The Dark Peak area is a horseshoe-shaped area of gritstone which encloses the White Peak to the west, north and east. This is seen in the gritstone edges, which abruptly halt the northern moorland, and run from The Roaches in the west above Leek, across the Kinder plateau and down to Baslow on the eastern side.
Many of these edges form some of the best climbing grounds, including the world famous gritstone climbs on Stanage Edge. A prominent feature of the edges are the weather worn tors of harder rock punctuating the skyline. Both the Salt Cellar on Derwent Edge (right) and Noe Stool on Kinder Scout are well-known examples.
The Peak District is also one of the few areas in the UK outside Scotland with vast tracts of heather moorland – one of the world's rarities as heather is only found in a a small number of other countries.
This upland area can be quite bleak and exposed, often covered in blanket bog, where heather and bilberry also survive. Another rare species found on the moors is cotton grass, which looks like clumps of cotton wool balls.
Further Information
The White Peak | The Roaches and Surrounds | Geology
