Curbar Edge is a
gritstone
Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone. This term is especially applied to such sandstones that are quarried for building material. British gritstone was used for millstones to mill flour, to grind wood into pulp for pa ...
moorland escarpment above the village of
Curbar
Curbar is a village and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England. The population based on the 2011 Census was 417. Curbar is situated a mile north of Baslow, close to Calver on the A623.
The village has a street (Bar ...
, in
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
, England and close to the villages of
Baslow
Baslow is a village in Derbyshire, England, in the Peak District, situated between Sheffield and Bakewell, just over north of Chatsworth House. It is sited by the River Derwent, which is spanned by a 17th-century bridge, alongside which is a ...
,
Calver
Calver (Old English ''Calf Slope'') is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 710.
Overview
Calver is a small village situated in the Derwent Valley, Derbyshire. The village ...
, and
Froggatt. It is located within the
Peak District National Park Peak or The Peak may refer to:
Basic meanings Geology
* Mountain peak
** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics
* Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion
* Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-di ...
at an altitude of . It is regarded as a significant location for
rock climbing
Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...
, both regionally and nationally, in terms of both the historical development of the sport and as the location of first ascents.
Geography
Location
![By_Curbar_Edge_-_geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/By_Curbar_Edge_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1888831.jpg)
Curbar Edge is located in the
Dark Peak
The Dark Peak is the higher and wilder part of the Peak District in England, mostly forming the northern section but also extending south into its eastern and western margins. It is mainly in Derbyshire but parts are in Staffordshire, Cheshire, ...
, the area of the
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southe ...
characterized by peat moorland and gritstone rock. The Edge is one of a long series of west-facing gritstone escarpments, collectively known as the Eastern Grit. A short walk away from Curbar Edge is White Edge, which is visible east of the location. The ground is uneven due to the presence of the
Big Moor. In the same area of Curbar Edge is located Padly Gorge, on the A6187, close to
Grindleford village, this area is recognised as a
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
(SSSI). Another place of interest located near Curbar Edge is
Linacre Reservoirs, built between 1855 and 1904, located in Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
Curbar Edge is situated between
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
and
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. Curbar Edge is located in the same area of smaller settlements as
Chesterfield
Chesterfield may refer to:
Places Canada
* Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan
* Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom
* Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England
** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
, ,
Dronfield
Dronfield is a town in North East Derbyshire, England, which includes Dronfield Woodhouse and Coal Aston. It lies in the valley of the River Drone between Chesterfield and Sheffield. The Peak District National Park is to the west. The name co ...
,
Matlock ,
Staveley Staveley may refer to:
Places
* Staveley, Cumbria, village in the former county of Westmorland and now in Cumbria, England
** Staveley railway station
* Staveley-in-Cartmel, village formerly in Lancashire, now in Cumbria, England
* Staveley, D ...
and
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level. .
The average elevation of the Edge is , the maximum elevation is and the minimum elevation is .
Etymology
The name "Curbar" and the several names from which it is derived ("Cordeburg", "Cordesburwe", "Quordborough", "Cordborgh", "Corburg", "Coresburgh" and "Corber") have the same meaning: Corda's fortified place. The personal name "Corda" is uncertain, as there are several plausible origins for this name.
Flora and fauna
![Curbar Edge cattle - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Curbar_Edge_cattle_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1888791.jpg)
Apart from
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
s such as
guelder rose
''Viburnum opulus'', the guelder-rose or guelder rose () is a species of flowering plant in the family Adoxaceae (formerly Caprifoliaceae) native to Europe, northern Africa and central Asia.
Description
''Viburnum opulus'' is a deciduous shru ...
and
mezereon, primrose,
lily of the valley
Lily of the valley (''Convallaria majalis'' (), sometimes written lily-of-the-valley, is a woodland flowering plant with sweetly scented, pendent, bell-shaped white flowers borne in sprays in spring. It is native throughout the cool temperate No ...
