Pennines
Pennines | |
---|---|
![]() Northern England and adjoining areas, showing the general extent of the Pennines | |
Highest point | |
Peak | Cross Fell |
Elevation | 893 m (2,930 ft) |
Coordinates | 54°42′10″N 2°29′14″W / 54.70278°N 2.48722°W |
Geography | |
Location | Northumberland, Cumbria, County Durham, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire |
Country | England, United Kingdom |
The Pennines (
The Pennines are deeply indented by valleys, and the range is divided into two by the Aire Gap, a wide pass formed by the valleys of the rivers Aire and Ribble. There are several spurs off the main Pennine range east of the gap, into Lancashire, comprising the Rossendale Fells, West Pennine Moors and the Bowland Fells.[4][5] The Howgill Fells and Orton Fells in Cumbria are also sometimes considered to be Pennine spurs.[6][7] The Pennines are an important water catchment area, with numerous reservoirs in the head streams of the river valleys.
Most of the range is protected by
Britain's oldest long-distance footpath, the 268-mile (429 km) Pennine Way, runs along most of the Pennines.[10]
Name
Various etymologies have proposed treating "Pennine" as a native Brittonic/Modern Welsh name related to pen- ("head").[12] It did not become a common name until the 18th century and almost certainly derives from modern comparisons with the Apennine Mountains, which run down the middle of Italy in a similar fashion.[11][dubious – discuss]
Following an 1853 article by Arthur Hussey,
Various towns and geographical features within the Pennines have names of
Geography
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Rombalds_moor_trig.jpg/220px-Rombalds_moor_trig.jpg)
The northern Pennine range is bordered by the
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Clougha_heather.jpg/220px-Clougha_heather.jpg)
The main range of the Pennines start from its southern end at the Weaver Hills in the Peak District.[25] The southern foothills of the range merge into the valley and basin of the River Trent,[26] separating the range from the Midland Plains to the south. The Pennines continue northwards across the Peak District and adjoin the South Pennines approximately around the Tame Valley, Standedge and Holme Valley. The South Pennines are separated from the Forest of Bowland by the Ribble Valley, and include the Rossendale Valley and West Pennine Moors in the west.[27] The range continues further north into the Aire Gap which separates the Yorkshire Dales from the South Pennines to the south and the Forest of Bowland to the southwest.[28] The main range then continues northwards across the Yorkshire Dales to the Stainmore Gap where it adjoins the North Pennines. The range continues into its northern end at the Tyne Gap,[29] separating it from the Border Moors and Cheviot Hills across the Anglo-Scottish border.
Although the Pennines cover the area between the Peak District and the Tyne Gap, the Pennine Way affects perceptions of the southern and northern extents of the defined area. The southern end of the Pennines is said to be in the High Peak of Derbyshire at Edale, the start of the Pennine Way,[6] but the main range continues south across the Peak District to the Weaver Hills,[25] with its foothills merging into the Trent Valley.[26] This encompasses eastern Cheshire, northern and eastern Staffordshire, and southern Derbyshire.[6][30][31] Conversely, the Border Moors and Cheviot Hills, separated by the Tyne Gap and Whin Sill, along which run the A69 and Hadrian's Wall, are not part of the Pennines but, perhaps because the Pennine Way crosses them, they are treated as such.[6]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Stanage_Edge.jpg/220px-Stanage_Edge.jpg)
Most of the Pennine landscape is characterised by upland areas of high moorland indented by more fertile river valleys, although the landscape varies in different areas. The Peak District consists of hills, plateaus and valleys, divided into the Dark Peak with moorlands and gritstone edges, and the White Peak with limestone gorges.[32] The South Pennines is an area of hills and moorlands with narrow valleys between the Peak District and Yorkshire Dales.[33] Bowland is dominated by a central upland landform of deeply incised gritstone fells covered with tracts of heather-covered peat moorland, blanket bog and steep-sided wooded valleys linking the upland and lowland landscapes.[34] The landscape is higher and more mountainous in the Yorkshire Dales and North Pennines. The Yorkshire Dales are characterised by valleys, moorlands and fells[35] while the North Pennines consist of plateaus, moorlands, fells, edges and valleys, with most of the higher peaks in the west.[29]
Elevation
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Crossfell.jpg/220px-Crossfell.jpg)
Rising less than 3,000 feet (900 m), the Pennines are fells, with most of the mountainous terrain in the north. The highest point is Cross Fell in eastern Cumbria, at 2,930 feet (893 m) and other principal peaks in the North Pennines are Great Dun Fell 2,782 ft (848 m), Mickle Fell 2,585 ft (788 m), and Burnhope Seat 2,451 ft (747 m). Principal peaks in the Yorkshire Dales include Whernside 2,415 ft (736 m), Ingleborough 2,372 ft (723 m), High Seat 2,328 ft (710 m), Wild Boar Fell 2,324 ft (708 m) and Pen-y-ghent 2,274 ft (693 m). Principal peaks in the Forest of Bowland include Ward's Stone 1,841 ft (561 m), Fair Snape Fell 1,710 ft (521 m), and Hawthornthwaite Fell 1,572 ft (479 m). Terrain is lower towards the south and the only peaks which exceed 2,000 ft (610 m) are Kinder Scout 2,087 ft (636 m) and Bleaklow 2,077 ft (633 m) in the Peak District. Other principal peaks in the South Pennines and Peak District include Black Hill 1,909 ft (582 m), Shining Tor 1,834 ft (559 m), Pendle Hill 1,827 ft (557 m), Black Chew Head 1,778 ft (542 m), Rombalds Moor 1,319 ft (402 m) and Winter Hill 1,496 ft (456 m).
