25-642: The Wye Valley is the limestone valley of the River Wye in the White Peak of Derbyshire , England. The source of the River Wye is west of Buxton on Axe Edge Moor . One main channel runs underground through Poole's Cavern . The river flows though Buxton Pavilion Gardens and then along a culvert under the town centre. After leaving the flat area of central Buxton, the Wye Valley becomes distinct as
50-623: A dome. Erosion of the younger sandstones exposed the limestone strata below. The landscape of dales was then sculpted by the melt water from the last Ice Age 20,000 years ago. Beyond Buxton the Wye Valley is known as a series of dales, which are gorges with numerous side valley gorges. After leaving Ashwood Park (in Mill Dale) in Buxton, the river enters the steep-sided Ashwood Dale. Here Joseph Mallard William Turner sketched Lovers' Leap and its waterfall in about 1831. The story of Lovers' Leap
75-527: A gorge running east for 10 miles (16 km) before the valley broadens at Ashford-in-the Water . The A6 road from Buxton to Bakewell follows the Wye Valley for most of its path. The Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway used to run through the valley. It was built to link Manchester through the Peak District to London and operated from the 1860s to 1968. The White Peak area of
100-455: Is 90 metres (300 ft) long and up to 20 metres (66 ft) high. Fin Cop hill overlooks Monsal Dale and its Iron Age hillfort is a Scheduled Monument. The A6 road runs down Taddington Dale to follow the riverside again, where Deep Dale converges with the valley on the south side. Kirk Dale lies on the south side at Ashford-in-the-Water. Beyond Ashford-in-the-Water the valley broadens and
125-569: Is habitat for an abundance of wildflowers. Dippers are often seen darting low above the river and bobbing on rocks in the river. Deep Dale and Topley Pike is a protected nature reserve (looked after by the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust ) and is also a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Chee Dale, Miller's Dale quarry and Priestcliffe Lees in Miller's Dale are protected nature reserves, which are overseen by
150-536: Is known as Water-cum-Jolly Dale where Cressbrook Dale joins it from the north. Another cotton mill Cressbrook Mill was built in 1815 and dominates the view by the river. The Wye Valley then becomes Upperdale with Hay Dale on the north side before the river reaches Monsal Head. The Monsal Trail passes over the Monsal Head stone viaduct which was built in 1863 by the Midland Railway over the River Wye. It
175-491: Is named after monks of Lenton Priory (a Benedictine monastery in Nottingham ). During the 12th-century the priory was granted the income from a large area of north Derbyshire by William Peverel . 14th-century carved stones (of the low septum, or stone screen, dividing the chancel from the nave) are all that remains of the monks' grange . The valley is dry over the summer but has a winterbourne stream which runs into
200-496: Is nearby on the north side of the valley. Blackwell Dale is on the south side before Miller's Dale. Miller's Dale 's main landmarks are the twin railway viaducts, built in 1866 and 1905 to carry four lines. Millers Dale railway station was once a large and busy goods and passenger station. It is now a main visitor centre for the Monsal Trail. Monk's Dale (named after the monastic grange set up there by Lenton Priory ) on
225-402: Is that an eloping couple managed to leap across the chasm on horseback on their way to get married at Peak Forest church, evading their pursuing parents. The narrow dry gorge of Cunning Dale joins from the north. The short steep Cow Dale and Kidtor Dale are next to each other on the opposite side to Cunning Dale. The remains of Cowdale quarry's 19th-century buildings and lime kilns are high up on
250-560: The Peak District is named after the limestone plateau landscape of the ' Derbyshire Dome ' anticline . The plateau is generally between 200 and 300 m (660 and 980 ft) above sea level. The Carboniferous limestone rocks of all the dales in the White Peak were formed 350 million years ago from the shells and sediments of a tropical sea. These deposits were compressed into rocks which over time were uplifted and folded into
275-691: The Peak District of Derbyshire , England. It is 22 miles long (widely but incorrectly attributed as 15 miles/24 km, which refers to the section within the National Park), and is one of the major tributaries of the River Derwent , which flows into the River Trent , and ultimately into the Humber and the North Sea . The river rises just west of Buxton , on Axe Edge Moor . Part of
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#1732802230387300-504: The River Wye at Miller's Dale. Monk's Dale is part of the Derbyshire Dales National Nature Reserve . Natural England manages the reserve which covers five separate dales of the White Peak ( Lathkill Dale , Cressbrook Dale , Hay Dale , Long Dale and Monk's Dale). The reserve contains ash and elm woodland and shrubs including herb Paris , bird cherry and dogwood . Uncommon flowers in
325-496: The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. Monk's Dale and Cressbrook Dale are part of the Derbyshire Dales National Nature Reserve managed by Natural England . Monk's Dale and Cressbook Dale are also each a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). They are especially important for the lichens growing on the limestone outcrops. River Wye, Derbyshire The River Wye is a limestone river in
