Posts tagged Mountain
South & East Leinster County Tops

Descent of Lugnaquillia Mountain

Having completed all historic county tops in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and having made a good start on Scotland, adding in the Irish collection made a lot of sense. My friends Mark, Joel and Matt had already made good progress on the Republic of Ireland and I was very happy to be invited into their newest County Top bagging trip.

This was a extremely well planned (by Joel) weekend covering 5 peaks in 6 counties plus a parkrun to kick off the Saturday. We used the excellent book by Kieron Gribbon as a route planning guide. I won’t repeat any of the route details here as the book covers them extremely well. Walking distances and elevation gains listed here are from my own Garmin and may differ slightly from those in the book.

Lugnaquillia Mountain

Also known as: Log na Coille
Significance: Highest peak in County Wicklow (Historic CT)
Member of: P600, Marilyn, Furth, 100 Highest Irish Mountains, Hewitt, Arderin, Simm, Vandeleur-Lynam
Parent Peak: Peak 931. NHN = Peak 931
Elevation: 925m
Date climbed: May 21st 2022
Coordinates: 52° 58' 2'' N, 6° 27' 53'' W
Route Start / End: Parking area next to Fenton's Imaal Bar & Lounge Glen of Imaal Bar, Colliga, Co. Wicklow
Route Distance: 13.2 km (8.2 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 722m
Subsidiary tops on route: Camerahill (477m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: none
OS Trig Pillar: TP7335 - Lugnaquillia
Map: Discovery Series 56 - Wicklow, Dublin and Kildare: Wicklow. Kildare
Guidebook: Ireland's County High Points (A Walking Guide) by Kieron Gribbon
Links: Wikipedia (County Wicklow), Wikipedia (Ludnaquilla), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Mount Leinster

Also known as: Stua Laighean
Significance: Highest peak in County Wexford and County Carlow (Historic CT)
Member of: P600, Marilyn, Hewitt
Parent Peak: Lugnaquillia Mountain. NHN = Lugnaquillia Mountain
Elevation: 795m
Date climbed: May 21st 2022
Coordinates: 52° 37' 5'' N, 6° 46' 48'' W
Route Start / End: Mount Leinster/Nine Stones Car Park, Unnamed Rd, Co. Carlow
Route Distance: 5.4 km (3.4 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 343m
Subsidiary tops on route: none
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: South Leinster Way runs past the car park at the start
OS Trig Pillar: Mount Leinster (not in Trigpointing database)
Map: Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford (Irish Discovery Series): Sheet 68
Guidebook: Ireland's County High Points (A Walking Guide) by Kieron Gribbon
Links: Wikipedia (County Wexford / County Carlow), Wikipedia (Mount Leinster), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Brandon Hill

Also known as: Cnoc Bhreanail
Significance: Highest peak in County Kilkenny (Historic CT)
Member of: Marilyn, Arderin
Parent Peak: Blackstairs Mountain. NHN = Blackstairs Mountain
Elevation: 515m
Date climbed: May 21st 2022
Coordinates: 52° 30' 35'' N, 6° 58' 27'' W
Route Start / End: Raheendonore Car Park, Rossard, Co. Kilkenny
Route Distance: 4.8 km (3.0 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 279m
Subsidiary tops on route: none
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: South Leinster Way, Brandon Hill Loop
OS Trig Pillar: Brandon Hill (not in Trigpointing database)
Map: Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford (Irish Discovery Series): Sheet 68
Guidebook: Ireland's County High Points (A Walking Guide) by Kieron Gribbon
Links: Wikipedia (County Kilkenny), Wikipedia (Brandon Hill), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Cupidstown Hill

Also known as: Cnoc Bhaile Cupid
Significance: Highest peak in County Kildare (Historic CT)
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Saggart Hill. NHN = Saggart Hill
Elevation: 379m
Date climbed: May 21st 2022
Coordinates: 53° 13' 36'' N, 6° 29' 40'' W
Route Start / End: Small parking space at entrance to forest track on unnamed road between the L2018 and NB1
Route Distance: 1.1 km (0.7 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 19m
Subsidiary tops on route: none
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: none
OS Trig Pillar: TP7336 - Cupidstown Hill
Map: Dublin, Kildare, Meath, Wicklow (Irish Discovery Series): Sheet 50
Guidebook: Ireland's County High Points (A Walking Guide) by Kieron Gribbon
Links: Wikipedia (County Kildare), Wikipedia (Cupidsdown Hill), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Kippure