,
cowslip and
dog's mercury
''Mercurialis perennis'', commonly known as dog's mercury, is a poisonous woodland plant found in much of Europe as well as in Algeria, Iran, Turkey, and the Caucasus, but almost absent from Ireland, Orkney and Shetland.dipper
Dippers are members of the genus ''Cinclus'' in the bird family Cinclidae, so-called because of their bobbing or dipping movements. They are unique among passerines for their ability to dive and swim underwater.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Cinclus'' ...
s, robins,
blackbirds,
heron
The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...
s,
pheasant
Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family (biology), family Phasianidae in the order (biology), order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera na ...
s, sparrows and
great tit
The great tit (''Parus major'') is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common species throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and east across the Palearctic to the Amur River, south to parts of North Af ...
can be found there. Birds of prey, for example,
barn owl
The barn owl (''Tyto alba'') is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalaya ...
,
buzzard
Buzzard is the common name of several species of birds of prey.
''Buteo'' species
* Archer's buzzard (''Buteo archeri'')
* Augur buzzard (''Buteo augur'')
* Broad-winged hawk (''Buteo platypterus'')
* Common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'')
* Eastern ...
,
kestrel
The term kestrel (from french: crécerelle, derivative from , i.e. ratchet) is the common name given to several species of predatory birds from the falcon genus ''Falco''. Kestrels are most easily distinguished by their typical hunting behaviou ...
,
little owl
The little owl (''Athene noctua''), also known as the owl of Athena or owl of Minerva, is a bird that inhabits much of the temperate and warmer parts of Europe, the Palearctic east to Korea, and North Africa. It was introduced into Britain at ...
are among the components of the biological food chain.
On land other animals such as
highland cattle or
grouse
Grouse are a group of birds from the order Galliformes, in the family Phasianidae. Grouse are presently assigned to the tribe Tetraonini (formerly the subfamily Tetraoninae and the family Tetraonidae), a classification supported by mitochondr ...
define this area.
Deer rutting season
The rutting season for deer is between the middle of September and the middle of November. These months are the most favorable to see the horned animal. The area to watch the deer rut is between Curbar Edge and White Edge. For viewing or photographing deer in the area, it is mandatory to pay attention, and a distance of is suggested to not interfere with the normal
rutting behavior of the animal.
Geology
![Rock_pinnacle_by_Curbar_Edge_-_geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Rock_pinnacle_by_Curbar_Edge_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1888912.jpg)
Exposures of the Chatsworth Grit and the Crawshaw
Sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
on the basis of the
Pennine Lower Coal Measures can be found in Curbar Edge. Curbar Edge has been used as a BGS mapping training location.
Curbar Edge is located in Derbyshire which was within the delta of a vast stream that deposited sand and dust across southern Britain. Thanks to currents and tides, muds deposited in deeper water became shales, and sands became gritstone.
Curbar Edge is made of gritstone, a rough granular rock that consists of small pebbles and angular-shaped grains.
The gritstone, of which the Edge is composed, is strong and affects landscaping. It tends to form the highest soils and consists of variable layers characterized by edges. Characteristic overhangs are formed when erosion undermines the underlying softer layers. The particularly severe wind erosion in the extremely cold and dry conditions that prevailed in Derbyshire, where Curbar Edge is located, during the
Last Glacial Period picked out the weaker layers and defined the sculptural features of the Edge.
An active process on the Edge today is the formation of the crenelations in pinnacles of gritstone. These are the deepest vertical flutes near the top of the exposed structure, which descend vertically regardless of the angle of the local layer, but gradually fade after .
History
Prehistory
![Curbar Edge Cists Original File](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Curbar_Edge_Cists_Original_File.jpg)
A range of prehistoric remains is located in the area around Curbar Edge. Ancient cairns exist to the east near
Froggatt Edge
Froggatt Edge is a gritstone escarpment in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park, in Derbyshire, England, close to the villages of Froggatt, Calver, Curbar, Baslow and Grindleford. The name Froggatt Edge applies only to the ...
and to the west in Stoke Flat West. The East Moors in Derbyshire also has one of the largest preserved prehistoric field systems, settlement sites, and ceremonial stone circles. These remains allowed archaeologists to be able to determine an occupation date from the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
.
