Vale of Edale - Izeria

The Vale of Edale is the upper valley of the River Noe, in the Derbyshire Peak District of England. The village of Edale lies in the middle of the valley. Edale Head, on the Kinder Scout plateau, is the source of the River Noe (a tributary to the River Derwent). The River Noe flows out of the foot of the Vale of Edale into Hope Valley, past the village of Hope and through Brough-on-Noe, where the Romans established Navio fort.

On the north side of the valley is the Kinder moorland plateau. On the south side is the ridge of Rushup Edge and Great Ridge, over Mam Tor and Hollins Cross to Lose Hill. The other settlements in the valley are the hamlets of Upper Booth, Barber Booth and Nether Booth.

The Hope Valley railway line (Manchester to Sheffield) runs along the Vale of Edale. The train line, built by Midland Railway, and Edale railway station were opened in 1894. At the western end of the Vale of Edale the line heads through the 3.4 kilometres (2.1 miles) long Cowburn Tunnel at Dale Head, under the moorland hill of Brown Knoll.Edale is the start of the Pennine Way long distance footpath, which runs from Derbyshire to Scotland. The trail heads west through Upper Booth and up Jacob's Ladder footpath to the Kinder plateau. At the foot of Jacob's ladder is a gritstone packhorse bridge, with a single span which crosses the River Noe. It is a designated Grade II structure. The bridge is on an important medieval packhorse route over the Pennine moorland between Hayfield and Edale. Salt and cheese from Cheshire and cotton from the Lancashire mills were transported to the east, while coal and lead were carried to the west. Doctor's Gate Roman road ran along the hillside at the eastern end of the valley. The land along the banks of the River Noe between Barber Booth and Jacob's Ladder is protected as Edale SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest). The banks and riverbed contain important fossils from the rocks known as Edale Shales. There are kestrels, buzzards and curlews in the valley. The trees along the hillsides include birch, rowan and alder. Jacob's ladder footpath runs across land that is owned and managed by the National Trust. It is also part of the Kinder Scout SSSI, which was designated as a National Nature Reserve in 2009.

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Brown Knoll

Brown Knoll is one of the highest hills in the Peak District in central England. It rises to a height of 569 metres (1,867 ft) above the head of the Edale valley and about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south-southwest of the Peak's highest point, Kinder Scout.

Edale War Memorial

Edale War Memorial is a 20th-century grade II listed war memorial in Edale, Derbyshire.

Grindslow Knoll

Grindslow Knoll is a hill in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire, England. It is joined to Kinder Scout by a high col though from most angles appears as an independent peak. It is the high point at the western side of Grindsbrook Clough.

Forest of High Peak

The Forest of High Peak was, in medieval times, a moorland forest covering most of the north west of Derbyshire, England, extending as far south as Tideswell and Buxton. From the time of the Norman Conquest it was established as a royal hunting reserve, administered by William Peverel, a follower of William I, who was based at Peveril Castle. The Royal Forest of Peak was bounded by the River Goyt to the west, the River Wye to the south, the River Derwent to the east and the River Etherow to the north. In 1305 it covered about 100 square miles. The south western area between the River Wye and Kinder Scout was relatively open country, which was enclosed by a low wall, sufficient to keep out cattle and sheep but allow the deer to roam. The area was known as Campana, the other two being Hopedale and Longdendale. The point where they met is to this day marked by Edale Cross. As well as his custodianship of the Forest, William also held a number of manors that formed part of what was recorded in the Domesday Survey as the Honour of Peverel. His son, also William, was granted a number of further manors, such that the Peverels could regard it as their demesne, apart from the manors of Muchedeswell and Tickhill which belonged to Henry de Ferrers. However, in 1154 the estate was confiscated by King Henry II who rebuilt Peveril Castle in 1176. In 1189 Richard I gave the honour of the Peak to John the Count of Mortain. Later Edward II bestowed it briefly to his favourite Piers de Gaveston and then under Edward II it passed in 1345 to John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey. John died in 1347 and it passed to Edward's wife Philippa of Hainault. Finally in 1372 it was granted to John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster. When his son Henry IV ascended the throne the Honour of the Peak passed to the crown along with all the other holdings of the Duchy of Lancaster, such as Duffield Frith. Subsequently, the manor and forest of High Peak were leased in perpetuity to the dukes of Devonshire. Records document the deer, wild pigs, wolves, horses and sheep in the forest. Anyone caught breaking the laws of the forest was taken to the Peak Castle at Castleton, from where the High Steward administered the forest. The present village of Peak Forest is at the heart of the area of the old royal forest and was formerly known as Chamber of Campana. The nearby Chamber Farm or Chamber Knoll may have been the exact location of the residence and meeting place of local forest officials.

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