Also known as: Cipiur
Significance: Highest peak in County Dublin (Historic CT)
Member of: 100 Highest Irish Mountains, Marilyn, Hewitt, Arderin, Simm, Vandeleur-Lynam
Parent Peak: Mullaghcleevaun. NHN = Mullaghcleevaun-East Top
Elevation: 757m
Date climbed: May 21st 2022
Coordinates: 53° 10' 41'' N, 6° 19' 55'' W
Route Start / End: Parking spots at Kippure TV Mast Entrance, Old Military Road, Powerscourt Mountain, Co. Wicklow
Route Distance: 7.2 km (4.5 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 226m
Subsidiary tops on route: none
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: none
OS Trig Pillar: TP7359 - Kippure New
Map: Dublin, Kildare, Meath, Wicklow (Irish Discovery Series): Sheet 50
Guidebook: Ireland's County High Points (A Walking Guide) by Kieron Gribbon
Links: Wikipedia (County Dublin), Wikipedia (Kippure), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Richard gowerTrek, irish County Tops, Mountain, Trig Pillar, Co Dublin, Co Wicklow, Co Wexford, Co Kilkenny, Co Kildare, Co Carlow, Republic of IrelandComment
The Irish County Tops

The Irish County Tops are the highest points in each of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. This includes both the 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland and the 6 counties in Northern Ireland. I completed the Northern Ireland counties back in 2016 as a part of my UK County Top collection. That trip got me my first Republic of Ireland county by default as Cuilcagh is the high point of both County Fermanagh (NI) and County Cavan (ROI).

In the next few years I focused on completing England and Wales and made a good start at Scotland. It was only in 2022 that I joined a few friends to properly start my Republic of Ireland County Top collection.

My Republic of Ireland County Tops completed so far

The Irish County Tops in height order by province/region

More County Tops

Richard gowerTrek, UK County Tops, Irish County Tops, Country High Points, Mountain, Trig Pillar, Republic of Ireland, Northern IrelandComment
Walking The Old Postman's Route, Mallorca

View to the northern coast from the descent to Banyalbufar

Start: Sant Pere d'Esporles, Carrer de sa Rectoria, 1A, 07190 Esporles
Finish: Santa Maria de Banyalbufar, Plaça de la Vila, 2A, 07191 Banyalbufar
Distance: 7.6 km (4.7 miles)
Elevation change: + 273m / - 358m. Net -85m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): GR 221 Ruta de Pedra en Sec
Pubs / Cafes on route: Several at start and end in Esporles and Banyalbufar. Cafeteria de La Granja d’Esporles at 1.5km (just off route)
Links: Esporles, La Granja, Banyalbufar, Old Postman’s Route: Mallorca Hiking / Estilo Palma Magazine, GR 221 Ruta de Pedra en Sec

The Old Postman’s Route is a popular section of the GR221 walking trail in the Tramuntana mountains. It runs from Banyalbufar on the coast to Esporles in the interior and follows the mail route between the 2 towns. We chose to do the Esporles to Banyalbufar direction to end at the coast.

I found the Old Postman’s Route when searching for a short interesting hike to do as a part of a non-walking holiday in Mallorca. I usually prioritise finding a walk to an island high point, but Mallorca’s one is a military zone with few walking options. Instead I found this short route in the Tramuntana Mountains that turned out to the the highlight of our trip.

We had a rental car for the week and drove to the end point at Banyalbufar hoping to take a taxi to the start at Esporles. It turned out that there were no taxis in town but there’s a bus from Palma the connects both towns. This is also a good option if you don’t have a car. The bus isn’t very frequent but fortunately it was picking up from Banyalbufar shortly after we arrived.

The start point of the trail is a short walk along the main street from the bus stop in Esporles. You’ll pass several cafes on the street, all of which were packed out with an unusual combination of cyclists and dog walkers. When you get to the church of Santa Maria de Banyalbufar you’re at the start of the trail.

