezes providing local mountaineers with an icy challenge that can be climbed with ice axes , ropes and crampons . Below the Downfall the River Kinder flows into Kinder Reservoir . Jacob's Ladder is a bridleway between the Kinder Scout plateau and

234-431: Is a subsidiary summit at the south west corner of the plateau. Surmounted by a trig point and with steep slopes to south and west it is often mistaken as the highest point. The true summit, which is 3 metres (9.8 ft) higher, is an unmarked point on the flat plateau 900 metres (3,000 ft) to the north east. "Low" is an old dialect word meaning "hill top". A bowl barrow , thought to be unexcavated and to date from

273-629: Is also used as aggregate in path and road construction. The gritstone edges of West Yorkshire and the Peak District provide one of the classic areas in Britain for rock climbing. Public access to these edges for climbing developed at much the same time as access for walkers to the moors of the Pennines was established during the first half of the twentieth century. Their proximity to large centres of population resulted in their rapid development as climbing venues. Kinder Scout Kinder Scout

312-541: Is any of a number of coarse-grained sandstones of Carboniferous age which occur in the British Isles . The name derives from its use in earlier times as a source of millstones for use principally in watermills . Geologists refer to the whole suite of rocks that encompass the individual limestone beds and the intervening mudstones as the Millstone Grit Group . The term Millstone Grit Series

351-564: Is generally given on the Peak District National Park Authority's website. Kinder Downfall is the tallest waterfall in the Peak District, with a 30-metre fall. It lies on the River Kinder , where it flows west over one of the gritstone cliffs on the plateau edge. Although usually little more than a trickle in summer, in spate conditions it is impressive. In certain wind conditions (notably when there

390-572: Is of obscure meaning. It is believed to be pre-English in origin. "Scout" is an old word for a high, overhanging rock (derived from the Norse skúte ), and refers to the cliffs on the western side of the plateau. Kinder Scout is accessible from the villages of Hayfield and Edale in the High Peak of Derbyshire. It is a popular hiking location and the Pennine Way crosses Kinder Scout and

429-555: Is the thick Pendle Grit of central Lancashire. It is succeeded by the sandstone known variously as the Brennand Grit, Warley Wise Grit and Grassington Grit. These are all of Pendleian (E1) age – the lowermost sub-stage of the Namurian. The Lower Follifoot Grit, Silver Hills Sandstone, Nottage Crag Grit, Marchup Grit, Red Scar Grit, Ward’s Stone Sandstone, Cocklett Scar Sandstones and Dure Clough Sandstones are all assigned to

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468-667: The Bronze Age , stands on Kinder Low, a western projection of the main massif above Hayfield. Major English and Welsh peaks visible (in ideal conditions) from Kinder Scout include (clockwise from west) Winter Hill (50 km, 31 mi), Pendle Hill (61 km, 38 mi), Ingleborough (93 km, 58 mi), Whernside (100 km, 62 mi), Pen-y-ghent (90 km, 56 mi), Fountains Fell (87 km, 54 mi), Buckden Pike (92 km, 57 mi), Great Whernside (87 km, 54 mi), Bleaklow (8 km, 5 mi), Margery Hill (13 km, 8 mi),

507-686: The Namurian Stage of the Carboniferous Period . At this time a series of isolated uplands existed across the British Isles region. One particular east-west aligned landmass stretched from Wales through the English Midlands and East Anglia to the continent and is now known as the Wales-Brabant High , though was formerly referred to as St George's Land. Other uplands the erosion of which would provide

546-516: The Peak District are an important climbing area and the rock is much relished by English climbers , among whom it has almost cult status and is often referred to as "God's own rock". The rough surface provides outstanding friction, enabling climbers to stand on or grip the subtlest of features in the rock. This article related to petrology is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Millstone Grit Millstone Grit

585-628: The Pennine Way long-distance footpath crosses the three hills on its route from nearby Edale to Kirk Yetholm in Scotland. Kinder Scout featured on the BBC television programme Seven Natural Wonders (2005) as one of the wonders of the Midlands ; however, it is considered by many to be in Northern England , lying between the cities of Manchester and Sheffield . In chronostratigraphy ,

624-1054: The Weaver Hills (42 km, 26 mi), Axe Edge (18 km, 11 mi), The Roaches (26 km, 16 mi), Shutlingsloe (21 km, 13 mi), Shining Tor (16 km, 10 mi), the Long Mynd (114 km, 71 mi), Stiperstones (114 km, 71 mi), Corndon Hill (119 km, 74 mi), Cilfaesty Hill (142 km, 88 mi), Moel y Golfa (109 km, 68 mi), Plynlimon (164 km, 102 mi), Cadair Berwyn (116 km, 72 mi), Beeston Castle (61 km, 38 mi), Alderley Edge (24 km, 15 mi), Arenig Fawr (135 km, 84 mi), Moel Famau (97 km, 60 mi), Snowdon (151 km, 94 mi), Glyder Fach (146 km, 91 mi), Tryfan (145 km, 90 mi), Y Garn (148 km, 92 mi), Carnedd Llewelyn (142 km, 88 mi) and Foel-fras (140 km, 87 mi). The orchestral sketch Kinder Scout