Drainage
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Across_Ribblesdale_from_Moughton_Nab_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1502626.jpg/220px-Across_Ribblesdale_from_Moughton_Nab_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1502626.jpg)
For much of their length the Pennines are the main
On the eastern side of the Pennines, the rivers
The
Climate
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Whernside_and_Ribblehead_Viaduct.jpg/220px-Whernside_and_Ribblehead_Viaduct.jpg)
According to the Köppen classification, the Pennines generally have a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) like the rest of England, but the uplands have more precipitation, stronger winds and colder weather than the surrounding areas. Some of the higher elevations have a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc), which may border a tundra climate (ET) in areas like Great Dun Fell.[37]
More snow falls on the Pennines than on surrounding lowland areas due to the elevation and distance from the coast; unlike lowland areas of England, the Pennines can have quite severe winters.
The northwest is amongst the wettest regions of England and much of the rain falls on the Pennines. The eastern side is drier than the west—the rain shadow shields northeast England from rainfall that would otherwise fall there.
Precipitation is important for the area's biodiversity and human population. Many towns and cities are located along rivers flowing from the range and in northwest England the lack of natural aquifers is compensated for by reservoirs.
Water has carved out limestone landscapes in the North Pennines, Yorkshire Dales and Peak District, with gorges and caves present in the Yorkshire Dales and Peak District. In some areas, precipitation has contributed to poor soils, resulting in part in moorland landscapes that characterize much of the range. In other areas where the soil has not been degraded, it has resulted in lush vegetation.
For the purpose of growing plants, the Pennines are in
Climate data for Great Dun Fell, North Pennines WMO ID: 03227; coordinates 54°41′02″N 2°27′05″W / 54.68401°N 2.45132°W; elevation: 847 m (2,779 ft); 1991–2020 normals | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.6 (34.9) |
1.6 (34.9) |
2.8 (37.0) |
5.4 (41.7) |
8.6 (47.5) |
11.0 (51.8) |
12.5 (54.5) |
12.3 (54.1) |
10.1 (50.2) |
6.8 (44.2) |
4.0 (39.2) |
2.1 (35.8) |
6.6 (43.9) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.4 (31.3) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
0.6 (33.1) |
2.7 (36.9) |
5.6 (42.1) |
8.2 (46.8) |
10.0 (50.0) |
9.8 (49.6) |
7.8 (46.0) |
4.8 (40.6) |
2.1 (35.8) |
0.0 (32.0) |
4.2 (39.6) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −2.4 (27.7) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
0.0 (32.0) |
2.7 (36.9) |
5.5 (41.9) |
7.5 (45.5) |
7.4 (45.3) |
5.6 (42.1) |
2.8 (37.0) |
0.2 (32.4) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
1.9 (35.4) |
Source: Met Office[38] |
Geology
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c5/Thor%27s_cave.jpg/170px-Thor%27s_cave.jpg)
The Pennines have been carved from a series of geological structures whose overall form is a broad anticline whose axis extends in a north–south direction. The North Pennines are coincident with the Alston Block and the Yorkshire Dales are coincident with the Askrigg Block. In the south the Peak District is essentially a flat-topped dome.
Each of the structures consists of
Between the northern and southern areas of exposed limestone between Skipton and the Dark Peak is a belt of exposed gritstone. Here the shales and sandstones of the Millstone Grit form high hills occupied by moorland covered with bracken, peat, heather and coarse grasses;[39] the higher ground is uncultivable and barely fit for pasture.