This is actually part of a much longer trail along the Tramuntana Mountains called the Dry Stone Route (GR 221 Ruta de Pedra en Sec). If the short Postman’s Route section is representative, then it will be a very impressive trail and definitely one that I’d love to return for other sections.

Once on the Postman’s Route, you’ll find it very well sign-posted and difficult to lose your way. It’s rocky and steep in sections but not overly challenging for regular walkers. Your main consideration should be taking enough water as there’s no cafes after La Granja.

The route is stunning and on a clear day you get glimpses of the mountains and the seas in breaks in the tree line. Once on the descent to Banyalbufar you get great views of the town and coastline.

The route finishes at Banyalbufar Town Hall next to the Church of Santa Maria de Banyalbufar and, appropriately, the town’s post office. For an extra sense of completion you can continue for another 10 minutes to reach the sea.

Richard gowerTrek, Mountain, Coast, UNESCO, Mallorca, SpainComment
Zwift Everested! Extra Credit Badge

In addition to the usual Zwift Route and Achievement Badges there’s 12 Extra Credit Badges. These don’t appear in your Badges screen until you’ve received them and they’re typically tougher to get than the standard badges. The Everested! Badge is awarded when you’ve climbed 29,029 ft / 8,848m in a single activity. Most people do it by riding up and down Alpe du Zwift on the Watopia Road To Sky route 8 and a half times.

As with the IRL Everesting Challenge, it’s generally understood that you need to complete it within 24 hours. As days got shorter in Autumn 2021 I wondered whether it was possible to get the badge in a single activity but not in 24 hours. I didn’t have the time or enthusiasm to spend a whole day in the saddle but I did have 30 -60 minutes each day in-between work. This would mean doing it over multiple days but not ending or saving the activity in between.

When I set out I wasn’t sure whether Zwift would award me the badge, but I didn’t see why not. My main concern was about having a power cut during the challenge and losing all the progress. Just to be safe I made a note of progress at the end of each day so I could at least add the distance and elevation to my Garmin account if I lost it all.

As it turned out I had a busy time at work so I only had 30 minutes in the saddle on most days. Still, it was good exercise and I was making progress but it did take about a month to get to the target distance. I was very pleased when the Achievement Unlocked banner came up and I get my badge.

The only snag was that the activity didn’t save properly. When I checked my Zwift Activities log, it wasn’t there, so the total distance and elevation were not saved. The badge was there though which was the main thing I was interested in. I was having Wi-Fi issues at the time so that may have been the cause. I reported it to Zwift Support but they’re not able to manually add in missing progress. It’s a shame as it was a lot of distance and elevation to lose, but certainly nothing to lose sleep over.

I’m sure that some will say that it’s a cheat to not complete it in 24 hours. Am I bothered? Not in the slightest …

For how to do it the proper way, see this article on vEveresting from Ron Chatfield

Richard gowerCycle, Mountain, ZwiftComment
The English County Tops

The counties of England have evolved with the most significant changes occurring over the last 100 years. The main groupings are:

  • Historic Counties. Also referred to as Traditional Counties or Former Counties. These have been in existence since the Middle Ages.

  • Administrative Counties. Established by the Local Government Act 1888. These closely matched the Historic Counties but with some sub-divisions such as Yorkshire being split into the North, East and West Ridings.

  • Ceremonial Counties. Areas of England to which lord-lieutenants are appointed and defined by the Lieutenancies Act 1997

  • Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan counties. Established by the Local Government Act 1972 and subsequent changes, the 1888 Administrative Counties were replaced by 82 metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties plus Isles of Scilly and Greater London.

  • Unitary Authorities. Established by the Local Government Act 1992, they are responsible for the provision of all local government services within a district.

This post shows the highest point in each of England’s counties based on the above groupings. As the Venn diagram shows there is a lot of overlap between the different types of county.

Contact me if you spot a mistake on this page or you have new information and I will make a donation to one of my causes.

Key to abbreviations in the lists below

  • HC = Historic County.

  • AC = Administrative County.

  • CC = Ceremonial County.

  • UA = Unitary Authority or Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan County.

England’s Historic County Tops

Also referred to as Traditional Counties or Former Counties. These have been in existence since the Middle Ages. More details on Historic Counties.

