Burbage Edge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Burbage Edge |
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Looking north from the summit towards Combs Moss
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 500 metres (1,640 ft) |
| Geography | |
| Location | Peak District, England |
| OS grid | SK 0296 7325 |
| Topo map | OS Explorer OL24 |
Burbage Edge is a tall, rocky ridge in the Peak District in Derbyshire, England. It's made of a type of rock called gritstone. This amazing place looks out over the Burbage area of Buxton. The very top of Burbage Edge is about 500 meters (or 1,640 feet) above sea level. You can find a special marker called a trig pillar there.
It's important not to mix up Burbage Edge with Burbage Rocks. Burbage Rocks is another rocky area near Hathersage, which is part of Stanage Edge.
Exploring Burbage Edge
The edge of the Peak District National Park goes right along the top of Burbage Edge. This ridge is like a natural border. It marks the western side of a large dome-shaped area of gritstone called the Derbyshire Dome. To the south, it connects to Axe Edge Moor, and to the north, it links up with Combs Moss.
Burbage Edge also acts as a "watershed." This means that rain falling on one side flows into the River Goyt. This river eventually joins the River Mersey. Rain on the other side flows into the River Wye, which then goes into the River Trent.
To the west of Burbage Edge, you'll find the wide-open moorland of Goyt's Moss. You can also see the famous Cat and Fiddle Inn and the beautiful Upper Goyt Valley. Thanks to a law passed in 2000, the top part of Burbage Edge and the moorland are "Open Access" land. This means people can freely explore and enjoy these areas.
Nature and Wildlife
Burbage Edge is part of the Goyt Valley Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This is a special area protected for its unique nature. The main plant you'll see here is heather. But this heathland is also home to many other plants. These include different kinds of grasses, rushes, and shrubs. You might spot bilberry, crowberry, cowberry, and cross-leaved heath. Hare’s-tail cottongrass and sphagnum moss are also very common.
This area is super important for birds that breed in the uplands. There's a large group of golden plovers living here. Other birds you might see include red grouse, curlew, lapwing, whinchat, snipe, twite, ring ouzel, and even the speedy merlin.
A Look Back in Time
Long ago, people mined coal at Goyt's Moss colliery, which is near Burbage Edge. This mining started in the early 1600s and continued until 1893. By then, all the coal had been dug out. At first, they just dug coal from the surface. Later, in the 1700s, they used shallow shafts and hand winches to pull up the coal. In the 1800s, they dug deeper shafts and used horses to help with the winding. Most of the coal went to the Duke of Devonshire's limekilns nearby. The old mining site is now a protected Scheduled Monument. This means it's an important historical place.
There was once a railway line called the Cromford and High Peak Railway. It connected the High Peak canal at Whaley Bridge to the River Derwent in Cromford. This railway, built in 1831, actually ran through a tunnel under Burbage Edge! However, this part of the railway closed down in 1896. Today, a long-distance walking path called the Peak District Boundary Walk follows the old railway line from Burbage Edge down to Errwood Reservoir.
Plane Crashes on the Edge
Burbage Edge has also been the site of a few plane crashes. In October 1934, a small plane called a De Havilland Moth crashed here. It was a very foggy day with strong winds. The plane was flying from Broxbourne in Essex to Blackpool. The pilot, who used to be in the RAF, and his passenger managed to get out of the overturned plane. They then walked to the Cat and Fiddle Inn to get help.
Later, in May 1943, another RAF plane, an Airspeed Oxford, also crashed on Burbage Edge. It was on a solo night flight from Wheaton Aston. At dawn, with low clouds, the plane hit a dry stone wall along the ridge. Sadly, the pilot, Sergeant John Wilson, died in the crash.