On Curbar Edge is a round cairn that is dated to the Bronze Age. This cairn is a prehistoric
funeral monument
Funerary art is any work of art forming, or placed in, a repository for the remains of the death, dead. The term encompasses a wide variety of forms, including cenotaphs ("empty tombs"), tomb-like monuments which do not contain human remains, a ...
with a single burial placed inside, covered in a gritstone
cist
A cist ( or ; also kist ;
from grc-gre, κίστη, Middle Welsh ''Kist'' or Germanic ''Kiste'') is a small stone-built coffin-like box or ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. Examples can be found across Europe and in the Middle East ...
. The cairn, measuring , was enclosed by gritstone blocks and covered with earth. It was discovered in 1913 by
John Manners, 9th Duke of Rutland
Captain John Henry Montagu Manners, 9th Duke of Rutland (21 August 1886 – 22 April 1940), styled as Marquess of Granby from 1906 to 1925, was an English peer and medieval art expert.
Early life and education
Rutland was the younger son of Hen ...
(1886–1940), the then owner of the land, and his gamekeeper, E. Peat. They made a partial excavation, in which process some archaeological information was disturbed, for example, the original height of the monument. The perimeter of the cairn remained undisturbed and archaeologists discovered fragments of a food vessel, a broken bronze knife, and a flint scraper. The cairn is a
Scheduled monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
, and also significant for its relationship to the adjacent Bronze Age field system.
Post Roman
![Curbar Edge Cairns Original File](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Curbar_Edge_Cairns_Original_File.jpg)
The
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
are believed to be the first to exploit the natural gritstone resources of Curbar Edge. Curbar Gap at the southern end of the edge is crossed by a Roman road, providing easy access for quarrying the local stone.
The Curbar Edge quarries are one of 4 areas in Derbyshire where
millstone
Millstones or mill stones are stones used in gristmills, for grinding wheat or other grains. They are sometimes referred to as grindstones or grinding stones.
Millstones come in pairs: a convex stationary base known as the ''bedstone'' and ...
was produced. The millstones from Derbyshire were used to produce grey flour which is the reason that they only were used to produce animal feeds. The diameter of the milestone was usually , and its weight was around . There are many assumed quarries around Derbyshire and Curbar Edge. Exact quarry locations are often unknown, as marks on the stones indicate that many were moved from the excavation sites and subsequently worked on nearby. A large number of these quarries occur near old routes for the transportation of millstones. The millstone production on Curbar Edge came to an end around the year 1811. Stone extraction from rocks was performed on a small scale and would lead to the manual perforation of the rock, then used to grind grain.
Towards the end of the 11th century, a group of traders began transporting the
Cheshire "witches" salt from
Northwich
{{Infobox UK place
, static_image_name = Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg
, static_image_caption = Town Bridge, the River Weaver and the spire of Holy Trinity Church
, official_name = Northwich
, country ...
,
Middlewich
Middlewich is a town in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, east of Chester, east of Winsford, southeast of Northwich and northwest of Sandbach. The population at the 2011 Census was 13,595. ...
and
Nantwich
Nantwich ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It has among the highest concentrations of listed buildings in England, with notably good examples of Tudor and Georgian architecture. ...
to the medieval trading towns of
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
, Derbyshire, and
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...
.
Salt was used not only as a spice but also to preserve food. The
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
illustrates the main routes for transporting salt, such as Salterway, Salter Hill, or Salter Ford. The journeys passing
High Peak were too difficult for a man to do, so the salt was carried by packhorses along the paths of the steep hills. One of the viable routes, discovered in 1272, led to
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level. from
Fairfield and through Saltersford. At this point, traders heading to
Chesterfield
Chesterfield may refer to:
Places Canada
* Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan
* Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom
* Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England
** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
had to climb the escarpment across the River Derwent to Curbar Gap to finally enter the market town via
Saltergate
Saltergate, officially the Recreation Ground, was the historic home of Chesterfield Football Club, and was in use from 1871 until the club's relocation in July 2010, a 139-year history that made it one of the oldest football grounds in Englan ...
.
Rock climbing
History
![Formed grindstone by Curbar Edge - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Formed_grindstone_by_Curbar_Edge_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1888898.jpg)
Some of the earliest known climbing activity was by Peak District pioneer, Jim Puttrell and the Kyndwr Club. They are known to have attempted a very early climb on Curbar in the 1900s, finally ascended by Chapman and Thomsett of the Polaris Mountaineering club in 1948 and now called PMC/1.