  1. Scafell Pike. 978 metres. HC, AC, UA = Cumberland. CC = Cumbria.

  2. Helvellyn. 950 metres. HC, AC = Westmorland, UA = Westmorland and Furness.

  3. The Cheviot. 815 metres. HC, AC, CC, UA = Northumberland.

  4. The Old Man of Coniston. 803 metres. HC, AC = Lancashire.

  5. Mickle Fell. 790 metres. HC = Yorkshire. AC = North Riding of Yorkshire. CC, UA = County Durham.

  6. Burnhope Seat. 747 metres. HC, AC = County Durham.

  7. Black Mountain. 703 metres. HC, AC, CC, UA = Herefordshire. Also of defunct county of Hereford and Worcester.

  8. Kinder Scout. 636 metres. HC, AC, CC = Derbyshire.

  9. High Willhays. 621 metres. HC, AC, CC = Devon.

  10. Black Hill. 582 metres. HC, AC = Cheshire. CC = West Yorkshire. UA = Kirklees

  11. Brown Clee Hill. 540 metres. HC, AC, CC = Shropshire.

  12. Cheeks Hill. 520 metres. HC, AC, CC = Staffordshire.

  13. Dunkery Beacon. 519 metres. HC, AC, CC, UA = Somerset.

  14. Worcestershire Beacon. 425 metres. HC, AC, CC = Worcestershire.

  15. Brown Willy. 420 metres. HC, AC, CC, UA = Cornwall.

  16. Cleeve Hill. 330 metres. HC, AC, CC = Gloucestershire.

  17. Walbury Hill. 297 metres. HC, AC, CC = Berkshire. UA = West Berkshire.

  18. Leith Hill. 295 metres. HC, AC, CC = Surrey.

  19. Milk Hill. 294 metres. HC, AC, CC, UA = Wiltshire.

  20. Pilot Hill. 286 metres. HC, AC, CC = Hampshire.

  21. Black Down. 280 metres. HC = Sussex. AC, CC = West Sussex.

  22. Lewesdon Hill. 279 metres. HC, AC, CC, UA = Dorset.

  23. Bardon Hill. 278 metres. HC, AC, CC = Leicestershire.

  24. Haddington Hill. 267 metres. HC, AC, CC, UA = Buckinghamshire. Also known as “Wendover Woods”

  25. Ebrington Hill. 261 metres. HC, AC, CC = Warwickshire.

  26. Bald Hill. 257 metres. HC = Oxfordshire.

  27. Betsoms Hill. 251 metres. HC, AC, CC = Kent.

  28. Pavis Wood. 244 metres. HC, AC, CC = Hertfordshire.

  29. Dunstable Downs. 243 metres. HC, AC, CC = Bedfordshire. UA = Central Bedfordshire.

  30. Arbury Hill. 225 metres. HC, AC, CC = Northamptonshire. UA = West Northamptonshire. Alternative = Big Hill - Staverton Clump

  31. Silverhill or Newtonwood Lane. 205 metres. HC, AC, CC = Nottinghamshire.

  32. Cold Overton Park. 197 metres. HC, AC, CC, UA = Rutland.

  33. Normanby Top. 168 metres. HC, CC = Lincolnshire. AC = Parts of Lindsey.

  34. Bushey Heath. 153 metres. HC, AC = Middlesex.

  35. Chrishall Common. 147 metres. HC, AC, CC = Essex.

  36. Great Chishill. 146 metres. HC, AC, CC = Cambridgeshire.

  37. Great Wood. 128 metres. HC, CC = Suffolk. AC = West Suffolk.

  38. Beacon Hill. 105 metres. HC, AC, CC, UA = Norfolk.

  39. Boring Field. 80 metres. HC, AC = Huntingdonshire.

England’s Administrative County Tops

The Local Government Act 1888 split some Historic Counties into new Administrative Counties. The list below shows only the counties that were split with their highest points. All of the Historic Counties in the list above have the same Administrative County name and same highest point. More details on Administrative Counties.

Cambridgeshire Historic County, split into:

Cornwall Historic County, split into:

  • Cornwall Administrative County. High Point = Brown Willy. 420 metres.