663-716: The British sub-stage of the Carboniferous period, the Kinderscoutian , derives its name from Kinder Scout. In an early text this summit was identified as "the Peak", and the whole area is often referred to locally as "The Peak" or "The Peaks". The Aetherius Society considers it to be one of its 19 holy mountains . The name "Kinder" was first recorded in the Domesday Survey of 1086 as Chendre , and

702-769: The Millstone Grit/Marros Group succession in South Wales. During much of the Carboniferous Period, world sea-levels were fluctuating in response to the growth and decline of a series of major ice-caps over the continents then clustered around the South Pole . Britain lay in the equatorial region. At times of high sea-level, silt and mud accumulated within the Pennine basin whilst at times of low sea-level, major deltas prograded across

741-695: The Namurian, the Yeadonian includes the Lower Haslingden Flags and the last sandstone in the entire Millstone Grit succession known as the Rough Rock . It is a widespread unit which attains a thickness of around 45m though is more generally 15m thick. Various of the sandstone beds of the Millstone Grit have been quarried for building stone, paving flags and roofing material. Its use in the construction of dry stone walls across

780-506: The National Park's inception, a large area of the high moorland north of Edale was designated as " open country ". In 2003, the " right to roam " on uncultivated land was enshrined into law, and this area of open country has been significantly extended. Parts of the Kinder Scout plateau (except legal rights of way) are still occasionally closed for conservation, public safety, grouse shooting or fire prevention reasons, but prior notice

819-486: The Twrch Sandstone. The Farewell Rock was formerly considered to be the uppermost unit of the Millstone Grit series of South Wales though it is now included within the overlying South Wales Coal Measures . The term has also been adopted at Slieve Anierin in northwest Ireland, describing the series of shales, grits, and coal seams, occurring from the base of the Namurian upwards. The Millstone Grit dates to

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858-665: The area is owned and managed by the National Trust as part of its High Peak Estate . The city of Manchester and the Greater Manchester conurbation can be seen from the western edges, as can Winter Hill near Bolton and, in good weather, the mountains of Snowdonia in North Wales . To the north, across the Snake Pass , lie the high moors of Bleaklow and Black Hill , which are of similar elevation;

897-404: The areas where it outcrops is considerable. In neighbouring limestone areas, gritstone has often been preferred in the past for use as gateposts and lintels. The very name of the rock derives from its widespread use within cornmills where it proved suitable for grinding stones. It also found agricultural use as drinking troughs for animals. The majority of the quarrying for such use took place along

936-436: The eastern edges of the Peak District. Millstone Edge was a significant source whilst abandoned millstones can be seen below the edges at Stanage, Froggatt and Baslow. Bramley Fall stone is a notable type of Millstone Grit sourced from around the village of Bramley, near Leeds. Some of the sandstones serve as aquifers into which numerous wells and boreholes have been sunk to provide local water supplies. Crushed gritstone

975-800: The entrances to the National Park. These rocks extend northwards through the South Pennines of Lancashire and West Yorkshire and westwards into the Forest of Rossendale and West Pennines and the Forest of Bowland , also in Lancashire. At the Yorkshire Dales they cover the south-east edge, but north of the Craven Faults , due to weathering , they form only cappings to separate hills. A small area of Millstone Grit Group rocks stretches through Flintshire and Wrexham into

1014-756: The following Arnsbergian sub-stage. The Kinderscoutian includes the Kinder Grit, Longnor Sandstones, Shale Grit, Todmorden Grit, Parsonage Sandstone, Heysham Harbour Sandstone, Eldroth Grit and Ellel Crag Sandstone. The next sub-stage of the Namurian succession is the Marsdenian and it is to this that the Chatsworth Grit , Huddersfield White Rock, Holcombe Brook Grit, Greta Grits, Roaches Grit , Ashover Grit , Gorpley Grit, Pule Hill Grit, Fletcher Bank Grit, Brooksbottom Grit, Five Clouds Sandstones and Sheen Sandstones are assigned. The closing sub-stage of

1053-471: The foot of Jacob's Ladder can be made along the Pennine Way trail from Edale railway station or from the public car park at Barber Booth . Some of Kinder's many gritstone cliffs were featured in the first rock-climbing guide to the Peak District, Some Gritstone Climbs , published in 1913 and written by John Laycock . The Edale Cross lies immediately south of Kinder Scout, under Kinder Low and on

