Winnats Pass
Winnats Pass is one of those natural phenomena that just can't fail to impress. A deep gorge rising from the Hope Valley's western end up to the plateau above. Towering cliffs either side dwarf the cars that wind their way up the 1 in 5 hill.
WInnats Pass has been the source of geological controversy for years - just how was it formed? Theory one was that it was a collapsed cavern similar to Cave Dale. Theory two a river cut valley long-abandoned by it's stream and theory three a submarine canyon, kept free from depositing limestone by underwater currents. The first two have all been dismissed now, the presence of fossiled reefs on either side of the valley rule them both out and help 'confirm' the third.
Treak Cliff to the north side of Winnats marks the division between the shallow lagoon where the slopes of Rushup now lie and the deeper basin where the Hope Valley lies. (Remember this was happening 220 million years ago!) The presence of underwater currents from shallow to deep would have kept what is now Winnats free from the growing deposits of tiny sea creatures that eventually became compressed to form the limestone of today. You can see these sea creatures in the many stone walls around Castleton - fossilised shells and crinoids, animals that resemble polo mints stacked one on top of each other. The growth of coral reefs on the fringes of the valley also give weight to the theory. These can be seen in the sharp 'fins' of rock that reach down the valley slides to the road side.
WInnats was for years the only way out of the Hope Valley. This was remedied in 1801 with the building of the fated Mam Tor road which finally closed to traffic in 1979 returning the Winnats Pass to it's exclusive role. Winnats is a steep route; 1 in 5 at it's steepest and frequently hosts professional cycle races and amateur riders - a test of anyone's mettle.
Winnats has had a sinister history. In 1758, a wealthy young couple decided to defy their parents and marry. They were running away to Peak Forest, the Gretna Green of England, when they stopped at an Inn in Castleton to ask the way. They were spotted by five men who decided to rob them. The five lay in wait for the young couple in Winnats, set upon them and murdered them.
The five murderers became cursed; two were killed by a rock fall in Winnats, one perished in a thunderstorm and fourth died a violent death. The fifth alone died a natural death and confessed their sins in his deathbed. It is said that Winnats is haunted by the affair, not the five murderers but by the ghosts of their victims who have been heard pleading for mercy.
Today Winnats is more peaceful and well worth a slow walk to marvel its size and grandeur. Old wave-cut caves and the remains of lead and Blue John mines can be seen high above the valley floor on either side. One thing though don't try to climb the rock faces. Many a 'brave' sole has come unstuck there and needed rescuing.