  • Isles of Scilly Administrative County. High Point = Higher Newford. 51 metres.

Hampshire Historic County, split into:

Lincolnshire Historic County, split into:

  • Parts of Lindsey Administrative County. High Point = Normanby Top. 168 metres.

  • Parts of Kesteven Administrative County. High Point = Viking Way. 151 metres.

  • Parts of Holland Administrative County. High Point = Pinchbeck Marsh. 8 metres.

London, previous parts of Middlesex, Essex and Surrey

Northamptonshire Historic County, split into:

Suffolk Historic County, split into:

  • West Suffolk Administrative County. High Point = Great Wood. 128 metres.

  • East Suffolk Administrative County. High Point = Wattisham Airfield. 90 metres.

Sussex Historic County, split into:

Yorkshire Historic County, split into:

  • North Riding Administrative County. High Point = Mickle Fell. 790 metres. Also the CC High Point of Durham

  • West Riding Administrative County. High Point = Whernside. 736 metres. Also the CC, UA High Point of North Yorkshire

  • East Riding Administrative County. High Point = Bishop Wilton Wold (Garrowby Hill). 248 metres. Also UA High Point of East Riding of Yorkshire

  • The City of York which remained independent from the three Ridings. UA = Stock Hill, 44 metres.

England’s Ceremonial County Tops

Ceremonial Counties area areas of England to which lord-lieutenants are appointed and defined by the Lieutenancies Act 1997. They are more commonly referred to as the Present Day counties. Many of the counties share the same name and geography as the Historic and Administrative Counties. Some of the “new” Administrative Counties such as East and West Suffolk remained while others Isle of Ely and Soke of Peterborough no longer exist as counties. Yorkshire was redivided again into 4 Ceremonial Counties vs the 3 Ridings of the Administrative Counties. More details on Ceremonial Counties.

Counties with the same name as an Historic or Administrative and have the same high point are not shown but are noted in the relevant sections above.

  • Gragareth. 628 metres or Green Hill. 628 metres. CC = Lancashire. HC = Lancashire (of which Old Man of Coniston is higher).

  • Shining Tor. 559 metres. CC = Cheshire. HC = Cheshire (of which Black Hill is higher). UA = Cheshire East.

  • High Stones. 550 metres. CC = South Yorkshire. AC = West Riding of Yorkshire (of which Whernside is higher). UA = Sheffield.

  • Black Chew Head. 542 metres. CC = Greater Manchester. AC = West Riding of Yorkshire (of which Whernside is higher). UA = Oldham.

  • Turners Hill. 271 metres. CC = West Midlands. HC = Staffordshire (of which Cheeks Hill is higher). UA = Sandwell.

  • Whitehorse Hill. 261 metres. CC = Oxfordshire. HC = Berkshire (of which Walbury Hill is higher).

  • Currock Hill. 259 metres. CC =Tyne and Wear. HC = County Durham (of which Burnhope Seat is higher). UA = Gateshead.

  • Westerham Heights. 245 metres. CC = Greater London. HC = Kent (of which Betsom’s Hill is higher).

  • Billinge Hill. 179 metres. CC = Merseyside. HC = Lancashire (of which Old Man of Coniston is higher). UA = St. Helens.

  • Dundry Hill East. 160 metres. CC = Bristol. HC = Somerset (of which Dunkery Beacon is higher). UA = Bristol. Also known as “Maes Knoll”

  • High Holborn. 22 metres. CC = City of London. HC = Middlesex (of which Bushey Heath is higher).

England’s Metropolitan Borough Tops

A Metropolitan Borough, created by the Local Government Act 1972, is a subdivision of a metropolitan Ceremonial County. These exclude the 32 Boroughs of Greater London (see here for details). Each borough is effectively a Unitary Authority. More details on Metropolitan Boroughs.

Merseyside Metropolitan and Ceremonial County, split into 5 Metropolitan Boroughs:

  • Billinge Hill. 179 metres. St Helens.

  • Poll Hill. 108 metres. Wirral.

  • Knowsley Park. 97 metres. Knowsley.

  • Woolton Hill. 89 metres. Liverpool.

  • Melling Mount. 36 metres. Sefton.

Greater Manchester Metropolitan and Ceremonial County, split into 10 Metropolitan Boroughs:

  • Black Chew Head. 542 metres. Oldham.