1092-536: The former Hayfield to Edale road. It marks the former junction of the three wards of the Forest of Peak: Glossop and Longdendale , Hopedale and Campagna. The first cross on the site may have been set up by the Abbots of Basingwerk Abbey to mark the southern boundary of their land, granted in 1157. The date of the current cross is unknown, although an adjoining plaque and its listing as a Scheduled Monument date it to

1131-636: The hamlet of Upper Booth in the Vale of Edale . In the 18th century, Jacob Marshall farmed the land at Edale Head, at the top of what became known as Jacob's Ladder. He cut steps into this steep section of the route up to the Kinder plateau. The name is a reference to the ladder to heaven that Jacob dreamt about (in the Book of Genesis ). The River Noe (a tributary to the River Derwent ) flows alongside

1170-542: The major landscape-forming rocks of the northern part of the Peak District (the Dark Peak ) and of its eastern and western flanks in the counties of Derbyshire , Staffordshire and Cheshire . The great expanses of moorland around Bleaklow and Black Hill and fringed with broken outcrops of gritstone are characteristic of the area. The ‘eastern edges of the Peak District’ comprise a broadly north-south arranged series of west-facing cliffs from Bamford Edge in

1209-523: The medieval period. At some point it fell down, and was re-erected in 1810, when the date and initials JG, WD, GH, JH and JS were carved into it. These stand for John Gee, William Drinkwater, George and Joseph Hadfield and John Shirt, local farmers of the day who raised the cross. Mermaid's Pool , a small pool below Kinder Downfall, is said, according to legend, to be inhabited by a mermaid who will grant immortality upon whoever sees her on Easter Eve. Kinder Low at 633 metres (2,077 ft) above sea level

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1248-578: The moors to the north. This has resulted in the erosion of the underlying peat , prompting work by Derbyshire County Council and the Peak District National Park Authority to repair it, in conjunction with the landowner, the National Trust . The Four Inns Walk , a competitive hiking event crosses over Kinder Scout. The plateau was the location of the Kinder Scout Mass Trespass in 1932. From

1287-467: The north through Stanage Edge , Burbage Edge , Froggatt Edge , Curbar Edge , Baslow Edge , Gardom's Edge , Birchen Edge , Dobb/Chatsworth Edge , Harland Edge and Fallinge Edge in the south. To the east of these edges is a broad band of relatively flat moorland known as the Eastern Moors. Towards the western margins of the Peak District are a rather more broken series of edges, facing in

1326-739: The northwest corner of Shropshire near Oswestry . The term "Millstone Grit" was also adopted in South Wales where rocks of similar age and lithology are found though the Millstone Grit Series of this region has recently been formally renamed by the British Geological Survey as the Marros Group . The thickest bed of sandstone within it was known as the Basal Grit and this has now been renamed as

1365-600: The path from its source at Edale Head down the clough (steep valley). At the foot of Jacob's Ladder the Noe is crossed by a Grade II listed gritstone packhorse bridge, with a single span. The bridge is on an important medieval packhorse route over the Pennine moorland between Hayfield and Edale. Salt and cheese from Cheshire and cotton from the Lancashire mills were transported to the east, while coal and lead were carried to

1404-473: The region, their legacy being the thick sandstone beds of the Millstone Grit Group. The Millstone Grit Group comprises over thirty individually named sandstones, some of regional extent, others more local in their occurrence. The intervening mudstones and siltstones are not generally named though important marine bands within them are named. The oldest, and hence lowermost in the succession

1443-504: The source material for the Millstone Grit lay to the north and northeast of the region. The Pennine Basin received input of sand and mud largely from southerly directed rivers from these northern landmasses. Rivers running north off the Wales-Brabant High deposited material in the southern parts of the Pennine basin from northeast Wales to the Peak District. Southerly flowing rivers from this same landmass were responsible for

1482-493: The west. The Pennine Way ascends Jacob's Ladder just 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from its start at Edale. The original route of the Pennine Way went up to the Kinder plateau via Grindsbrook Clough. In 1987 the Manpower Services Commission built a stone paved staircase along the path of Jacob's Ladder. The Jacob's Ladder footpath runs across land that is owned and managed by the National Trust . Access to

1521-484: Was formerly used to refer to the rocks now included within the Millstone Grit Group together with the underlying Edale Shale Group . The term gritstone describes any sandstone composed of coarse angular grains, and specifically refers to such sandstones within the Pennines and neighbouring areas of Northern England. Rocks assigned to the Millstone Grit Group occur over a wide area of Northern England, where they are

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