The Valkyrie Club, with
Joe Brown and Slim Sorrell, first visited in early 1948, resulting in the first ascents of routes including The Brain, and Bel Ami. Subsequent visits in the 1950s by this group led to their first ascents of the three cracks of Left Eliminate (originally known as 'the little crack on the left'), the Peapod and Right Eliminate (originally known as 'the Great Crack').
In 1975 Curbar Edge appeared in the first photographic guide for rock climbers in the Peak District.
In the 1980s and 1990s, many notable climbers achieved significant first ascents at Curbar, including
Ron Fawcett
Ron Fawcett (born 6 May 1955) is a British rock climber and rock climbing author who is credited with pushing the technical standards of British rock climbing in traditional, sport, bouldering and free soloing disciplines, in the decade from the ...
(with Amnesia Arete);
Johnny Dawes
Johnny Dawes (born 9 May 1964) is a British rock climber and author, known for a dynamic climbing style and for establishing bold traditional climbing routes. This included the first ascent of ''The Indian Face'', the first-ever route at the E9 ...
(with The End of the Affair, Slab and Crack, White Lines and Janus); Gary Gibson; John Allen (with Profit of Doom and Moon Crack); and,
Mick Fowler
Michael Fowler (born 1956) is a British rock climber, ice climber, mountaineer, and climbing author.
Fowler was voted the "Mountaineers' Mountaineer" in a poll in ''The Observer'', and with Paul Ramsden, won the 2002 Piolet d'Or (or Golden Ice ...
(with Linden).
In 2001 John Arran made the first ascent of the route Dr. Dolittle, graded E10 7a and still one of the hardest routes in Britain.
Routes
![Boulders at Curbar Edge - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Boulders_at_Curbar_Edge_-_geograph.org.uk_-_582966.jpg)
Curbar Edge is a major location for
Rock climbing in the Peak District
Rock climbing is a popular activity in the Peak District; particularly on edges such as Stanage or Froggatt. Generally the climbing style is free climbing (as opposed to aid climbing) and the rock is either gritstone or limestone. Climbing has ...
for the practice of both traditional rock climbing and
Bouldering
Bouldering is a form of free climbing that is performed on small rock formations or artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or harnesses. While bouldering can be done without any equipment, most climbers use climbing shoes to help sec ...
. There are no
Sport climbing
Sport climbing (or Bolted climbing) is a form of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors (or bolts), permanently fixed into the rock for climber protection, in which a rope that is attached to the climber is clipped into the anchors to ...
routes on the edge, due to local ethics and policies defined by bodies such as the
British Mountaineering Council
The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) is the national representative body for England and Wales that exists to protect the freedoms and promote the interests of climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers, including ski-mountaineers. The BMC ...
and the Peak District National Park. By 1999 there were over 150 different named rock climbing routes on Curbar Edge, in addition to a wide range of bouldering problem routes on the edge and adjacent boulders.
The length of the routes range from . The difficulty of routes range in traditional UK
Grade (climbing)
In rock climbing, mountaineering, and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a grade to a climbing route or boulder problem, intended to describe concisely the difficulty and danger of climbing it. Different types of climbing (such as sport ...
from Easy (E) to Extreme (E1 - E10), and include routes with some of the hardest technical traditional and bouldering grades in the world (including Doctor Dolittle, graded E10 7a, and Detox, graded V11).
In July 2015, three routes at Curbar (Dr. Dolittle, The Zone, and Knockin' on Heavens Door) were ranked in the top 20 hardest traditional climbs in the UK.
Some examples of indicative climbs are (from the easiest to the hardest):
Guides
![Rock climbing on Curbar Edge - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Rock_climbing_on_Curbar_Edge_-_geograph.org.uk_-_689145.jpg)
The rock climbing on Curbar Edge has been widely documented in journals, magazines, books, dedicated guidebooks, and websites. The Edge was omitted from the earliest Gritstone rock climbing guides, Laycock's ''
Some Gritstone Climbs
''Some Gritstone Climbs'' is a rock climbing guidebook written by British lawyer John Laycock (1887–1960). The book's subtitle, included uniquely on the frontispiece, is ''Some Shorter Climbs (in Derbyshire and Elsewhere)''. It was published ...
