Throwley Old Hall

Castern Wood is a nature reserve of the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust. It is an ancient woodland, with scrub and grassland, on the eastern slopes of the Manifold Valley, about 1 mile south of Wetton, in Staffordshire, England. The reserve is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation.

Beeston Tor (grid reference SK105540) is a limestone cliff in Staffordshire. It overlooks the confluence of the River Hamps with the River Manifold, and is a popular venue for rock climbing (seasonal restrictions for rock climbing apply). There was a small station here, of the same name, opened by the narrow gauge (2' 6") Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway on 27 June 1904, whilst being entirely operated by the North Staffordshire Railway. The station had no siding – unlike most of the stations on the line – but there was a refreshment room. The line closed in 1934, and the route of the railway past the station is now designated the Manifold Way, an 8-mile walk- and cycle-path which runs from Waterhouses to Hulme End.

Beeston Tor railway station was a minor station which served the Beeston Tor in Grindon, Staffordshire. The site is now part of the Manifold Way.

Long Low is a Neolithic and Bronze Age site in the English county of Staffordshire. It is about 2 km SE of Wetton (grid reference SK122539).It consists of two round cairns linked by a connecting bank – an unusual layout and one that is unique in England. The northern cairn measures 23 metres (75 ft) in diameter and survives to a height of 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in). It appears to be related to other chamber tombs of the Peak District group and was excavated by Samuel Carrington in 1849. Carrington found a burial chamber built from limestone orthostats with a paved floor. The bones of thirteen individuals were recovered as well as three leaf-shaped flint arrowheads. The smaller southern cairn is 15 metres (49 ft) across and survives to 1.2 metres (3 ft 11 in) in height following extensive modern damage. It contained evidence of a cremation burial. Further cremations were found in the connecting bank which was built from a parallel row of limestone orthostats and is around 200 metres (660 ft) long, 10 metres (33 ft) wide and 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) high. It is now topped by a modern dry stone wall. Because of the damage to the site, its rarity and the antiquity of the Carrington excavation it is unclear as to the precise nature of the monument. It is possible that the bank is a bank barrow which had a later Neolithic chambered cairn (the north cairn) built on one end and then a Bronze Age round barrow finally added at the southern end.

Grindon railway station was a station on the Leek and Manifold Light Railway. It served the village of Grindon in Staffordshire. The site is now part of the Manifold Way.

Calton is a village and a former parochial chapelry and civil parish, now in the parish of Waterhouses, in the Staffordshire Moorlands district of Staffordshire, England. In 1931 the parish had a population of 222. The chapelry contained the four parishes of Croxden, Blore, Mayfield, and Waterfall. In 1866, the four parishes became the civil parish of Calton, and on 1 April 1934 the parish was abolished to form Waterhouses. The village of Calton stands in the old parish of Mayfield, along with the chapel of St Mary.The Peak District Boundary Walk runs through the village.

Sparrowlee was the name of a railway station on the Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway, a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge line which ran for 8 miles between Hulme End and Waterhouses, in Staffordshire, and was initially operated by the North Staffordshire Railway before being taken over by the LMS. The station was opened on 29 June 1904 and was the first halt when travelling north along the valley of the River Hamps between Waterhouses and Beeston Tor, the next station, and the start of the route along the River Manifold. The station, which was simply a small halt with a grand sign, only in fact served Lee House Farm, for there was no such settlement of this name, and no other community to serve. A waiting room was consequently not provided, but a siding was provided for the farm's use, and this included a 60-foot standard gauge section, for the use of standard gauge wagons which were carried on special low transporter wagons. The line closed in 1934, and the route of the railway past the station is now designated the Manifold Way, a walk- and cycle-path.

Wetton is a village in the Peak District National Park, North Staffordshire, at the top of the east side of the Manifold Valley. The population recorded in the 2001 Census was 157. At the time of the 2011 Census the population was recorded under Ilam. This article describes the location, some of the main features of the village, and a number of places of historical or general interest in or near the village. These include Long Low, Wetton, a prehistoric burial site unique to England. Because the post town is Ashbourne, Derbyshire, many sources of tourist information wrongly describe Wetton as being in Derbyshire.

