St-20

Early Morning Light on Stanton Moor

A brisk start to the morning with just a touch of frost which soon vanished from whence it came! An ideal morning for an invigorating walk over the moors. Stanton Moor is not the largest moor in Derbyshire but it must rate as one of the most interesting. There was a time when these moors bustled with activity.

In the Bronze Age there moor was both a settlement and burial site of some significance. Head for the Nine Ladies Stone Circle which was reputedly the centre for Bronze Age Worship. So significant is the site to Druids that in a few days time on the Winter Solstice there were will be Druid ceremonies and activities at dawn and dusk. On the eastern edge of the Moor a more modern structure known as The Earl Grey Tower or Reform Tower can be found. Once a dominant landmark on the skyline but now largely hidden by Silver Birch, the Tower was built to record the passing of the 1832 Reform Act of Parliament.

There are other intriguing ‘monuments’ dotted on and around the Moor. It has to be said that these are not man made but natural outcrops of Sandstone….natural they may be but they have also be ‘added to’ by man over the centuries. The largest is the Cork Stone, a stone pillar which has had steps or footholds carved into one side, then iron rings all to make a climb to the top easier.

Local legend states that local couples visited the Stone, where the lad would jump from the top declaring his un-dying love for his lass. Providing he didn’t break a limb or even die then the love was said to be true.

Other outcrops have been turned into celebration monuments, one with a Crown and Y carved on one side was for the Duke of York. Others, well I think were just Victorian whims to mark viewpoints on a moorland walk…but that didn’t stop them being given names like the Cats Stone…..ideal places for visitors to carve names (vandalism is nothing new!).

Perhaps the most beautiful aspect of the moor, other than the distant views, is that the bleak open heather moorland has many Birch copses giving much added character to the moor.

Cork Stone, Stanton Moor
Birch on Stanton Moor
Cats Stone
Stone Carvings
Nine Ladies Drive
Nine Ladies Stone Circle
Nine Ladies Stone Circle
Earl Grey Tower
Alter Stone Nine Ladies
Duke of York Stone
Bracken on thee moor
rl Grey Tower
Frost on Stanton Moor
Birch Copse on Stanton Moor
Cork Stone, Stanton Moor

4th December (C) David Oakes 2014

9 thoughts on “It was Brisk on Stanton Moor”

  3. Beautiful images as always, David. Love the frost on the moor and that bracken! It is so tall and thick but what type of bear or lion is that solid looking fence trying to keep in or out? I wouldn’t mind a fence like that here to keep the neighbours big brahman cattle off my place 🙂

    Like

    1. The fence is there to keep in some very, very timid Herdwick Sheep…a small flock that helps manage the moor. Despite lots of access points many of us think it is overkill. The bracken has done particularly well this year, the damp start , then warm sunny weather seemed to be just what it enjoyed….however it did smother some areas of heather.

      Like

      1. I’d prefer the heather to bracken any day. Here bracken is a sign of very poor soil. Disappointed there were no lions or at least native boars behind that fence, just timid sheep!!! Yes I would suggest overkill too:)

        Liked by 1 person

  4. I just read a murder mystery set there, by Elizabeth George, called In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner. The Nine Ladies and one of the standing stones featured prominently. Lovely photos, Mr. Oakes, as usual.

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.