The Stiperstones

Today we wentf for a walk to the Stiperstones which is a quartzite ridge formed 480 million years ago during the last Ice Age in which the summit stood out above the glaciers and was subject to constant freezing and thawing which shattered the quartzite into a mass of jumbled scree surrounding several residual rocky tors.The Stiperstones’ strange landscapes has created many local myths. The best-known of these is that of the Devil's Chair which is the highest and most imposing of these outcrops. 

According to legend, the rocks of the Devil's Chair were brought there by the Devil himself. He was carrying a load of stones in his apron(!) and apparently travelling across Britain from Ireland, when he fancied a bit of a rest. According to the legend, the Devil was actually planning to use his load of stones to fill in the valley on the other side of the Stiperstones, which is known as Hell's Gutter. Unfortunately for him, as he got up after his rest on the highest rock of the Stiperstones, his apron strings snapped and the rocks tumbled out. Instead of picking them up, the Devil left the rocks scattered all over the ridge - the mucky pup - and the legend has it that you can smell the brimstone on them in hot weather.

The weather started nice, but after lunch turned to rain.