Author Description

This is the story of the Peak landscape from its tropical beginnings to its rugged gritty present. Limestone reefs grow in the shallows of tropical seas, taking captive fossilised sea creatures. As the seas shift and coastlines change, sandstones build up on the banks of a great river delta. Forests of giant ferns take hold of the land, leaving behind a legacy of coal. From the water worn limestone of the White Peal to the wind-sculpted sandstones of the Dark Peak, the landscape here is always atmospheric. There are mysterious dry valleys with no sign of running water, caves adorned with sumptuous stalactite chandeliers and the remains on an industrial era built on mineral riches. In the first part of the book Paul pens a clear account of how the present day landscape evolved. In the second part he leads you on a series of fifteen walks which afford spectacular views of the best of the Peak District scenery and reveal evidence of the landscape’s intriguing history.