'', published in 1913, and Fergus Graham's ''Recent Developments on Gritstone'', published in 1924, due to access restrictions related to the neighboring grouse moors. Early climbs were originally published privately in the pages of climbing club journals. These were collated in the ''Climbs on Gritstone'' series of regional guides, starting in the 1950s, notably in sections by Wilf White in 1951 in ''Climbs on Gritstone: Sheffield Area'', and by White and Sorrell in 1957 in ''Further Developments in the Peak District''.
The Edge is covered in a wide range of current publications. The British Mountaineering Council includes climbs on Curbar Edge in two current guidebooks: ''Froggatt to Black Rocks'' (2010)
and ''On Peak Rock'' (revised edition, 2003).
A selection of climbs are also included in a selective regional guide to the Eastern Edges.
Bouldering problems on Curbar Edge are covered in a dedicated regional guide ''Peak Bouldering'', by Williams and James.
Other activities
Grouse shooting
The area of Curbar Edge is unsettled because of the setting aside of this region within the nineteenth century, by giant estates, for grouse shooting.
Grouse hunting has been practiced in this area for centuries, but can now only take place in some areas not owned by the National Park Authority. Since 1981 sports shooting is not allowed on its properties, which correspond to 4-5% of the land.
Driven grouse shooting
Driven grouse shooting is the hunting of the red grouse, a field sport of the United Kingdom. The grouse-shooting season extends from 12 August, often called the " Glorious Twelfth", to 10 December each year. Large numbers of grouse are driven to ...
requires gamekeepers and additional staff driving grouse towards places in which hunters are set. In walk-up grouse, shooting hunters move towards grouse. The National Park Authority is neither for nor against grouse shooting. The environment is affected by grouse moor management. It can have a positive impact on supporting local economies and protecting the natural habitat. In opposition, intensive management can have a negative impact caused by burning inappropriate places or limitations in the reintroduction of species.
Walking
Curbar Gap
![Road at Curbar Gap - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Road_at_Curbar_Gap_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1199036.jpg)
The Curbar Gap is a short route leading to the view of Derwent Valley. The route measures from the car park to the top, the closest facilities are Baslow and Calver. In ancient times, this Gap was a packhorse route subsequently it became a turnpike in 1759; for this reason is possible to see, close to the car park entry, a guide stoop made of stone.
Calver Village to Curbar Edge
![Footpath behind Curbar Edge - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Footpath_behind_Curbar_Edge_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1888862.jpg)
This walk is long and the time needed to complete it is approximately two hours. The beginning of the walk is located next to the
Derwent River, it is possible to get there by car, there is a parking lot close to Calver Primary School; and also by bus which goes from Buxton to
Bakewell
Bakewell is a market town and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, known also for its local Bakewell pudding. It lies on the River Wye, about 13 miles (21 km) south-west of Sheffield. In the 2011 census, ...
. The ascent of the path is .
Froggatt, Curbar and White Edge
![Cubar_Gap_-_Gated_Entrance_to_Curbar_Edge_Footpath_-_geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Cubar_Gap_-_Gated_Entrance_to_Curbar_Edge_Footpath_-_geograph.org.uk_-_534252.jpg)
This walk covers Curbar Edge, White Edge, and Froggatt Edge. It consists of a loop around the three Peak District Edges. The starting point is at the National Trust car park, the walk keeps going firstly into Curbar Edge, secondly to Froggatt Edge and lastly to White Edge. From this point is possible to complete the loop by reaching the car park at Curbar. The distance covered by this walk is , the time needed to complete the loop is between two and three hours and the highest point reached by the following path is . The distance from the car park to Froggatt Edge is , from Froggatt Edge to White Edge the distance is , the last stage, from White Edge to Curbar Edge is about . It is possible to reach this walk by car and also by public transportation by arriving at the
Grindleford train station, located from the beginning of the walk.
