Black Hill (Peak District)

Black Hill
Black Hill
	The Pennine Way on the summit of Black Hill
Highest point
Elevation	582 m (1,909 ft)
Prominence	165 m (541 ft)
Parent peak	Kinder Scout
Listing	Marilyn, County Top, Dewey
Coordinates	53°32′18″N 1°52′53″W / 53.5382°N 1.8815°W
Geography
	Black Hill Location in Peak District Black Hill Location in West Yorkshire Black Hill Location in Derbyshire
Location	Derbyshire/West Yorkshire (historic Cheshire), England
Parent range	Peak District
OS grid	SE 078 046
Topo map	OS Landranger 110

Black Hill, in the Peak District, is the highest hill in West Yorkshire, England. Its summit rises to an elevation of 582 m (1,909 ft) above sea level.^[1] It is surpassed in height by only two other major summits in the Peak District (Kinder Scout and Bleaklow).

Black Hill is a typical Pennine moorland mountain, with a very flat and extensive plateau (but steeper sides). The top is peaty, poorly drained, and thus very boggy after rain. The area surrounding the summit itself had virtually no vegetation and was very dark, giving the hill an appropriate name. However, recent restoration work has eliminated much of the exposed peat. Black Hill is crossed by the Pennine Way whose now-paved surface allows walkers to reach the top dry-shod even in the wettest of weather.

Black Hill was the highest point (county top) of the historic county of Cheshire, lying at the tip of what was once known as the Cheshire Panhandle, a long projection of the county which lay to the north of the reservoir filled valley of Longdendale. Under the local government reforms which were enacted in 1974, Black Hill was placed for administrative purposes on the border between the boroughs of Kirklees in West Yorkshire and High Peak in Derbyshire.

Routes

The Hill can be visited by a number of routes, including along the Pennine Way from Crowden via the Laddow Rocks cliffs; bogs permitting, a return can be made over Westend Moss (the pre-1966 route of the Pennine Way) to create a circular walk. Another popular approach is from the junction of the A635 and the Wessenden Head Road (to Meltham), known locally as the 'Isle of Skye' (after a former hotel). This provides access to a paved section of the Pennine Way southwards to Black Hill. Black Hill can also be reached easily from Holme Moss via access land, but this route requires the use of map and compass, as although the ground is level, it becomes trackless and confusing in places.

South of Crowden, the Pennine Way next visits Bleaklow and Kinder Scout (both of which are slightly higher, just over 2,000 feet (610 m), and so are Hewitts).

The triangulation column ("trig point") and highest point on Black Hill (and the highest point in West Yorkshire) is on a small elevated mound, called Soldiers' Lump. According to Wainwright^[2] the support timbers for the Ramsden theodolite, used by the Royal Engineers in the original Ordnance Survey which began in 1784, were still to be found here many years later.

References

^ ^a ^b Bathurst, David (2012). Walking the county high points of England. Chichester: Summersdale. pp. 208–217. ISBN 978-1-84-953239-6.
^ Wainwright, A. Pennine Way Companion ISBN 0-7112-2235-5 p.157

[Bathurst_2012-1] Bathurst, David (2012). Walking the county high points of England. Chichester: Summersdale. pp. 208–217. ISBN 978-1-84-953239-6.

[2] Wainwright, A. Pennine Way Companion ISBN 0-7112-2235-5 p.157

[1]

[2]

v t e Peaks of the Peak District of England
Marilyns	Black Hill The Cloud Gun Kinder Scout Shining Tor
Other peaks	Abney Low Aleck Low Allman Well Hill Alport Height Axe Edge Moor Back Tor Beeley Moor Big Moor Birchen Edge Blacka Moor Black Chew Head Black Edge Blake Low Blakelow Hill Bleaklow Bole Hill Bolehill Bosley Minn Britland Edge Hill Brittain's Plantation Brown Knoll Bunster Hill Burbage Edge Burton Bole End Calver Peak Cheeks Hill Chinley Churn Chrome Hill The Cloud Combs Moss Corbar Hill Croker Hill Crook Hill Dead Edge End Derwent Edge Durham Edge Eccles Pike Ecton Hill Eldon Hill Emlin Eyam Moor - Sir William Hill Featherbed Moss Featherbed Top Fin Cop Froggatt Edge Gardom's Edge Gautries Hill Gibraltar Rocks Gratton Hill Great Ridge Grindslow Knoll Grin Low Gun Harborough Rocks Hare Edge Hill Harridge Pike Hartcliff Hill Haven Hill Hawks Low The Height Heights of Abraham Higger Tor High Edge High Field High Low Hollins Hill High Neb High Wheeldon Higher Shelf Stones Hollins Cross Houndkirk Hill Lantern Pike Lees Moor Longstone Moor Lord's Seat Lose Hill Lost Lad Low Moor Mam Tor Margery Hill Merryton Low Middleton Moor Minninglow Hill Mount Famine Nelson's Monument Ossoms Hill Parkhouse Hill Pike Low Pikenaze Hill The Roaches Rock Hall Rushup Edge Sheen Hill Shutlingsloe Slipper Low Snailsden Pike End Snels Low South Head Sponds Hill Stanage Edge Stanton Moor Tegg's Nose Thorpe Cloud Totley Moor Ughill Height Wardlow Hay Cop West Nab Wetton Hill Whaley Moor Wibben Hill Wild Bank Win Hill Windgather Rocks Wire Stone Wolfscote Hill
List of peaks of the Peak District

Black Hill (Peak District)

Routes

See also

References