ani The Hamps and M fold Geotrail WC i T PH S To HARTINGTON INTRODUCTION To 1-12 HULME END- WETTON MILL LONGNOR Welcome to the Hamps and Manifold B5054 P South of the visitor centre the trail crosses the floodplain ld valleys. This geotrail is intended to give f o of the 1. Here the river flows at the surface r Mani the visitor a 1 e on recent sediments which rest on impermeable Upper iv R glimpse of the B5053 Carboniferous mudrocks. The trail passes Apes Tor Quarry 2 and rocks, minerals Ecton Hill, part of the upland Carboniferous and fossils of limestone plateau into which the river has the area, To carved its spectacular passage. 2 Apes Tor together with a Dale 5 Quarries Quarry At Dale Bridge, an area of old mineral view of the work Ecton workings on the hillside to the southeast Dale Bridge that water has done in carving out the impressive marks your arrival at Ecton, once one of scenery we see today. The 13 km (8 mile) trail provides 3 6 3 the world's richest copper mining areas. easy access for all, mainly following the Manifold Track, 4 Ecton A detour along the road (which runs Hill a resurfaced section of the old Leek & Manifold Valley Ecton parallel to the trail) can be made at this point, first north to see Light Railway line, between Hulme End and Quarry superb folds in the Ecton Limestones at Apes Tor 2, then south to Waterhouses. The trail is written for southbound P Ecton Wa Bridge the ruins of Ecton copper r o k travellers but can easily be completed in reverse. It can also be done in s low Br o mines 3. Beyond are the 2 sections using access points at Weag's Bridge, Wetton Mill and Ecton Swainsley cemented screes at Ecton Bridge. Tunnel 7 Quarry 4. These formed in To 8 Top of cold conditions during the Ecton Back of Visitors are encouraged to view all features of interest from the Geotrail GS R Ecton last glaciation. i

itself unless a permitted access route away from the trail is indicated. To v e

fully appreciate the trail, or any trail section, visitors will find it useful r Beyond Dale Bridge, past the disused Dale Quarries 5, some to read the background information overleaf. limekilns and Dale lead mine, exposures of M the Ecton Limestones can be seen by 10 a nif the track side 6. Look out for ol 13-21 WETTON MILL TO WEAG’S BRIDGE d ‘grading’ in some of these beds. Sugarloaf Above Wetton Mill is Nan Tor Cave 9 Here the rocks dip (slope) west but 13, one of many local caves formed elsewhere 7, they dip in other by the solution action of underground Wetton Hill directions. These rocks have been 12 East water on massive reefs in the Milldale strongly folded like those at Apes Tor. Limestones. The reef limestones form 11 Nan Tor Cave Continue to Ecton Bridge. Here the track prominent crags in the valley 14, 15, Wetton Road Wetton Hill To 13 becomes a public road. To avoid traffic 18, 22, and some appear to have To Wetton West HULME END BUTTERTON Hoo Mill WC in Swainsley Tunnel and on the road to deflected the course of the river. This Brook 14 Wetton Wetton Mill, cross Ecton Bridge and can easily be checked on your map. 14 P Mill Swallet follow the gated road south, on the east Below Wetton Mill, stream flows are Darfar Bridge side of the valley. Both routes pass more intermittent and in dry weather the river disappears down sinks in the river 15 exposures of the Ecton Limestones 7, 8, some bed such as at Wetton Mill Swallet 14, or Redhurst Swallet 16. It re-emerges Ossom’s Crag 16 Redhurst with folds 9, more old mineral workings 10, 11 at Ilam Risings 6km to the south. 17 Crossing WETTON and, on the gated road, another scree deposit 12. Where did the river disappear on T PH Redhurst + Ossom’s Hill L To your visit? ee Swallet k Road HOPE Continuing south, the trail passes Ossom's 22-32 WEAG'S BRIDGE Crag 15, with its Eyrie Cave high on the TO WATERHOUSES cliff face once occupied by golden eagles. Ladyside 19 Thors Cave Wood 18 WC P South of Weag's Bridge, the trail Beyond Redhurst Swallet 16 and Redhurst curves away from Beeston Tor R Crossing an area of flat ground, 40m above the i v 22 and the Hamps and Manifold 17 ne e a valley floor to the west, is an old river terrace 17, r L rr confluence, and begins to follow the a C M Hamps valley upstream towards ECTON ANTICLINE ARCHFORD MOOR anifold SYNCLINE Manifold Wetton Hill Wetton Hill Valley West To tributary valley East 20 HOPE Wetton Rakes Mill Plantation P Larkstone Lane Weag’s k k Bridge 22 Beeston k 21 Tor To 22 GRINDON River M fan an ifo ld 26 Waterhouses. The Hamps Schematic east-west section across the Manifold Valley and Wetton Hills showing the Ecton Anticline Soles is an intermittent river and Coppice its course is usually dry in summer. Its tributary valleys 24 Old cut by the river as it meandered through the valley at an earlier stage in its history. Park Hill are also dry and some have sediment fans at their mouths s This is best seen from a prominent view point to the south. p m 23, 26, 29. These were formed under cold conditions during a 23 H the last Ice Age when streams were prevented from sinking Further on dramatic views of reef limestone appear r e into the frozen ground. v at Thor's Cave 18. This cave was formed thousands i R of years ago by underground streams flowing In this part of the trail there are many small exposures of the below the floor of the river. At that time the river Milldale Limestones 24, 25, 27, 28. Note that the rocks dip (slope)

