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Black Hill (Peak District)
Encyclopedia
Black Hill is a hill in the Peak District
, England
.
It used to be the highest point in Cheshire, but now lies on the border between the boroughs of Kirklees
in West Yorkshire
and High Peak in Derbyshire
, reaching 582 metres (1,909.4 ft) above sea level.
The top is peat
y 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.
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 pleasant 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) and usually the site of a 'Tea Van' at weekends. 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 reading and possible a 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 2000 feet (609.6 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
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.
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
It used to be the highest point in Cheshire, but now lies on the border between the boroughs of Kirklees
Kirklees
The Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 401,000 and includes the settlements of Batley, Birstall, Cleckheaton, Denby Dale, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, Holmfirth, Huddersfield, Kirkburton, Marsden, Meltham, Mirfield and Slaithwaite...
in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
and High Peak in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, reaching 582 metres (1,909.4 ft) above sea level.
The top is peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
y 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
Pennine Way
The Pennine Way is a National Trail in England. The trail runs from Edale, in the northern Derbyshire Peak District, north through the Yorkshire Dales and the Northumberland National Park and ends at Kirk Yetholm, just inside the Scottish border. The path runs along the Pennine hills, sometimes...
whose now-paved surface allows walkers to reach the top dry-shod even in the wettest of weather.
The hill can be visited by a number of routes, including along the Pennine Way from Crowden
Crowden, Derbyshire
Crowden is a landmark hamlet in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, miles northeast of Glossop and miles southwest of Holme in West Yorkshire, as well as from the larger city of Manchester and from the town of Barnsley...
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 pleasant circular walk. Another popular approach is from the junction of the A635
A635 road
The A635 is a main road that runs between Manchester and Doncaster running east–west through Stalybridge, Saddleworth Moor, Holmfirth and Barnsley....
and the Wessenden Head Road (to Meltham
Meltham
Meltham is a small town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Holme Valley, below Wessenden Moor, four and a half miles south-west of Huddersfield on the edge of the Peak District National Park...
), known locally as the 'Isle of Skye' (after a former hotel) and usually the site of a 'Tea Van' at weekends. 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
Holme Moss
Holme Moss is a moor in the south Pennines of England, on the border between the High Peak District of Derbyshire and the West Yorkshire district of Kirklees. It is just inside the boundary of the Peak District National Park....
via access land, but this route requires the use of map reading and possible a compass as although the ground is level it becomes trackless and confusing in places.
South of Crowden, the Pennine Way next visits Bleaklow
Bleaklow
Bleaklow is a high, largely peat covered, gritstone moorland, just north of Kinder Scout, across the Snake Pass , in the Derbyshire High Peak near the town of Glossop...
and Kinder Scout
Kinder Scout
Kinder Scout is a moorland plateau in the Dark Peak of the Derbyshire Peak District in England. Part of the moor, at 636 m above sea level, is the highest point in the Peak District, the highest point in Derbyshire, and the highest point in the East Midlands. It is accessible from the villages of...
(both of which are slightly higher, just over 2000 feet (609.6 m), and so are Hewitts).
The triangulation
Triangulation
In trigonometry and geometry, triangulation is the process of determining the location of a point by measuring angles to it from known points at either end of a fixed baseline, rather than measuring distances to the point directly...
column ("trig point
Trig point
A triangulation station, also known as a triangulation pillar, trigonometrical station, trigonometrical point, trig station, trig beacon or trig point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity...
") 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
Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright MBE was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the...
the support timbers for the Ramsden theodolite
Ramsden theodolite
The Ramsden theodolite is a large theodolite that was specially constructed for use in the first Ordnance Survey of Southern Britain. It was also known as the Great or 36 inch theodolite....
, used by the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
in the original Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
which began in 1784, were still to be found here many years later.