CHAPTER V. 



The Derbyshire Wye. 



ORN on the moors beyond Buxton, the Derbyshire Wye pursues 

 a sinuous course through some of the most varied scenery in 

 England. In Ashwood Dale, bold and rugged limestone rocks and 

 wooded heights form the river's borders ; then, after traversing a 

 bleaker and more open valley, the stream threads a remarkable 

 little glen known as Chee Dale. On the right bank of the river 

 stands Chee Tor. This perpendicular mass of rock rises to a con- 

 siderable height ; its rounded outline and the peculiar horizonal 

 fissure near its summit render the crag both interesting and unique. 

 Beyond the Tor precipitous cliffs overlook the dale ; whilst a rocky 

 crescent studded with trees and bushes, and variegated with an 

 abundance of pendulous foliage, towers up on the opposite bank. 

 The river itself adds a finishing touch to the picturesqueness of this 

 small, secluded glen that ever resounds with the melodious " ribble- 

 bibble " of running waters. 



Compared with that of Chee Dale the scenery in Miller's Dale 

 is quite prosaic ; the hills slope more obliquely to the river and are 

 embellished with sundry plantations and with scaurs of limestone 

 rock. After a while the valley again contracts, and the Wye, flow- 

 ing tortuously within narrow confines, enters the vaster, more 

 romantic and wildly beautiful region of Monsal Dale, where 

 admiration is justly excited by the harmonious blending of hill, 

 wood and stream. 



At length, the sterner and more imposing grandeur that dis- 

 tinguishes the higher reaches of the river gives place to pastoral 

 scenes that are always pleasing and frequently lovely. Here, 