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7c/Harkerside_Moor.jpg/220px-Harkerside_Moor.jpg)
The Pennines contained
The uplands were controlled by the tribal federation of the Brigantes, made up of small tribes who inhabited the area and cooperated on defence and external affairs. They evolved an early form of kingdom. During Roman times, the Brigantes were dominated by the Romans who exploited the Pennines for their natural resources including the wild animals found there.
The Pennines were an obstacle for
During Norse times the Pennines were settled by Viking Danes in the east and Norwegian Vikings in the west. The Vikings influenced place names, culture and genetics. When England was unified the Pennines were incorporated. The mix of Celtic, Anglo-Saxon and Viking heritage resembled much of the rest of northern England and its culture developed alongside its lowland neighbours in northwest and northeast England. The Pennines were not a distinct political polity, but were divided between neighbouring counties in northeast and northwest England; a major part was in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
Demography
The Pennine region is sparsely populated by English standards. Larger population centres are in the foothills and lowlands fringing the southern Pennine range, such as Barnsley, Chesterfield, Halifax, Huddersfield, Macclesfield, Oldham, Bury, Rochdale, Middleton, and Stockport but most of the northern Pennine range is thinly populated.[41] The cities of Bradford, Derby, Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, Stoke-on-Trent and Wakefield are also in the surrounding foothills and lowlands. The Pennines contain the highest village in the United Kingdom, Flash, at 1,519 feet (463 m), near the southern end of the range in Staffordshire.[42]
Economy
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/Tunstead_Quarry_-_geograph.org.uk_-_865006.jpg/220px-Tunstead_Quarry_-_geograph.org.uk_-_865006.jpg)
The main economic activities in the Pennines include
Although the Forest of Bowland is mostly rural, the main economic activities in the area include farming[48] and tourism.[49] In the Yorkshire Dales, tourism accounts for £350 million of expenditure every year while employment is mostly dominated by farming, accommodation and food sectors. There are also significant challenges for managing tourism, farming and other developments within the National Park.[50] The main economic activities in the North Pennines include tourism, farming, timber and small-scale quarrying, due to the rural landscape.[51]
Transport
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Gaps_through_Pennine_Mountains_UK_topographic_map.gif/220px-Gaps_through_Pennine_Mountains_UK_topographic_map.gif)
Gaps that allow west–east communication across the Pennines include the Tyne Gap between the Pennines and the Cheviots, through which the
Further south the
The Pennines are traversed by the M62 motorway, the highest motorway in England at 1,221 feet (372 m) on Windy Hill near Junction 23.[52]
Three trans-Pennine canals built during the Industrial Revolution cross the range:
- The Huddersfield Narrow Canal connects Huddersfield in the east with Manchester in the west. When it reaches Marsden, it passes under the range through the Standedge Tunnel to Diggle. Fortnightly during the summer season, one can pass through the tunnel on a public narrowboat.[53]
- The Rochdale Canal crosses the Pennines via Rochdale, connecting the market town of Sowerby Bridge with Manchester.
- The Leeds and Liverpool Canal, the longest and most northerly, crosses the Pennines via Skipton, Burnley, Chorley and Wigan connecting Leeds in the east with Liverpool in the west.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Class_76_locomotives_76033_and_76031_at_Woodhead_on_24th_March_1981.jpeg/220px-Class_76_locomotives_76033_and_76031_at_Woodhead_on_24th_March_1981.jpeg)
The first of three
The
The
National Parks and AONBs
Considerable areas of the Pennines are protected as
The North Pennines AONB just north of the Yorkshire Dales rivals the national park in size and includes some of the Pennines' highest peaks and its most isolated and sparsely populated areas. Other AONBs are Nidderdale east of the Yorkshire Dales, and the Bowland Fells, including Pendle Hill, west of the Yorkshire Dales.
Language
The language used in pre-Roman and Roman times was
During
During the
Folklore and customs
The folklore and customs are mostly based on
Flora
Flora in the higher Pennines is adapted to
"In digging it away they frequently find vast fir trees, perfectly sound, and some oaks ..."
—Arthur Young, A Six Months' Tour of the North of England (1770)[62]
Limestone areas of the Pennines in the White Peak,[63] Yorkshire Dales[64] and Upper Teesdale[65] have been designated as nature reserves or Important Plant Areas by the botanical conservation charity Plantlife,[66] and are nationally important for their wildflowers.