  • Hoarstone Edge. 497 metres. Tameside.

  • Blackstone Edge. 474 metres. Rochdale. Alternative is Hail Storm Hill-Southeast Slope

  • Winter Hill Boundary. 445 metres. Bolton.

  • Scholes Height and Bull Hill. 415 metres. Bury.

  • Mellor Moor. 327 metres. Stockport. Alternative is Robin Hood's Picking Rods

  • Billinge Hill North Top. 169 metres. Wigan.

  • Newcombe Drive, Greenheys. 116 metres. Salford.

  • Heaton Park. 108 metres. Manchester.

  • Green Walk (Bowdon). 67 metres. Trafford. Alternative is Devisdale.

South Yorkshire Metropolitan and Ceremonial County, split into 4 Metropolitan Boroughs:

  • Howden Edge / High Stones. 550 metres. Sheffield.

  • Howden Edge / Hoar Stones. 514 metres. Barnsley.

  • Fir Hill / Harthill Field. 157 metres. Rotherham.

  • Foredoles Hill. 144 metres. Doncaster.

Tyne and Wear Metropolitan and Ceremonial County, split into 5 Metropolitan Boroughs:

  • Currock Hill. 259 metres. Gateshead.

  • Warden Law. 182 metres. Sunderland.

  • Westerhope. 131 metres. Newcastle upon Tyne.

  • Silverlink Park. 94 metres. North Tyneside.

  • Boldon Hills. 90 metres. South Tyneside.

West Midlands Metropolitan and Ceremonial County, split into 7 Metropolitan Boroughs:

West Yorkshire Metropolitan and Ceremonial County, split into 5 Metropolitan Boroughs:

  • Black Hill. 582 metres. Kirklees.

  • Waystone Edge. 480 metres. Calderdale.

  • Withins Height. 455 metres. Bradford.

  • Burley Moor. 340 metres. Leeds.

  • Woolley Edge. 176 metres. Wakefield.

England’s Non-Metropolitan County & Unitary Authority Tops

The list below shows the highest points of the Non-Metropolitan counties that were established following the Local Government Act 1972 and Unitary Authorities established following the Local Government Act 1992. More details on Non-Metropolitan Counties and Unitary Authorities.

Counties with the same name as an Historic, Administrative or Ceremonial County and have the same high point are not shown but are noted in the relevant sections above.

  • Winter Hill. 456 metres. Blackburn with Darwen: formerly part of the Historic County of Lancashire.

  • The Wrekin. 407 metres. Telford and Wrekin: formerly part of the Historic County of Shropshire.

  • Gisborough Hill. 328 metres. Redcar and Cleveland: formerly part of the Historic County of Yorkshire (AC = North Riding of).

  • Liddington Hill. 277 metres. Swindon: formerly part of the Historic County of Wiltshire.

  • Niver Hill. 264 metres. Bath and North East Somerset: formerly part of the Historic County of Somerset and the former Ceremonial County of Avon.

  • Meir Heath. 250 metres. Stoke-on-Trent: formerly part of the Historic County of Staffordshire.

  • Blagdon Hill Farm. 240 metres. North Somerset: formerly part of the Historic County of Somerset and the former Ceremonial County of Avon.

  • Hanging Hill. 237 metres. South Gloucestershire: formerly part of the Historic County of Gloucestershire and the former Ceremonial County of Avon.

  • Raw Head. 227 metres. Cheshire West and Chester: formerly part of the Historic County of Cheshire.

  • Dere Street. 218 metres. Darlington: formerly part of the Historic County of County Durham.

  • Beacon Hill. 196 metres. Torbay: formerly part of the Historic County of Devon.

  • Bullock Hill. 195 metres. Brighton and Hove: formerly part of the Historic County of Sussex. (AC = East Sussex).

  • Whitehill - Butterfield Green: 178 metres. Luton: formerly part of the Historic County of Bedfordshire.

  • Bow Brickhill. 171 metres. Milton Keynes: formerly part of the Historic County of Buckinghamshire.

  • Holly Hill. 170 metres. Medway (Towns): formerly part of the Historic County of Kent.