Froggatt, Curbar and Baslow Edge
The total distance covered by this walk is , the needed time to complete the route is between 4 and 5 hours. The path reaches Froggatt Edge, Curbar Edge, and Baslow Edge, it also passes the villages of Curbar, Froggatt, Calver and
Grindleford
Grindleford is a village and civil parish in the county of Derbyshire, in the East Midlands of England. The population of the civil parish as taken at the 2011 Census was 909. It lies at an altitude of in the valley of the River Derwent in the ...
. The walk starts and ends at the National Trust car park. By following this path it is possible to see the Stoke Flat Circle, a prehistoric feature from the Bronze Age; the Big Moor;
Derwent Valley Mills
Derwent Valley Mills is a World Heritage Site along the River Derwent in Derbyshire, England, designated in December 2001. It is administered by the Derwent Valley Mills Partnership. The modern factory, or 'mill', system was born here in the 18 ...
;
River Derwent;
Calver Hill, a rock-climbing point known as Eagle Stone which was used in the past to test the strength of men; the Calver Mill Gallery, Froggatt Wood and Grindleford church.
Cycling
Cycling climb
The average gradient of this route is 10%, while the peak gradient is 15,2%; the difference of elevation from the starting point to the end is . The path starts close to the All Saints' Church in the village of Curbar. The steepest uninterrupted mile is 10.7% and the steepest quarter mile is 12.1%. Curbar Edge also hosts the annual championship called the British University Cycling Championship.
Curbar Edge loop
This route measures , and the time needed to complete it is one hour and nineteen minutes. This path includes some segments in which are forbidden to cycle, these traits are located and miles after the beginning of the loop, the first segment is long and the second one reaches . This route also includes a series of steps, long, located from the starting point. The route is made of different way types, such as: a single track of ; a footpath of ; an access road measuring less than ; cycleway measuring less than ; a section of street measuring ; a road measuring ; and, a state road long.
Curbar Gap
This route is , the average slope is 7.1%. In the beginning, the altitude is while at the top is . This route is ranked 9682 globally and 305 in the United Kingdom.
Lady Canning's Bridleway
The length of this path is , the time needed to complete it is three hours and thirteen minutes. The maximum altitude is , the minimum is . This path includes some segments in which are forbidden to cycle, the first segment is located after and measures ; the second segment is found after and it measures . There are different types of tracks: singletrack measuring ; path long ; cycle lane measuring ; side road long ; road measuring ; A-road long .
Hang gliding
Due to its particular conditions, Curbar Edge is a suitable
Hang gliding
Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered ...
and
Paragliding
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like 'po ...
location for expert pilots. The prevailing wind direction in this location is South-West (SW) and West-South-West (WSW), and the hang gliding site code is 8.010. The take off location is placed at for both HG (hang gliding) and PG (paragliding). The bottom landing is limited and it has to be checked before launching, there is only one existing bottom landing noticeable with an "L" sign. In the case of light winds it is possible to land right after the take off; in case of stronger winds landing on the moorland is recommended .
In literature
In poetry
Curbar Edge is cited in the title of the
poem
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...
"Night On Curbar Edge"
written by
William Watson (poet)
Sir William Watson (2 August 185811 August 1935) was an English poet, popular in his time for the celebratory content, and famous for the controversial political content, of his verse. Initially popularly recognised, he was then neglected becau ...
. The poem is part of "
The Yellow Book
''The Yellow Book'' was a British quarterly literary periodical that was published in London from 1894 to 1897. It was published at The Bodley Head Publishing House by Elkin Mathews and John Lane, and later by John Lane alone, and edited by th ...
/Volume 1".
In art
Curbar Edge has been painted by a local
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
artist
Martin Davis The painting was created in 2013, it is acrylic on canvas and it is made following the
Impressionism movement.
