LOCATION MAP CAVES & CAVE DWELLERS

Manchester The Hamps A5004 A6 The caves of the Manifold Valley are of exceptional Sheffield N A6 interest because, in addition to the stalactites and A515 stalagmites so typical of show caves, they contain a and Manifold A619 treasure-trove of archaeological and fossil remains. B5055 Bones and artefacts reveal a history of human occupation dating back over 10,000 years, to the end

A53 A6 Geotrail B5053 Chesterfield of the last Ice Age. At various times, these cave dwellers co-existed in the landscape alongside mammoth, woolly Human skull Hartington Macclesfield Matlock B5054 rhinoceros, giant deer, arctic fox, lemmings, hippopotamus, auroch, A523 A5012 Cromford wild boar and fierce predators such as wolf, cave bear, brown bear, A Tale of Disappearing Rivers, hyaena, cave lion and lynx. Leek B5053 Nottingham Wetton Mineral Riches and Ice Age Beasts A53 A523 The early cave occupants

Stoke-on-Trent A515 had flint and reindeer- Ilam B5035 bone tools, lit fires Waterhouses A52 and hunted big Stoke-on-Trent Ashbourne game such as Brown bear A517 0 6 km reindeer, bison and GEOTRAIL horse. Barbed arrowheads, pots and pot boilers, beads, other personal A project managed by Patrick Cossey on behalf of the RIGS adornments and early coinage Group with financial support from Staffordshire Aggregates Levy Grant suggest that Scheme 2006. Text by Patrick Cossey, John Reynolds and Richard later cave Waller. Design by Rosie Duncan. Photos by Patrick Cossey unless occupants or otherwise stated. visitors were more sophisticated! The Staffordshire RIGS Group acknowledge the support of: Hyaena • Staffordshire Wildlife Trust • North Staffordshire Group of the G A • The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery • BTCV • National Trust • Staffordshire Geodiversity Action LAND USE & CONSERVATION • British Geological Survey Plan Partnership • Natural • Staffordshire County Council • Natural History Museum, London (NHM) • DC The valleys have a long history of • Geological Society of London (GS) • National Park Authority agriculture, mining and quarrying. Early • CC, Buxton Museum (DBM) • Moorlands Community Partnership man hunted, but later grazed animals • National Farmers’ Union • Moorland Publishing Co. Ltd. (MP) and ploughed strip lynchets to grow crops. In Monastic times sheep and cattle A member of UKRIGS, the Staffordshire RIGS Group is a voluntary organisation were important. In the early 20th century involved in the conservation of regionally important geological and geomorphological milk was carried along the old railway sites in Staffordshire. For more information contact: to Leek. Staffordshire RIGS - www.staffs-rigs.org.uk North Staffordshire Group Geologists' Association - www.esci.keele.ac.uk/nsgga Staffordshire Wildlife Trust - www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk

Remember to follow the country code and please do not hammer the rock

surfaces. Be safe, plan ahead and follow any signs; leave gates and property DBM as you find them; protect plants and animals and take your litter home. Agriculture, tourism and outdoor Keep dogs under close control and consider other people pursuits are important today. Most of Printed by MC Print Services Tel: 01782 370080 Cover photograph: Thor’s Cave the land is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its geological and biological features. Much is owned and managed by the National Trust and Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, conserving the landscape for future generations. ani The Hamps and M fold Geotrail WC i T PH S To HULME END 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. Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Licence No. AL100032203. Geological Information used with permission from the British Geological Survey, IPR / 80-28C. GEOLOGY GEOMORPHOLOGY MINERALS, MINES & QUARRYING

