Totley Moor is an open moorland hill to the west of the

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 ...

suburb of

Totley Totley is a suburb on the extreme southwest of the City of Sheffield, in South Yorkshire, England. Lying in the historic county boundaries of Derbyshire, Totley was amalgamated into the city of Sheffield in 1933, and is today part of the Dore ...

, in the

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 ...

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 ...

. The summit is above sea level.

Totley Tunnel Totley Tunnel is a tunnel under Totley Moor, on the Hope Valley line between Totley on the outskirts of Sheffield and Grindleford in Derbyshire, England. Construction Totley Tunnel was constructed by the Midland Railway on its line betwee ...

runs for under Totley Moor and

Longshaw Estate Longshaw Estate is an area of moorland, woodland and farmland located within the Peak District National Park, Derbyshire, England. The name of Longshaw is thought to have derived from the long wood in Padley Gorge. There are remains from Bro ...

, between Totley 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 ...

stations. It was built between 1888 and 1893 by

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 am ...

for the route between Sheffield 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 ...

through the Hope Valley. A large air ventilation shaft rises from a natural cavern, which the tunnel passes through, up to the surface on Totley Moor. The tunnel remains in use today for frequent trans-pennine passenger trains. Bar Brook stream drains the marshy Totley Moss area, running south to feed the disused Bar Brook Reservoir. It then continues to flow south and into the River Derwent by Chatsworth Park. On the north-eastern side of Totley Moor, Blacka Moor Nature Reserve is managed by Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust. The reserve covers 181 hectares and is part of the Eastern Peak District Moors SSSI (

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 ...

). The open moor is a landscape of

purple moor-grass ''Molinia caerulea'', known by the common name purple moor-grass, is a species of grass that is native to Europe, west Asia, and north Africa. It grows in locations from the lowlands up to in the Alps. Like most grasses, it grows best in acid so ...

, heathers and

bilberry Bilberries (), or sometimes European blueberries, are a primarily Eurasian species of low-growing shrubs in the genus ''Vaccinium'' (family Ericaceae), bearing edible, dark blue berries. The species most often referred to is ''Vaccinium myrtillus ...

. It provides a moorland habitat for willow warblers,

black caps The New Zealand national cricket team represents New Zealand in men's international cricket. Named the Black Caps, they played their first Test cricket, Test in 1930 against England cricket team, England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth cou ...

cuckoos Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separ ...

, wheatears, stonechats and whinchats.

Red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of wes ...

are also a common sight. There are three

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 ...

cairnfields along Brown Edge ridge which are protected

Scheduled Monuments 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 ...

. An excavation in 1963 of the site of a 7m wide ring cairn discovered cremation remains, urns, a pygmy cup and a hearth. The artefacts are on display in

Weston Park Museum Weston Park Museum is a museum in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It is one mile west of Sheffield city centre within Weston Park. It is Sheffield's largest museum and is housed in a Grade II* listed building and managed by Museums Sheffie ...

, Sheffield. In 1960, following fires on the moor, a Bronze Age shale-working floor was discovered at Flask Edge with shale fragments of bracelets and rings. Following the

Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (c. 37), known informally as the CRoW Act or "Right to Roam" Act is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament affecting England and Wales which came into force on 30 November 2000. Right to roam The Act imp ...

, this

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 ...

upland moor became "Open Access" land for the public. The Sheffield Country Walk bridlepath runs across the moor between Totley and the A6187 road. The

Peak District Boundary Walk The Peak District Boundary Walk is a circular walking trail, starting and finishing at Buxton and broadly following the boundary of the Peak District, Britain's first national park. The route was developed by the Friends of the Peak District (a ...

crosses the eastern side of Totley Moor, running through Blacka Moor Nature Reserve and above Brown Edge, just below the summit.

References

{{coord, 53.316, -1.584, type:landmark_region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(SK1066), display=title, format=dms Mountains and hills of the Peak District Mountains and hills of Derbyshire Moorlands of England