Fauna
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Two_grouse_%22picked%22_after_the_previous_day%27s_shoot._-_geograph.org.uk_-_547403.jpg/220px-Two_grouse_%22picked%22_after_the_previous_day%27s_shoot._-_geograph.org.uk_-_547403.jpg)
Fauna in the Pennines is similar to the rest of England and Wales, but the area hosts some specialised species. Deer are found throughout the Pennines and some species of animals that are rare elsewhere in England can be found here. Arctic hares, which were common in Britain during the Ice Age and retreated to the cooler, more tundra-like uplands once the climate warmed up, were introduced to the Dark Peak area of the Peak District in the 19th century.
Large areas of heather moorland in the Pennines are managed for driven shooting of wild red grouse. The related and declining black grouse is still found in northern parts of the Pennines. Other birds whose English breeding strongholds are in the Pennines include golden plover, snipe, curlew, dunlin, merlin, short-eared owl, ring ouzel and twite,[67] though many of these are at the southern limit of their distributions and are more common in Scotland.
See also
- Geography of England
- Geology of Great Britain
- Geology of Yorkshire
- North Pennines
- South Pennines
- Yorkshire Three Peaks
References
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- ISBN 0-11-880720-X.
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- The Countryside Agency. Archived from the originalon 13 August 2007. Retrieved 3 August 2007.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-85285-426-3
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- ^ Hussey, Arthur (1853), "A Renewed Examination of 'Richard of Cirencester'", in Cave, Edward (ed.), The Gentleman's Magazine, vol. XXXIX, London: J.B. Nichols & Son, pp. 270–273
- ^ Bertram, Charles (1809) [First published in 1757], "Chapter XXXIII", The Description of Britain, Translated from Richard of Cirencester, Anonymously translated & annotated by Henry Hatcher, London: J. White & Co., p. 51
- miles ..."[14]
- ^ Skipton, Camden said, was "hidden and enclosed among steep Hilles to Latium in Italie, which Varro supposeth to have been called because it lyeth close under the Apennine and the Alps". He went on to describe how "the North part ... riseth up and swelleth somewhat mountainous, with moores and hilles, but of no bignesse, which beginning here runs like as Apennine doth in Italie, through the middest of England ... even as far as Scotland, although oftentimes they change their name."
- ^ Livy, History of Rome, Book V, §35.
- ^ Livy, History of Rome, Book XXXI, §38.
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- ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879). "Apenninus". A Latin Dictionary. Oxford; Medford: Clarendon Press; Perseus Digital Library. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
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- ISBN 0-7126-0370-0.
- ^ Pidd, Helen (August 2016). "Yorkshire Dales expand into Lancashire in national parks land grab". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ ISBN 9787240005989. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ a b Pennines at the Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ "NCA Profile: 36 Southern Pennines (NE323)". Natural England. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ "The Aire Gap". The Yorkshire Dales Website. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ a b "NCA Profile: 10. North Pennines (NE428)". Natural England. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- ^ Geography: Or, First Division of "The English Encyclopædia", Volume 3. Charles Knight. 1867. pp. 69–70. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ "City Centre Conservation Area" (PDF). Derby City Council. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- ^ "Landscape". Peak District National Park. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- ^ "About the South Pennines". Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- ^ "The Landscape of The Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)". Lancashire County Council. 6 June 2007. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2007.
- ^ "Landscape". Yorkshire Dales National Park. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- ^ Cave, Rachel (2002). "The Humber Catchment and its Coastal Area" (PDF). University of East Anglia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
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- ^ "Great Dun Fell 2 1991–2020 averages". Met Office. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- ^ a b page 4 and page 5, Marginal Upland Grazing Sutton Moor, Domesday Reloaded, BBC 1986
- ^ "A landscape through time". Out of Oblivion. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
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- ^ Smith, Oliver (9 October 2017). "The UK's highest mountain? It's not what you think". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
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- ^ "Peak District National Park: Study Area". Peak District National Park. 2003. Archived from the original on 20 June 2005. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
- ISBN 0-17-444706-X.
- ^ "South Pennines". Pennine Prospects. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
- ^ "£1.2m fund available to South Pennines farm businesses". Farmers Weekly. 20 January 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
- ^ "Farming". Forest of Bowland. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ISBN 9781351921640. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ "Economy". Yorkshire Dales National Park. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
- ^ "Economy and business". North Pennines AONB. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ a b c Transpennine Crossings, Sabre roads, retrieved 14 August 2013
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- ISBN 113471145X. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
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- ^ "Deep Dale". Plantlife. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
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- ^ "Moor House to Upper Teesdale IPA". Plantlife. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
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- ISBN 0-85661-075-5.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- The Pennine Edge Forest Network
- Pennine Prospects
- Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911. .