The forecast was for rain and winds later so as the day started with blue skies and sunshine we headed off for an explore of STANTON MOOR. The moor is a plateau that nestles between the Limestone White Peak and the Gritstone Dark Peak of Derbyshire and provides good views over the county….this morning they were shrouded with early morning mists
The sun soon burnt through the mist and began to waken the autumn colours of the bracken and Silver Birch.
Whilst in winter the moor can be a very bleak location there is a surprising amount of tree cover with Silver Birch being the dominant specie a natural companion to the bracken and heather ground cover.
Bleak it may be at times but over the millennia Stanton Moor has been a very place of Religious and Sacred importance. They say there are over 70 Bronze Age Burial Cairns across the moor, most bracken covered hillock seems to hide a cairn. But for many it is the ancient NINE LADIES STONE CIRCLE that is the purpose of their visit.
Whilst not as dramatic as Stonehenge for Druids in this part of the world they were supposedly just as important. Folk law suggests that the stones are actually 9 ladies who against all wisdom danced in this ‘holy’ place on the Sabbath and were turned to stone.
More contemporary monuments grace the moor. One such is ‘The EARL GREY TOWER’ formally called the ‘REFORM TOWER’. It was built to mark the passing into law of the 1832 Electoral Reform Act of Parliament, Earl Grey being the key mover of the Bill. Some say it was erected here in clear view of Chatsworth House as a snub to the Duke of Devonshire who was not a supporter of the Act. The tower is a symbol only and has no other purpose and now is much in need of care and attention.
The northern and eastern edge of Stanton Moor there are a number of Gritstone erratic’s well screened and protected by woodland, Oak providing most of the cover. Some of these stones have become features in their own right. One such stone is the DUKE OF YORK Stone. Search it out and you will find that it has been carved with the a crown, a large Y and the date 1832, Further along the cliff edge another similar stone is dedicated to the Duchess of Southerland.
The most obvious of these erratic’s is the CORK STONE, over 16ft tall with iron foot rings to aid climbing to the top. The local say they were put there to help young men climb to the top to show their love for a young lady…they would then jump of the top to demonstrate their undying love for the lass. Today the stone stands as a sentinel to the Moor and for us shows that the bright start to the day is over and indeed the promised rain is very much on its way………
29th October
DAVID OAKES - IMAGES. 