Millers Dale along the Monsal Trail - geograph

Millers Dale (Ordnance Survey: Miller's Dale) is a valley on the River Wye 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, where there is also a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

of the same name. It is a popular beauty spot in the

Peak District The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It includes the Dark Peak, where moorla ...

of England, much of the area being preserved as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Nearby are Ravenstor and

Chee Dale Chee Dale is a steep-sided gorge on the River Wye near Buxton, Derbyshire, in the Peak District of England. Wye Dale continues upstream towards Buxton while downstream are Miller's Dale village and valley. Chee Dale has a protected nature res ...

, both popular with rock-climbers. Just to the north of the dale lie the village of

Wormhill Wormhill is a village and civil parish in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England, situated east by north of Buxton. The population of the civil parish including Peak Dale was 1,020 at the 2011 Census. Wormhill was mentioned in the Dome ...

and the lesser-known valleys of Peter Dale and Monk's Dale, the latter being listed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a nature reserve. A local landmark is the viaduct, first built by the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...

in 1866. Increasing traffic meant that a second viaduct parallel to the first was built in 1905, increasing the number of tracks to four. Millers Dale station was at the junction where passengers for

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.Monsal Trail The Monsal Trail is a cycling, horse riding and walking trail in the Derbyshire Peak District. It was constructed from a section of the former Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway, which was built by the Midland Railway in 1 ...

, a cycle and walking trail. Northwards from Millers Dale the line entered the two Chee Tor tunnels (401 and 94 yards), separated by a bridge over the River Wye, then along a ledge cut into the rock face, before entering Rusher Cutting tunnel (121 yards), crossing the Wye again by another viaduct. The line here was immensely difficult and expensive to construct, skirting, as it did, the base of the high ciff of Chee Tor. Chee number 1 was, until May 2011, sealed off for safety reasons, but it is now possible to walk through all three tunnels. Further on was the triangular junction for Buxton via Blackwell Mill, before continuing to

Peak Forest Peak Forest is a small village and civil parish on the main road the ( A623) from Chapel-en-le-Frith to Chesterfield in Derbyshire. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 335. The village grew from the earlier settlement of ...

. The area is of great interest to geologists, particularly where the strata have been exposed by quarries and railway cuttings. In Station Quarry, which is owned by the Naturalists Trust, two layers of limestone can be seen, separated by a bed of shale. At one point there is a dip in the lower layer, possibly from a watercourse, millions of years ago. This is filled with the shale and a large limestone boulder can be seen within it. Elsewhere in the area there are signs of lava flows from long-ago volcanic activity.

In art and literature

A painting by

Thomas Allom Thomas Allom (13 March 1804 – 21 October 1872) was an English architect, artist, and topographical illustrator. He was a founding member of what became the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). He designed many buildings in London, i ...

, and engraved by J. J. Hinchliff, which appears to show a couple by the waterside at sunset, is accompanied by a poetical illustration by

Letitia Elizabeth Landon Letitia Elizabeth Landon (14 August 1802 – 15 October 1838) was an English poet and novelist, better known by her initials L.E.L. The writings of Landon are transitional between Romanticism and the Victorian Age. Her first major breakthrough ...

in ''Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1838''.

References

External links

* * {{coord, 53.256, N, 1.791, W, region:GB, display=title Valleys of the Peak District Valleys of Derbyshire Hamlets in Derbyshire

In art and literature

See also

References

External links