Mermaid's Pool (Peak District)

The Forest of High Peak was, in medieval times, a moorland forest covering most of the north west of Derbyshire, England, extending as far south as Tideswell and Buxton. From the time of the Norman Conquest it was established as a royal hunting reserve, administered by William Peverel, a follower of William I, who was based at Peveril Castle. The Royal Forest of Peak was bounded by the River Goyt to the west, the River Wye to the south, the River Derwent to the east and the River Etherow to the north. In 1305 it covered about 100 square miles.The south western area between the River Wye and Kinder Scout was relatively open country, which was enclosed by a low wall, sufficient to keep out cattle and sheep but allow the deer to roam. The area was known as Campana, the other two being Hopedale and Longdendale. The point where they met is to this day marked by Edale Cross. As well as his custodianship of the Forest, William also held a number of manors that formed part of what was recorded in the Domesday Survey as the Honour of Peverel. His son, also William, was granted a number of further manors, such that the Peverels could regard it as their demesne, apart from the manors of Muchedeswell and Tickhill which belonged to Henry de Ferrers. However, in 1154 the estate was confiscated by King Henry II who rebuilt Peveril Castle in 1176. In 1189 Richard I gave the honour of the Peak to John the Count of Mortain. Later Edward II bestowed it briefly to his favourite Piers de Gaveston and then under Edward II it passed in 1345 to John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey. John died in 1347 and it passed to Edward's wife Philippa of Hainault. Finally in 1372 it was granted to John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster. When his son Henry IV ascended the throne the Honour of the Peak passed to the crown along with all the other holdings of the Duchy of Lancaster, such as Duffield Frith. Subsequently, the manor and forest of High Peak were leased in perpetuity to the dukes of Devonshire. Records document the deer, wild pigs, wolves, horses and sheep in the forest. Anyone caught breaking the laws of the forest was taken to the Peak Castle at Castleton, from where the High Steward administered the forest. The present village of Peak Forest is at the heart of the area of the old royal forest and was formerly known as Chamber of Campana. The nearby Chamber Farm or Chamber Knoll may have been the exact location of the residence and meeting place of local forest officials.

Kinder Scout is a moorland plateau and national nature reserve in the Dark Peak of the Derbyshire Peak District in England. Part of the moor, at 636 metres (2,087 ft) above sea level, is the highest point in the Peak District, in Derbyshire and the East Midlands; in an early text this summit was identified as the Peak, and the whole area is often referred to locally as The Peak or The Peaks. In excellent weather conditions, the city of Manchester and the Greater Manchester conurbation can be seen from the western edges, as well as Winter Hill near Bolton and the mountains of Snowdonia in North Wales. To the north, across the Snake Pass, lie the high moors of Bleaklow and Black Hill, which are of similar elevation. Kinder Scout featured on the BBC television programme Seven Natural Wonders (2005) as one of the wonders of the Midlands; however, it is considered by many to be in Northern England, lying between the cities of Manchester and Sheffield. In chronostratigraphy, the British sub-stage of the Carboniferous period, the Kinderscoutian, derives its name from Kinder Scout.

Mill Hill is an open, flat-topped hill, 1,785 feet (544 m) above sea level, in the Peak District in the county of Derbyshire in England.

Jacob's Ladder is a bridleway between Kinder Scout plateau and the hamlet of Upper Booth in the Vale of Edale, in the Derbyshire Peak District of England. In the 18th century Jacob Marshall farmed the land at Edale Head, at the top of what became known as Jacob's Ladder. He cut steps into this steep section of the route up to the Kinder plateau. The name is a reference to the ladder to heaven that Jacob dreamt about (in the Book of Genesis).Edale Head is the source of the River Noe (a tributary to the River Derwent), which flows down the clough (steep valley) alongside the path. At the foot of Jacob's Ladder is a gritstone packhorse bridge, with a single span which crosses the River Noe. It is a designated Grade II structure. The bridge is on an important medieval packhorse route over the Pennine moorland between Hayfield and Edale. Salt and cheese from Cheshire and cotton from the Lancashire mills were transported to the east, while coal and lead were carried to the west. Edale Cross is a medieval wayside cross at the top of Jacob's Ladder. It marks the boundary between the three wards of Forest of High Peak: Glossop and Longdendale, and Hopedale and Campagna. The cross is a protected Scheduled Monument. The mass trespass of Kinder Scout, carried out by about 500 walkers in 1932, passed the top of Jacob's Ladder on the way from Kinder Downfall back to Hayfield, where they began the walk.The Pennine Way long-distance footpath, from Derbyshire to Scotland, ascends Jacob's Ladder, just 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from its start at Edale. The original route of the Pennine Way went up to the Kinder plateau via Grindsbrook Clough. In 1987 the Manpower Services Commission built a stone paved staircase along the path of Jacob's Ladder.Jacob's Ladder footpath runs across land that is owned and managed by the National Trust. It is also part of the Kinder Scout protected Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which was designated as a National Nature Reserve in 2009. There are kestrels, buzzards and curlews in the valley. The trees along the hillsides include birch, rowan and alder.Access to the foot of Jacob's Ladder can be made along the Pennine Way trail from Edale railway station or from the public car park at Barber Booth.

