Dark Peak

The Dark Peak is the higher, wilder northern part of the Peak District in England. In contrast to the White Peak, the underlying rock is millstone grit, resulting in largely uninhabited moorland plateaux. The areas of millstone grit form an 'inverted horseshoe' around the lower limestone areas of the White Peak. Hence the Dark Peak is said to cover the higher Derbyshire Peaks north of the Hope Valley, as well as the Western Moors in the area of Buxton, and the Eastern Moors stretching south towards Matlock.

Principal areas include Kinder Scout, Bleaklow (both of which rise to over 2000 ft, and lie wholly within Derbyshire), and Black Hill.

The High Peak is an alternative name for the Dark Peak, but High Peak is also the name of an administrative district of Derbyshire which includes part of the White Peak.

Sheffield City Council has plans to construct a wind farm as a renewable power source for the urban area of Sheffield. An area of moorland in the Southern Dark Peak has been selected as a potential site for the wind farm. There has been strong support for the scheme, as well as bitter opposition by many locals. ^{[citation needed]} The Sheffield Green Party, for example, has expressed its opposition to the construction of the turbines.

Over the years, a number of military aircraft have crashed on the Dark Peak, generally due to atrocious weather conditions. Thanks to the bleakness and emptiness of the high moorlands, their wrecks tend to remain untouched, and are often stumbled across by hikers in these remote places.

External Links

Photos and descriptions of Dark Peak landscapes.

Dark Peak Aircraft Wrecks

Dark Peak Fell Runners

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