A large air ventilation shaft rises from a natural cavern, which the tunnel passes through, up to the surface on Totley Moor.

The reserve covers 181 hectares and is part of the Eastern Peak District Moors SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest).

[8][9][10] An excavation in 1963 of the site of a 7m wide ring cairn discovered cremation remains, urns, a pygmy cup and a hearth.

[11] In 1960, following fires on the moor, a Bronze Age shale-working floor was discovered at Flask Edge with shale fragments of bracelets and rings.

[12] Following the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, this gritstone upland moor became "Open Access" land for the public.