Winnats Pass – The Face of Winnats

Sunrise at Winnats Pass near Castleton in the Peak District National Park. This image was taken from a different viewpoint to the usual looking along the winding road to to Castleton. Can you see the face in the slopes on the right?

Winnats Pass is located in the High Peak area of the Peak District National Park, to the west of the village of Castleton. The name “Winnats” is short for ‘windy gates’. The pass was once thought to have been caused by a giant collapsed cavern, however a more recent explanation is that the ravine was caused by water gradually eating away at the coral reefs that originally formed the limestone. The sides of the pass contain several caves including one of the peaks most famous caverns, the Speedwell Cavern.