Peak District

Written for walkers and anyone who loves the countryside, this volume belongs to a series on Britain's landscapes. It focuses on the Peak District and approaches it through geology, following the region's development from sediments gathered in ancient seas and deltas, through the formation of mineral deposits and periods of cold, tundra-type conditions, to the scenery visible today.

The rock of the White Peak and Dark Peak was laid down on the floors of tropical seas, later folded and displaced by the movement of tectonic plates, and then carved by streams and rivers. The pale limestone of the White Peak was eroded into its own distinctive forms, with caves developing unseen beneath the surface.

Generations of miners and farmers then reshaped the land, leaving marks that remain visible. Geologist Tony Waltham illustrates the text mostly with his own photographs and explains why the limestone plateaus, gritstone moorlands and river valleys look the way they do.

The book also suggests walks and places to visit within the National Park, so readers can see the features it describes for themselves. Its style is accessible and aimed at non-specialists.