The view westward down Longdendale from above the Woodhead Tunnel, showing the Longdendale Trail (left) and A628 Woodhead Pass road.

Longdendale is a valley in the north west of England, north of Glossop and south east of Holmfirth. The name means "long wooded valley". Longdendale, Derbyshire, England, from Woodhead Tunnel SE115000. ... Longdendale, Derbyshire, England, from Woodhead Tunnel SE115000. ... The western portals of the Woodhead Tunnels in 2004, from the former Woodhead Station. ... The Longdendale Trail is a Long-distance trail that runs a distance of approximately 6. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Welcome sign seen upon entering Glossop. ... Holmfirth is a picturesque small, rural, town located in the Holme Valley in the Kirklees district of West Yorkshire, England. ...

Geography

The eastern part of the valley is in the non-metropolitan county of Derbyshire and includes the village of Tintwistle and, further east, part of the Peak District National Park. The western part of the valley, including the villages of Broadbottom, Mottram in Longdendale and Hollingworth is administered by the metropolitan borough of Tameside in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester. The whole of Longdendale forms the easternmost extension of the lands which lie within the historic boundaries of the county palatine of Chester. A shire county or non-metropolitan county in England, is a county level entity which is not a metropolitan county. ... Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. ... Tintwistle is village and civil parish in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England. ... The Peak District within England The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire. ... Broadbottom is a village in the metropolitan borough of Tameside in Greater Manchester in the north west of England, by the River Etherow, on the border with Derbyshire. ... Mottram in Longdendale is a village in the Longdendale part of the metropolitan borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, near Broadbottom and Hattersley, in the north west of England. ... Hollingworth is a village in England, located in the Metropolitan borough of Tameside about twelve miles east of Manchester and near to Glossop and Stalybridge. ... A Metropolitan Borough (or Metropolitan District) is a type of local government district in England, covering urban areas within metropolitan counties. ... Tameside is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in north west England. ... The six metropolitan counties shown within England The metropolitan counties are a type of county-level subnational entity in current use in England. ... Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England which roughly encompasses the conurbation surrounding the City of Manchester, and has a population of 2. ... The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England. ... A County palatine is an area ruled by an count palatine (or earl palatine); with special authority and autonomy from the rest of the kingdom. ... For the larger local government district, see City of Chester. ...

The River Etherow, a tributary of the River Mersey, rises south of Holmfirth and then flows through a chain of six reservoirs known as the Longdendale Chain: Arnfield Reservoir, Bottoms Reservoir, Valehouse Reservoir, Rhodeswood Reservoir, Torside Reservoir and Woodhead Reservoir. There was a seventh reservoir at Hollingworth, but it has now been abandoned. The River Etherow is a river in the north west of England, and a tributary of the River Mersey. ... This article belongs in one or more categories. ... Ferry across the Mersey, June 2005 The River Mersey is a river in north-western England. ... Holmfirth is a picturesque small, rural, town located in the Holme Valley in the Kirklees district of West Yorkshire, England. ... The Ashokan Reservoir, located in Ulster County, New York, USA. It is one of 19 that supplies New York City with drinking water. ... The Longdendale Chain is a sequence of six reservoirs on the River Etherow in the valley of Longdendale, in northern Derbyshire. ... Bottoms reservoir is a man-made lake in Longdendale in north Derbyshire. ... Woodhead reservoir is a man-made lake in Longdendale in north Derbyshire. ... Hollingworth is a village in England, located in the Metropolitan borough of Tameside about twelve miles east of Manchester and near to Glossop and Stalybridge. ...