In other literature
Several climbs on the edge have had dedicated essays on them published in anthologies, including Profit of Doom, Linden, Right Eliminate
and Elder Crack
In film
Curbar Edge is featured in several films, including:
*''
Threads (1984)''
*''The Big Issue (1996)''
*''
Hard Grit (1998)''
*''Young James (2007)''
*''Head Games (2007)''
*''Grit Flick (2009)''
*''Progression (2009)''
*''Wide Boyz (2012)''
Curiosities
![Curbar_Pinfold,_restored_-_geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Curbar_Pinfold%2C_restored_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2429665.jpg)
* The Bible Stones: carved stones with biblical references can be found between Curbar Gap and Curbar village. These were made in the 19th Century by Edwin Gregory, the mole catcher for the
Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has be ...
, as a sign of gratitude after going through a serious illness. To find these stones, there is a telephone box on Curbar Hill, with a map of the route from the Bridge Inn to Curbar Gap including places of interest.
* Curbar Pinfold: is an enclosure built to contain stray animals that were found in the private properties of the inhabitants of Curbar. These animals were kept in the pinfold, at the expense of the owner, until a fine was paid. It is situated at only from Curbar Edge, on the south side of Pinfold Hill up from the River Derwent, it was restored in 2010.
* Curbar Lockup: is a building dating from the 18th century, built around 1780. It was located in the corner of a field near the Cundy Graves northeast of Lane Farm. As a lockup, it is believed to have been used to hold prisoners in overnight custody while they were in transit to other prisons or court hearings. For example, during the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
, before being transported to Sheffield Prison and Sheffield Assizes, Curbar lockup was used to guard the prisoners overnight. A recent rumor says that Curbar lockup was used as a
pest house
A pest house, plague house, pesthouse or fever shed was a type of building used for persons afflicted with communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, cholera, smallpox or typhus. Often used for forcible quarantine, many towns and cities had on ...
, which was a building owned by the municipality, on the edge of the villages, used to contain the plague patients, in which they remained until complete recovery or in case of death. This building, since the 19th century, was used as domestic accommodation. The last permanent residents of the house were a sailor named Francis Pelly and a deaf-mute named Ebenezer Barratt, known locally as Yebby. The house remained inhabited until shortly before the outbreak of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, in fact, it was declared uninhabitable in 1935.
It stands out as a square-based structure made up of coursed rubble gritstone. The two-stored building presents on the southeast side square windows, on the northeast side a stack and a massive doorway on the southwest.
*Curbar Shelters: built by local people, these stone shelters dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries can be found near Curbar Edge. They protected farmers and cattle, they appear as structures made up of randomly arranged stones placed near walls. They are now covered with vegetation.
Books
Publications containing content about Curbar Edge:
Similar edges
See also
*
List of places in Derbyshire
This is a list of places in Derbyshire, England.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
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U
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See also
* List of settlements in Derbyshire by population
* List of places former ...
*
Derbyshire Dome
The Derbyshire Dome is a geological formation across mid-Derbyshire in England.
The White Peak area of the Peak District is named after the limestone plateau landscape of the 'Derbyshire Dome' anticline. The plateau is generally between 200m a ...
*
Millstone Grit
*
Rock climbing in the Peak District
Rock climbing is a popular activity in the Peak District; particularly on edges such as Stanage or Froggatt. Generally the climbing style is free climbing (as opposed to aid climbing) and the rock is either gritstone or limestone. Climbing has ...
*
Climbing History
*
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southe ...
*
Curbar
Curbar is a village and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England. The population based on the 2011 Census was 417. Curbar is situated a mile north of Baslow, close to Calver on the A623.
The village has a street (Bar ...
*
Joe Brown
*
British Mountaineering Council
The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) is the national representative body for England and Wales that exists to protect the freedoms and promote the interests of climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers, including ski-mountaineers. The BMC ...
*
William Watson (poet)
Sir William Watson (2 August 185811 August 1935) was an English poet, popular in his time for the celebratory content, and famous for the controversial political content, of his verse. Initially popularly recognised, he was then neglected becau ...
*
River Derwent
Gallery
References
External links
Peak DistrictPeak District National ParkPeak District WalksEnglish HeritageHistoric EnglandThe British Mountaineering CouncilUKC Logbook: Curbar Edge
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curbar Edge
Derbyshire
Geography of Derbyshire
Geology of Derbyshire
Natural regions of England
East Midlands
Peak District
Mountains and hills of the Peak District
Climbing areas of England