  • Woolwell Road. 162 metres. Plymouth: formerly part of the Historic County of Devon.

  • Mill Hill. 161 metres. North Northamptonshire: formerly part of the Historic County of Northamptonshire.

  • Ashley Hill. 144 metres. Windsor & Maidenhead: formerly part of the Historic County of Berkshire.

  • Whelly Hill. 142 metres. Hartlepool: formerly part of the Historic County of County Durham and the former Ceremonial County of Cleveland.

  • Bowsey Hill. 140 metres. Wokingham: formerly part of the Historic County of Berkshire.

  • Allestree Park. 135 metres. Derby (City): formerly part of the Historic County of Derbyshire.

  • Nottingham M1 Motorway. 130 metres. Nottingham: formerly part of the Historic County of Nottinghamshire.

  • Surrey Hill. 128 metres. Bracknell Forest: formerly part of the Historic County of Berkshire.

  • Fort Southwick. 122 metres. Portsmouth: formerly part of the Historic County of Hampshire. “Also known as Ports Down”.

  • Wold Newton. 117 metres. North East Lincolnshire: formerly part of the Historic County of Lincolnshire.

  • Langdon Hill-Southwest Slope. 115 metres. Thurrock: formerly part of the Historic County of Essex.

  • Nether Hall. 110 metres. Leicester (City): formerly part of the Historic County of Leicestershire.

  • The Slipe. 107 metres. Bedford (Borough): formerly part of the Historic County of Bedfordshire.

  • Appleton Park. 105 metres Warrington: formerly part of the Historic County of Cheshire.

  • Park Lane, Tilehurst. 103 metres. Reading: formerly part of the Historic County of Berkshire.

  • Saxby Wold. 102 metres. North Lincolnshire: formerly part of the Historic County of Lincolnshire.

  • Halton Castle. 100 metres. Halton: formerly part of the Historic County of Cheshire.

  • Quarry Hill. 100 metres. Middlesbrough: formerly part of the Historic County of Yorkshire (AC = North Riding of) and the former Ceremonial County of Cleveland.

  • Boy Hill. 82 metres. Stockton-on-Tees (alt): formerly part of the Historic County of County Durham and the former Ceremonial County of Cleveland.

  • Thorpe Larches. 82 metres. Stockton-on-Tees (alt): formerly part of the Historic County of County Durham and the former Ceremonial County of Cleveland.

  • Basset Avenue. 82 metres. Southampton: formerly part of the Historic County of Hampshire.

  • Corfe Hills. 78 metres. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: formerly part of the Historic County of Dorset.

  • Heath Mount. 60 metres. Southend-on-Sea (alt): formerly part of the Historic County of Essex.

  • London Road. 60 metres. Southend-on-Sea (alt): formerly part of the Historic County of Essex.

  • East Burnham Park. 51 metres. Slough: formerly part of the Historic County of Berkshire.

  • Stock Hill. 44 metres. York: formerly part of the Historic County of Yorkshire (AC = North Riding of).

  • Warbreck Reservoir. 30 metres. Blackpool: formerly part of the Historic County of Lancashire.

  • South Field. 12 metres. Kingston upon Hull: formerly part of the Historic County of Yorkshire (AC = East Riding of).

Defunct Counties

  • Herford and Worcester. Formerly parts of the Historic & Administrative Counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire. High Point = Black Mountain. 703 metres.

  • Avon. Formerly parts of the Historic Counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset. High Point = Niver Hill. 264 metres.

  • Humberside. Formerly parts of the Administrative Counties of East Riding of Yorkshire, West Riding of Yorkshire, and Parts of Lindsey, (Lincolnshire). High Point = (to be verified) Bishop Wilton Wold (Garrowby Hill). 248 metres.

  • Cleveland. Formerly part of the Historic Counties of County Durham and Yorkshire (AC = North Riding of). High Point = Whelly Hill. 142 metres.

  • Huntingdon and Peterborough. Formerly the Administrative Counties of Huntingdonshire and Soke of Peterborough. High Point = Racecourse Road. 81 metres.