History

Feudal estates

The lordship of Longdendale was an ancient feudal estate based on the manor of Mottram, Buckton Castle in the neighbouring Tame valley and the settlement of Tintwistle. It was part of the Hundred of Macclesfield. An estate survey, or 'Extent' of the lordship for 1360 was published by the Record Society of Lancashire and Cheshire in July 2005. Mottram in Longdendale is a village in the Longdendale part of the metropolitan borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, near Broadbottom and Hattersley, in the north west of England. ... Buckton Castle is a castle in Greater Manchester (the historic county of Lancashire), England. ... The River Tame is a river in the north west of England. ... Tintwistle is village and civil parish in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England. ...

Salt trade

Lady Shaw Bridge

A packhorse route called a saltway was maintained from the middle ages onwards for the purpose of allowing the export of salt from the Cheshire wiches of Nantwich, Northwich and Middlewich across the Pennines. The passing trade brought prosperity to settlements along the route. The importance of the salt trade along along such saltways is shown by surviving placenames; for example Salter's Brook (SK137999) is where the saltway forked, with one route leading to Wakefield and another to Barnsley.^[1] The stone Lady Shaw Bridge still exists at this point, as do the ruins of an old inn. The bridge is just wide enough for a packhorse, though it is suspected that the bridge may have originally been wider, and deliberately narrowed when the Saltersbrook turnpike was built to prevent vehicles bypassing the toll barrier.^[2] A packhorse, pack horse or pack pony is a horse or pony used for carrying goods in sidebags or panniers. ... The Cheshire Plain - photo taken adjacent to Beeston Castle The Cheshire Plain - photo taken towards Merseyside The Cheshire Plain panorama - photo taken from Mid-Cheshire Ridge Cattle farming in the county Black-and-white timbered buildings on Nantwich High Street Cheshire (or, archaically, the County of Chester)[1] is a... Nantwich is a market town in south Cheshire, England, in the Borough and parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich. ... Arms of Northwich Town Council Statistics Population: 19,259 (2001) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SJ651733 Administration District: Vale Royal Shire county: Cheshire Region: North West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Cheshire Historic county: Cheshire Services Police force: Cheshire Fire and rescue: Cheshire Ambulance... Statistics Population: 13,170 (2001) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SJ704663 Administration District: Congleton Shire county: Cheshire Region: North West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Cheshire Historic county: Cheshire Services Police force: Cheshire Fire and rescue: Cheshire Ambulance: North West Post office and telephone... Typical Pennine scenery. ... Statistics Population: 79,885 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SE335205 Administration Metropolitan Borough: City of Wakefield Metropolitan county: West Yorkshire Region: Yorkshire and the Humber Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: West Yorkshire Historic county: Yorkshire (West Riding) Services Police force: West Yorkshire Police Fire and... Statistics Population: 72,000 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SE3406 Administration District: Barnsley Metropolitan county: South Yorkshire Region: Yorkshire and the Humber Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: South Yorkshire Historic county: Yorkshire (West Riding) Services Police force: South Yorkshire Police Ambulance: Yorkshire Post office and...

Turnpike road

The turnpike road from Manchester to Saltersbrook connected to further turnpikes for Yorkshire destinations and was built in the mid-eighteenth century, based on the older saltway route. A toll road, turnpike or tollpike is a road on which a toll authority collects a fee for use. ... Look up Yorkshire in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The railway

Main article: Woodhead Line

The first railway line between Manchester and Sheffield was constructed between 1839 and 1845 on the south side of the reservoir chain by 1,500 navvies of whom many died and most suffered illness. The three-mile-long double Woodhead Tunnel was, for a time, the longest tunnel in the country. It was replaced by a single, larger tunnel in 1954. The first tunnel was subsequently used by CEGB to reroute the main high-voltage link up the valley and through the National Park underground. The railway line ceased to be economical, and in 1970 the passenger service ceased, followed in 1981 by the freight service. The passenger service was adversely affected by the requirement to keep the Hope Valley line open, whilst the freight service was affected by the falloff in Trans-Pennine coal traffic. There have been plans to re-open the railway at various times since it was closed, but none have gained planning approval. The Woodhead Line was a railway line linking Sheffield, Penistone and Manchester in the north of England. ... Manchester is a major city and metropolitan borough within Greater Manchester in North West England. ... For other uses, see Sheffield (disambiguation). ... The western portals of the Woodhead Tunnels in 2004, from the former Woodhead Station. ... The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) was the cornerstone of the British electricity industry for almost 50 years, from its nationalisation in 1947 to privatisation in the 1990s. ...