350-648: The River Derwent at Rowsley . The main tributary of the river is the River Lathkill , which enters approximately one mile from its mouth. The River Wye is one of Derbyshire's best-known rivers and is popular with anglers because of the large numbers of wild brown , rainbow trout and grayling it contains. The alkalinity of the Wye provides a rich source of nutrients that leads to an abundance of insects, invertebrates and other wildlife. This ensures that
375-405: The River Wye flows into the River Derwent past Bakewell at Rowsley. The Wye Valley Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) runs for over 9 miles (14 km) east of Buxton. It covers Cunning Dale, Woo Dale, Wye Dale, Chee Dale, Tideswell Dale, Monsal Dale and Taddington Wood. These dales contain ancient ash and wych elm woodland, with areas of yew and rock whitebeam trees. The valley
400-551: The disused Midland Railway line. It passes through Upper Chee Dale and then enters the two tunnels through Chee Tor hill to Miller's Dale. ' Chee Tor Limestone ' is a bed of particularly fine limestone. The crags of carboniferous limestone in Upper Chee Dale and of Chee Tor cliff in Lower Chee Dale have extensive rock climbing routes. Flag Dale joins the valley from the north at Chee Tor. The village of Wormhill
425-575: The flow passes underground through Poole's Cavern before rising at Wye Head , and flowing through the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton. It then flows east through the dales of the Wye Valley , along a route roughly followed by the A6 road . It enters the Peak District , flows just south of Tideswell , then through Ashford in the Water and Bakewell , and south of Haddon Hall , before meeting
450-507: The main valley from the south. Thirst House Cave in Deep Dale is 58 m (190 ft) long and in the late 19th-century a bear's skull and Roman artefacts were discovered there. The Peak District Boundary Walk route comes down Deep Dale and along Wye Dale before heading north at Chee Dale. The Monsal Trail bridleway runs for 8.5 miles (13.7 km) from Topley Pike Junction (at the head of Chee Dale ) past Bakewell to Rowsley , along
475-420: The north side is a secluded steep valley. The Limestone Way footpath crosses Miller's Dale and runs up and parallel to Monk's Dale. Tideswell Dale is further downstream on the north side. Ravenstor cliff at the foot of Tideswell Dale is popular with rock climbers. Beyond Tideswell Dale is Litton Mill , a cotton spinning mill dating back to 1782 and notorious for its harsh child labour conditions. The Wye Valley
500-467: The river. In Monsal Dale the former railway line emerges from a tunnel at Monsal Head, over a viaduct high above the river below. When this structure was built John Ruskin was enraged, and spoke of the Gods being banished by a scheme intended to convey "every Buxton fool to Bakewell in half an hour" and vice versa, "and you call this lucrative exchange—you fools everywhere". The railway is now closed, but
525-400: The shady dale include dark red helleborine . Native grasses include meadow oat , glaucous sedge , oat grass , cottongrass , knapweed and upright brome . Monk's Dale is also a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It is especially important for the lichens on the shaded, limestone cliffs. There are two Grade II listed buildings at Miller's Dale at the southern end of
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#1732802230387550-457: The south slope. The site is a Scheduled Monument . The dry valley of Woo Dale joins Wye Dale from the north. 'Woo Dale Limestone' is quarried at Tarmac's Tunstead Quarry (the largest limestone quarry in the UK) between Woo Dale and Great Rocks Dale . Topley Pike limestone quarry is on the south side of the Wye Valley opposite Woo Dale and close to the hamlet of King Sterndale . Deep Dale also joins
575-549: The trout and grayling grow quickly on a diet of freshwater shrimp, caddisfly (also known as sedge-flies) and mayfly (to name but a few of the foods available). Some of the largest populations of water voles in Britain can also be found along the River Wye. It is possible to walk alongside much of the length of the river, mostly following a former railway line, part of which is now the Monsal Trail and provides views of
600-474: The valley: The Anglers Rest pub from the 1700s and the Church of St Anne from 1879. The footpath along the length of the valley floor is challenging rough terrain for walkers. The Limestone Way long-distance footpath and Pennine Bridleway run along the same route on the plateau to the east of Monk's Dale. The Monsal Trail bridleway runs along the Wye Valley at the southern end of Monk's Dale. Access into
625-406: The viaduct is itself a listed structure . Monk%27s Dale Monk's Dale is a short steep-sided dry gorge near Buxton , Derbyshire , in the Peak District of England. The dale is cut into a plateau of farmland and lies to the east of the village of Wormhill . The head of the valley leads into Peter Dale to the north. Miller's Dale is at the foot of the valley to the south. The dale
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