Walk the Dales

The White Peak is the name given to the limestone outcrop which forms the central core of the Peak National Park. This lofty plateau of limestone was formed from the fossilised remains of sea creatures which existed in a warm, tropical sea some 300 million years ago.
The plateau is split by the deep gorge-like fissures of the dales. These dales, like Dovedale, Monsal Dale and Lathkill Dale are among the few Peak landscapes which have been left entirely untouched by man. On the steep rocky faces of their sides are found some of the rarest and most beautiful plants and insects in the Park. The dales were formed by melt water from Ice Age glaciers cutting down through the permeable limestone.

Walk the Hills

The place names of the Dark Peak give a clue to the forbidding nature of the terrain Bleaklow, Black Hill and Kinder Scout. The millstone grit moors of the Dark Peak enclose the limestone plateau from the north. The summit of the National Park is Kinder Scout at 2088 feet. Kinder is the first hurdle on the 250 mile Pennine Way, which starts for most people on the formal log bridge in Edale.These inhospitable moors were the scene of the famous access battles of the 1930s, when ramblers from the neighbouring cities of Manchester and Sheffield trespassed over the private grouse moors to exercise their rights to roam. These people played no small part in the campaign for National Parks which resulted in the creation of the Peak National Park in 1951. Nowadays, 76 square miles of Dark Peak moorlands, are covered by special access agreements negotiated between the National Park authorities and landowners.