Administrative change

Hollingworth and Mottram were part of the Longdendale urban district in the administrative county of Cheshire from 1936. In 1974 the district was absorbed by Tameside metropolitan borough. In the British Isles an urban district was a type of local government district which covered an urbanised area. ... An administrative county is an administrative area in the British Isles. ...

Recreation

Walking

After the rail line was closed, the trackbed was taken up and the Longdendale Trail constructed along its route. It is now part of the Trans-Pennine Trail which, in its turn, is part of the 2000 mile long European walking route E8, from Liverpool to Istanbul. The Pennine Way crosses Longdendale, descending from Bleaklow to the south and ascending Black Hill to the north. The youth hostel at Crowden is a traditional stop after the first day's walking, from Edale. The circular walk known as the 'Longdendale Edges' takes in the high ground (at about the 1000-1500' level) on both sides of the valley. It is about 17 miles long and is 'not recommended in doubtful weather'. The detailed route, clockwise from Crowden Youth Hostel, is given in Peak District Walking Guide No.2, published by the Peak Park Planning Board. The Longdendale Trail is a Long-distance trail that runs a distance of approximately 6. ... The Trans Pennine Trail is a long distance path in England, running largely along disused railway lines and canal towpaths, entirely on surface paths and only gentle gradients. ... Categories: Hiking trails in Europe | Stub ... The Pennine Way is a long-distance footpath in England. ... Bleaklow is a high moorland, just north of Kinder Scout, across the Snake Pass (A57), in the Derbyshire High Peak. ... Black Hill is a hill in the Peak District lying on the border between Kirklees borough and Derbyshire, reaching 582 metres above sea level. ... YHA logo. ... Central Edale, at the start of the Pennine Way. ...

Sailing

Torside Reservoir is home to Glossop & District Sailing Club (GDSC)

Transport

Road

The A628 Woodhead pass runs through the valley, and is the main trunk route connecting Manchester and Sheffield. The M67 motorway from Manchester which terminates at Mottram in Longdendale was originally planned to extend up the valley and on towards Sheffield, but, as it would run through a National Park, this part of the plan was never implemented.^[3] The M67 is a short motorway in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, forming an A57 bypass for the towns of Denton and Hyde. ... Mottram in Longdendale is a village in the Longdendale part of the metropolitan borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, near Broadbottom and Hattersley, in the north west of England. ...

• Longdendale Bypass

The Longdendale Bypass (also known as the A57/A628 Mottram-in-Longdendale, Hollingworth & Tintwistle Bypass) is a £115m scheme by the Highways Agency, whose stated aim is to alleviate traffic congestion on the A57/A628/A616 trunk road. ...

Longdendale lights

• The valley and the surrounding area has a reputation for strange phenomena, including unexplained lights and supernatural apparitions and has become a centre of attention for UFO and ghost hunters.

Look up Supernatural in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... UFO can mean: Unidentified flying object United Future Organization, a Japanese-Brazilian electronic jazz band UFO, the rock band that previously featured Michael Schenker UFO, the Gerry Anderson TV series United Farmers of Ontario, a political party that formed the government in Ontario from 1919 to 1923 U.F.O... This page is about paranormal phenomena. ...

External links

• Community web site
• Legends
• Fortean Times on Longdendale
• Longdendale Photographs

References

1. ^ http://www.peakdistrict-nationalpark.info/_old/studyArea/factsheets/21.html
2. ^ On-site information board
3. ^ http://www.pathetic.org.uk/motorways/m67.shtml