The limestones of the Hamps and Manifold area were The spectacular gorges of the Ecton Hill is famous for its copper mines. The main ore mineral was formed in warm tropical seas 325-355 Hamps and Manifold valleys were chalcopyrite, a copper and iron sulphide. The minerals were formed by million years ago. This was during the formed by the erosive effects of hot fluids moving through fractures in the Carboniferous Period when Britain lay running water on the Carboniferous limestone. As they cooled, minerals were close to the equator, near the NHM Limestone plateau during the last deposited on the walls of the cracks to southern margin of the ancient 2 million years - a period of dramatic form mineral veins and pipes. Ecton ores Carringtonia climatic variations called the were very rich, containing 12% copper. continent of Laurussia. The seas carringtoniana teemed with life and brachiopods, Quaternary Period. Galena (lead sulphide) and sphalerite corals and crinoids all flourished. (zinc sulphide) also occur in the area. Limestones are soluble in rainwater Collections made by local teacher The main waste (gangue) mineral (a weak acid), and typically dissolve Samuel Carrington (1798-1870) are in is calcite (calcium carbonate). rather than wear away. They are national museums. His gravestone in Wetton churchyard NHM also well-jointed and highly The discovery of an antler pick about 3,700 years old indicates Bronze has carvings of local fossils. 18 permeable allowing water to pass Age workings. For most of their productive history (from the 17th century), The rocks were formed by the deposition of layers of Lamdarina through. Water percolating the mines were owned sediment, mostly shell debris and mud, that were later manifoldensis underground slowly widens these joints to form extensive underground by the Dukes of 30 compacted and cemented by cave systems. The caves develop best in the reef limestones rather than Devonshire and the calcite into hard beds of the surrounding thinly bedded limestones, as the reef limestones are Burgoyne family. limestone and thin shale. This physically stronger and do not collapse as the caves form. Old dry caves, Production peaked in layered sequence also contains visible on the valley sides, were formed beneath the valley floor when the the late 18th century lens-shaped masses of reef land surface was much higher. at over 4000 tons per limestone that lack obvious annum. Whole families layering. Some of these reefs The rivers respond rapidly to rainfall formed in very shallow water variations. This also affects the while others, of a more uncertain level of the groundwater. In dry origin, formed at depths of weather, water sinks into the were involved in the mining 22 around ground via 'swallets' and the operations. Men mined the rock 250m. A surface rivers run dry. During wet containing the ore, then boys variety of organisms were responsible for their weather, water often bursts out of pushed it out of the mine in trucks. construction. The reefs form prominent features the river bed via resurgences as On the dressing floors, women in the landscape as they are resistant to erosion. the subterranean passages fill and girls crushed the ore to Resurgence MP Occasionally, powerful currents swept the sea floor quickly. Rivers then flow at the separate it from the waste. and, as they slowed down, sediments were surface. deposited in graded layers, coarse at the base, Surface erosion was more The concentrate was taken by packhorse to smelting furnaces, firstly Lithostrotion fine at the top. active during the Ice Ages at Ellastone and Denby, then, after 1770, to the Whiston smelter fuelled vorticale when the climate was by coal from the Cheadle Coalfield. Later, these deposits were buried beneath harsher, the ground was Later, production declined and the younger Carboniferous rocks of the Millstone permanently frozen (as mines closed in 1889. The remains Grit and Coal Measures. At the end of the permafrost) and vegetation of the engine house, tips, mineshafts Carboniferous, as Laurussia and Gondwana limited. Freeze-thaw and entrance adits can still be seen, collided to the south, the rocks were deformed, processes broke up the rock but these must not be entered. Waste uplifted and eroded during an episode of to produce scree slope from the mine tips was used to build mountain building known as the Variscan deposits, later cemented by roads and the trackbed of the old Orogeny. The many folds, faults and fractures calcite. Permafrost Manifold railway, completed in 1904. (joints) in the area, prevented spring snow-melt Limestone quarries at Brown End, date from this floods from soaking Apes Tor, Dale and elsewhere time. The folds underground; these flowed provided stone for barns, houses and form part of a on the surface carving drystone walls. Old limekilns seen larger upfold, the tributary valleys that are now in the area are a relic of the days Ecton anticline. dry and vegetated. Debris when lime was used to neutralise Later, hot fluids carried down these tributary acid soils. Limestone is quarried today circulating through the valleys formed sediment at Waterhouses and Cauldon for fractures deposited Dictyoclostus fans where they met the 6 semireticulatus View from Thor’s Cave cement and aggregates. 30 valuable minerals. main valley.