Thor's Cave (also known as Thor's House Cavern and Thyrsis's Cave) is a natural cavern located at SK09865496 in the Manifold Valley of the White Peak in Staffordshire, England. It is classified as a karst cave. Located in a steep limestone crag, the cave entrance, a symmetrical arch 7.5 metres wide and 10 metres high, is prominently visible from the valley bottom, around 80 metres (260 feet) below. Reached by an easy stepped path from the Manifold Way, the cave is a popular tourist spot, with views over the Manifold Valley. The second entrance is known as the "West Window", below which is a second cave, Thor's Fissure Cavern.Thor's Cave was served by a railway station on the Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway from 1904 to 1934; the disused line now forms the Manifold Way.

The Manifold Way is a footpath and cycle way in Staffordshire, England. Some 8 miles (13 km) in length, it runs from Hulme End (53.1307°N 1.8480°W / 53.1307; -1.8480 (Manifold Way (Hulme End trailhead))) in the north to Waterhouses (53.0480°N 1.8654°W / 53.0480; -1.8654 (Manifold Way (Waterhouses trailhead))) in the south, mostly through the Manifold Valley and the valley of its only tributary, the River Hamps, following the route of the former Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway, a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge line which closed in 1934 after a short life. The Manifold Way was opened in July 1937 by Staffordshire County Council after the LMS handed over the trackbed to them. Tarmacked throughout, and with only a slight downhill gradient from north to south, the path is also ideal for wheelchair users, prams, etc. For about 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km), near Wetton Mill, the original route along the former railway is shared with motor traffic where what is now a minor unclassified road has been diverted along its route. This section includes Swainsley Tunnel. However, the signed Manifold Trail is routed along the eastern bank of the river and largely avoids the on-road route. Unlike other nearby walk- and cycleways, such as the Tissington Trail and the High Peak Trail, which cross elevated areas of the Peak District, the Manifold Way follows the valley bottoms and is altogether more sheltered. The path passes through attractive scenery, and indeed tourism was one of the reasons for the original construction of the line. Popular locations along the route include Thor's Cave, the mill at Wetton Hill and Beeston Tor. A little to the east lies Dovedale, a better-known beauty spot. The Manifold Way does not pass through any significant centres of population; indeed it was once described by a railway worker as a line that started in the middle of nowhere, and ended up in the same place. Whilst the railway did serve villages and hamlets along its route, these were mostly located about a mile above the valley, a fact which contributed to the railway's ultimate demise. Whilst walking along the Manifold Way the rivers Manifold and Hamps are never far away - in fact there are dozens of small bridges crossing them. However, over the summer months the River Manifold disappears down a swallet or sink hole near Wetton Mill, to reappear some distance way, at Ilam. In all there were ten stations and halts along the line. Most had some sort of waiting room, and also a siding, but were only small affairs. The sites of the halts can be seen today, and there is also some evidence of the loading platforms, especially at Ecton, where the dairy provided much business for the railway. The valley-bottom nature of the Manifold Way offers much to see in the way of flora and fauna, and animal wildlife. Apart from the official Manifold Way route itself, the area also lends itself to many circular walking routes which utilize the route. The Manifold Way passes through some areas which comprise the South Peak Estate, land holdings owned by the National Trust. At Hulme End, the old station building has been restored as a visitor centre, and the cafe/shop at Wetton Mill is a popular spot. At Ecton Hill lie the remains of a 4,000-year-old copper mine, and the caves at Beeston Tor have revealed Neolithic and Bronze Age remains. The trackway is well maintained and there are a number of car parks and refreshment facilities (some mobile) situated at convenient intervals along its length. There are campsites at Hulme End and Wetton Village, and bikes can be hired at Waterhouses, at the southern end of the trail.

Thor's Cave railway station was a station on the Leek and Manifold Light Railway. Serving the landmark Thor's Cave in Grindon and Wetton. The station site is now part of the Manifold Way.

Ilam Park is a 158-acre (0.64 km2) country park situated in Ilam, on both banks of the River Manifold five miles (8 km) north west of Ashbourne, England, and in the ownership of the National Trust. The property is managed as part of the Trust's White Peak Estate. (Ashbourne, the 'post town', is in Derbyshire and thus so is Ilam's postal address, but the Park, and Ilam, are in Staffordshire the county boundary being the River Dove). The property consists of Ilam Hall and remnants of its gardens, an ancient semi-natural woodland — Hinkley Wood — designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), noted for its small-leaved and large-leaved limes and their hybrids.