WINCLE TO WINNATS PASS
A TO Z – DERBYSHIRE AND THE PEAK DISTRICT – CHAPTER 56
WINCLE (west of the A54 between Buxton and Congleton in the Dane Valley, East Cheshire – SJ9566)
Wincle is a remote hamlet situated in the beautiful valley of the River Dane, on the eastern edge of the Peak District. The striking woodland and moorland scenery make it a favourite destination for walkers. Swythamley Hall lies on the Staffordshire side of the valley where Sir Phillip Brocklehurst lived. He accompanied Sir Ernest Shackleton to the Antarctic aboard the Nimrod. It explains why the local pub is called the Ship, despite being so far from the sea. The pub’s hanging sign depicts HMS Nimrod. St. Michael’s Church, built in 1647, occupies the site of a Neolithic burial mound.
WINDLEY (around 6 miles from Derby, off the B5023 Duffield to Wirksworth road – SK305451)
A small, quiet village set in beautiful countryside on the edge of the Peak District. It is composed of a few houses and scattered farms. The old cheese factory, originally a malt house dating back to the 17th century, was the first cheese co-operative in Derbyshire. Cheese manufacture commenced in 1873, but after production ended, the premises remained empty for many years. Fortunately, in recent times, the old factory has been sympathetically converted into luxury lets. There is a small Baptist Church in the village.
WINGERWORTH (3 miles south of Chesterfield, east of the A61 from Alfreton – SK375670)
Wingerworth is only three miles south of the centre of Chesterfield. It is surrounded by lovely countryside, where you can enjoy walks along well-defined tracks and quiet lanes. There are good views of Derbyshire lowland agricultural scenery to the south and west. A good place to start a walk is from Smithy Pond, a popular haunt for fishermen. It is overlooked by a comparatively new modern style public house of the same name as the pond.
WINNATS PASS (south of Castleton, carries the A6187)
Approaching Castleton from the southwest, you descend into the village through the spectacular Winnats Pass with its forbidding appearance. It is in a limestone valley that was once part of a tropical sea. As a result, the limestone is rich in fossils of sea creatures that lived here over 350 million years ago. The pass is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and one of the Peak District’s most cherished possessions.
In the 1970s, several landslides on the A625 opened a series of deep crevices at the foot of Mam Tor. Known as the Shivering Mountain because the layers of soft shale between harder beds of gritstone frequently crumble to cause landslips and temporary road closures. As Mam Tor lacked stability and would not stop sending down rockfalls. The momentous decision was made to permanently close the road and use Winnats Pass as the main route into Castleton from the west.
