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 on the banks of a great river delta. Forests of giant ferns take hold of the land, leaving behind a legacy of coal and bitumen. From the water worn limestone of the White Peak 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 of an industrial era built on mineral riches. Paul 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. In the first half of the book Paul tells the story of the Dark and White Peaks. How limestone reefs grew upon the basement bedrock and the shifting seas deposited layers of sandstone and shale.
Tectonic forces buckled and tilted these beds of sedimentary rock to create the rocky edges and tors which characterise the Peak District. The second half of the book details fifteen walks, from easy to challenging, which reveal the geological drama.