S occupied a higher level in the valley than it does o west at some localities and east at others. This is because they le s have been folded. At Sparrowlee Bridge 27, reef limestones occur today. Since then the valley has deepened, H o l 25 l exposing these ancient cave systems. o in the river bed and fossiliferous limestones can be seen by the trail w Mere Hill side 28. Look out for different fossil creatures and imagine them High on the cliff, below Thor’s Cave 18, a living on the floor of tropical seas in Carboniferous times. mass of reef limestone wedges out between Soles 0 beds of the Milldale Limestones. These Hill Beyond a prominent Recent alluvium rocks can be seen at Ladyside Wood Alan’s Bridge fan and river terrace Pleistocene (Ice Age) 18 deposits 19, where they are overlain by the 29, the trail meets the 2 Ecton Limestones. More exposures of the Milldale Limestones occur Leek-Ashbourne road Namurian shales and sandstones to the south 20, 21. (A523). Turn west 325 towards Waterhouses. Mixon Limestone - KEY N Lee House Farm Go into Brown End Shales 26 WC Quarry Geological Nature GEOTRAIL GEOTRAIL / Reserve 30, where earth road shared River W E movements have tilted the 330 Major road rocks on end. Display boards Ecton Limestones (E) Dry valley / and Hopedale 27 intermittent river Minor road Sparrowlee tell more of the story. Near the Limestones (H) Bridge S To entrance, limekilns can also be E H k with shallow water View point 1 Interest Point WATERFALL 28 seen. Other limestone quarries in knoll-reefs (k) Crags P Car Park Lamber the area show how valuable this Low raw material has been 31, and still Mine R WC Toilets o c is to the local economy, for cement e Cave s Visitor Centre te and road aggregate. i r L Fault with direction To a n 29 Ages in millions of years (approx.) T Telephone LEEK e In summer the Hamps often 340 Milldale

of downthrow s T PH S M k p disappears down sinks in the river bed Limestones (M)

PH Public House WATERHOUSES m with deep water Mineral Vein a To close to this point 32. It re-appears, H ‘knoll-reefs’ (k) S Shop 30 CALTON like the Manifold, at Ilam Risings 4km Mineral Pipe 32 r to the east. Try to locate the swallets P e Anticline Café 31 Riv before crossing the road with care and WC A Waterhouses 52 0 1 km Station 3 To finishing the trail at Waterhouses Station LOWER CARBONIFEROUS Quat. ASHBOURNE Car Park. To Not to scale CAULDON

Reproduced from Ordnance Survey material with permission of Her Majesty's Stationery Office, Crown Copyright (c) 2006. Wildlife Trust Licence No. AL100032203. Geological Information used with permission from the British Geological Survey, IPR / 80-28C.