Wharncliffe Crags (SSSI)
Location and Access Information
Grid Reference: SK 298974
These natural sandstone outcrops are located 12km north-west of Sheffield towards Stocksbridge. Access can be gained from Deepcar (on the A 6102) along a footpath beginning at the bridge over the River Don opposite the Lowood Workmen’s Club on Station Road, or along the forest ride from Mallard House Riding School on Finkle Street (do not park on the track – this is privately owned), or along a footpath from Woodhead Road. The site is a Nature Reserve and is managed by Sheffield Wildlife Action Partnership (SWAP - Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Sheffield City Council) and The Forestry Commission.
View the site map on Nature on the Map
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Geological Interest
This site lies in extensive woodlands overlooking the River Don valley. Areas of birch/oak woodland, down-slope from the cliff face and dry heathland, on flat ground at the top of the hill, occur within the site. The crags here are the best available exposure in the Upper Carboniferous (approximately 300 million years old) sandstones of the Wharncliffe Edge Rock Formation. Two principal sandstone beds are present here. These sandstones represent the channel deposits of a river that flowed across the swampy, low-lying surface of the extensive deltas that occupied this area during deposition of the Upper Carboniferous Coal Measures. The lower one, around ten metres thick, has well developed structures (cross-bedding) typical of having been deposited as a bar within a meandering river.
