Millstone
Grit Millstone Grit is the name given to any of a number of
coarse-grained sandstones of Carboniferous age which occur in the
Northern England. The name derives from its use in earlier times as
a source of millstones for use principally in watermills.
Geologists refer to the whole suite of rocks which encompass both
the individual sandstone beds and the intervening mudstones as the
Millstone Grit Group. The term Millstone Grit Series was formerly
used to refer to the rocks now included within the Millstone Grit
Group together with the underlying Edale Shale Group.
Landslip
A landslide or landslip is a geological phenomenon which
includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rockfalls, deep
failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in
offshore, coastal and onshore environments. Although the action of
gravity is the primary driving force for a landslide to occur,
there are other contributing factors affecting the original slope
stability. Typically, pre-conditional factors build up specific
sub-surface conditions that make the area/slope prone to failure,
whereas the actual landslide often requires a trigger before being
released. Lud's Church is formed within the thick bed of coarse
Carboniferous sandstone known as the Roaches Grit which here dips
northeastwards into the Goyt Syncline. The rocks of this area are
traversed by numerous roughly northwest-to-southeast-oriented
faults and fracture planes. In addition, weak layers of mudstone
exist within the sequence. It is along such lines of weakness that
a large mass of the Roaches Grit bounding the northeast side of the
rift has slipped slightly downhill into the Dane Valley resulting
in the open rift. The age of the movement is unknown but is likely
to be post-glacial.
History
It is believed that the chasm was considered by early Pagans to
be a sacred place, most likely due to the phenomenon that occurs on
Midsummer Day, where only on this day does the sun's light
penetrate deep into the chasm. Lud, known as Nud in Welsh, or
Nodens by the ancient Britons, is a major Celtic deity associated
with many parts of Britain and with the Arthurian Fisher King and,
by way of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the Green Man. The area
also has a place in Christian history: the Lollards, who were
followers of John Wycliffe, an early church reformer, are supposed
to have used this as a secret place of worship during the early
15th century, when they were being persecuted for their religious
beliefs.[Lud's Church may have been named after Walter de Ludank or
Walter de Lud-Auk who was captured here at one of their meetings. A
wooden ship's figurehead from the ship Swythamley formerly stood in
a high niche above the chasm, placed there by Philip Brocklehurst,
then the landowner, around 1862. It was called 'Lady Lud' and was
supposed to commemorate the death of the daughter of a Lollard
preacher.
Direction's
To reach Lud Church from Gradbach, park the car at the car-park
and walk past the Youth Hostel and on downstream to cross a
tributary of the Dane on a footbridge. Head uphill and then right,
following a path towards Swythamley. At the top of the rise, turn
sharp left to reach Lud's Church after a further 200 metres or so.
Descend into the first chamber, which does not seem so impressive -
the immediate thought is 'Is this all it is?'. Then follow the
well-worn stone steps down into the main section, which immediately
dispels any earlier sense of disappointment, for it is very tall
and there is space for several hundred people here. It is possible
to make an exit at the far end and follow a path back to the
entrance.
Source: wikipedia
To log the cache please e-mail me the answers to the following
question's
1-Feel the walls of the Church and tell me the texture
2-Investigate the church and tell me a prominent feature at one
end halfway up the steps.
3-Using your compass tell me the alignment of the gorge.
A photo of the church would be nice