Brown Knoll is one of the highest hills in the Peak District in central England. It rises to a height of 569 metres (1,867 ft) above the head of the Edale valley and about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south-southwest of the Peak's highest point, Kinder Scout.

Featherbed Top is an open, flat-topped hill, 544 metres (1,785 ft) high, in the Peak District in the county of Derbyshire in England.

The Vale of Edale is the upper valley of the River Noe, in the Derbyshire Peak District of England. The village of Edale lies in the middle of the valley.Edale Head, on the Kinder Scout plateau, is the source of the River Noe (a tributary to the River Derwent). The River Noe flows out of the foot of the Vale of Edale into Hope Valley, past the village of Hope and through Brough-on-Noe, where the Romans established Navio fort. On the north side of the valley is the Kinder moorland plateau. On the south side is the ridge of Rushup Edge and Great Ridge, over Mam Tor and Hollins Cross to Lose Hill. The other settlements in the valley are the hamlets of Upper Booth, Barber Booth and Nether Booth. The Hope Valley railway line (Manchester to Sheffield) runs along the Vale of Edale. The train line, built by Midland Railway, and Edale railway station were opened in 1894. At the western end of the Vale of Edale the line heads through the 3.4 kilometres (2.1 mi) long Cowburn Tunnel at Dale Head, under the moorland hill of Brown Knoll.Edale is the start of the Pennine Way long distance footpath, which runs from Derbyshire to Scotland. The trail heads west through Upper Booth and up Jacob's Ladder footpath to the Kinder plateau. At the foot of Jacob's ladder is a gritstone packhorse bridge, with a single span which crosses the River Noe. It is a designated Grade II structure. The bridge is on an important medieval packhorse route over the Pennine moorland between Hayfield and Edale. Salt and cheese from Cheshire and cotton from the Lancashire mills were transported to the east, while coal and lead were carried to the west. Doctor's Gate Roman road ran along the hillside at the eastern end of the valley.The land along the banks of the River Noe between Barber Booth and Jacob's Ladder is protected as Edale SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest). The banks and riverbed contain important fossils from the rocks known as Edale Shales. There are kestrels, buzzards and curlews in the valley. The trees along the hillsides include birch, rowan and alder. Jacob's ladder footpath runs across land that is owned and managed by the National Trust. It is also part of the Kinder Scout SSSI, which was designated as a National Nature Reserve in 2009.

South Head is a gritstone hill between the villages of Hayfield and Chinley in the Derbyshire Peak District. The summit is 494 metres (1,621 ft) above sea level. It lies at the south of the head of the River Sett.The hilltop area was acquired by the National Trust in the 1980s and is designated as access land for the public. South Head farmstead was recorded in the 1640 plans of the waste and commons of Hayfield.The Pennine Bridleway runs along the north and east sides of South Head. Since 2005, there has been an annual fell race each May from Hayfield around Mount Famine and South Head.South Head is one of the 95 Ethels hills of the Peak District, launched by the countryside charity CPRE in 2021.

Snake Pass is a hill pass in the Derbyshire section of the Peak District, crossing the Pennines between Glossop and the Ladybower Reservoir at Ashopton. The road was engineered by Thomas Telford and opened in 1821. The pass carries the A57 road between Manchester and Sheffield, but it is no longer the main signposted route between those two cities, with traffic instead directed through the Woodhead Pass to the north. Like several other roads that cross the Pennines, Snake Pass has a poor accident record compared with roads in the UK generally, although more favourable compared with other roads in the area. It is regularly closed in winter because of snow, and has seen several longer-term closures owing to subsidence following heavy rain. The road remains a popular route for tourists and motorcycles, however, and sections have been used for semi-professional cycling races such as the Tour of Britain.

Mount Famine is a gritstone hill between the villages of Hayfield and Chinley in the Derbyshire Peak District, England. The summit is 473 metres (1,552 ft) above sea level. The hill's name originates from the period of the Enclosure Acts (from the late 18th century) when tenant farmers struggled to make a living from poor farming land.A round Bronze Age burial mound on the west side of the hill is about 20 metres (66 ft) wide. It was identified by J Barnatt in 2014.The hilltop area was acquired by the National Trust in 2006 and is designated as access land for the public.The Pennine Bridleway runs along the south and west sides of Mount Famine. Since 2005, there has been an annual fell race each May from Hayfield around Mount Famine and South Head.Mount Famine is one of the 95 Ethels hills of the Peak District, launched by the countryside charity CPRE in 2021.

The Cowburn Tunnel is a railway tunnel at the western end of the Vale of Edale in the Derbyshire Peak District of England. The tunnel is 3,702 yards (3,385 m) long. It is the deepest railway tunnel in England, at 875 feet (267 m).

Hurst Reservoir is a former, now disused, reservoir near Glossop, north Derbyshire.