The Rapes of Sussex

The Rapes of Sussex were major land divisions of the county, thought to pre-date the Norman Conquest. More details here

More High Points

Richard gowerTrek, UK County Tops, Mountain, Trig Pillar, EnglandComment
The Scottish County Tops

Compared to England, the Scottish Counties have had few changes over the years. There’s 3 main groupings of Scottish County:

  • Scottish Shires. Historic subdivisions of Scotland established in the Middle Ages and used as administrative divisions until 1975.

  • Historic Counties. Also referred to as Traditional Counties or Former Counties. Established by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 and abolished by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.

  • Scottish Council Areas. Also referred to as Present Day Counties. Established by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994.

This post shows the highest point in each of Scotland’s counties based on the above groupings. As the Venn diagram shows there is a lot of overlap between the different types of county.

Contact me if you spot a mistake on this page or you have new information and I will make a donation to one of my causes.

Scotland’s Historic County Tops

Also referred to as Traditional Counties or Former Counties. Established by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 and abolished by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. More details on Scotland’s Historic Counties.

The highest points of these Historic Counties are:

  1. Ben Nevis. 1,344 metres. Completed. Historic County = Invernessshire, Present Day County = Highland.

  2. Ben Macdui. 1,309 metres. Historic Counties = Aberdeenshire and Banffshire. Present Day Counties = Aberdeenshire and Moray.

  3. Ben Lawers. 1,214 metres. Completed. Historic County = Perthshire. Present Day County = Perth and Kinross.

  4. Carn Eige. 1,183 metres. Historic County = Ross and Cromarty.

  5. Bidean nam Bian. 1,150 metres. Historic County = Argyll.

  6. Glas Maol. 1,068 metres. Completed. Historic County = Angus.

  7. Ben More Assynt. 998 metres. Historic County = Sutherland.

  8. Ben Lomond. 974 metres. Completed. Historic County = Stirlingshire.

  9. Ben Vorlich. 943 metres. Completed. Historic County = Dunbartonshire.

  10. Goatfell. 874 metres. Completed. Historic County = Buteshire. Present Day County = North Ayrshire.

  11. Merrick. 843 metres. Completed. Historic County = Kirkcudbrightshire. Present Day County = Dumfries and Galloway.

  12. Broad Law. 840 metres. Completed. Historic Counties = Peeblesshire and Selkirkshire. Present Day County = Scottish Borders.

  13. White Coomb. 821 metres. Completed. Historic County = Dumfriesshire.

  14. Kirriereoch Hill-North West Slope. 782 metres. Completed. Historic County = Ayreshire. Present Day County = South Ayrshire.

  15. Mount Battock. 778 metres. Completed. Historic County = Kincardineshire.

  16. Culter Fell. 748 metres. Completed. Historic County = Lanarkshire. Present Day County = South Lanarkshire.

  17. Hangingstone Hill. 743 metres. Completed. Historic County = Roxburghshire.

  18. Ben Cleuch. 721 metres. Completed. Historic County = Clackmannanshire. Present Day County = Clackmannanshire.

  19. Carn a'Ghille Chearr. 710 metres. Historic County = Morayshire.

  20. Morven. 706 metres. Historic County = Caithness.

  21. Carn Glas-choire. 659 metres. Historic County = Nairnshire.

  22. Blackhope Scar. 651 metres. Completed. Historic County = Midlothian. Present Day County = Midlothian.

  23. Meikle Says Law. 535 metres. Completed. Historic County = East Lothian. Present Day County = East Lothian.

  24. Meikle Says Law (boundary). 532 metres. Completed. Historic County = Berwickshire.

  25. West Lomond. 522 metres. Completed. Historic County = Fife. Present Day County = Fife.

  26. Hill of Stake. 522 metres. Completed. Historic County = Renfrewshire. Present Day County = Renfrewshire.

  27. Innerdouny Hill. 497 metres. Completed. Historic County = Kinross-shire.

  28. Ward Hill. 481 metres. Historic County = Orkney. Present Day County = Orkney.

  29. Ronas Hill. 450 metres. Historic County = Shetland. Present Day County = Shetland.

  30. Craigairie Fell. 321 metres. Completed. Historic County = Wigtownshire.

  31. Cairnpapple Hill. 312 metres. Completed. Historic County = West Lothian.

Scotland’s Present Day County Tops

Scotland has 32 Unitary Authorities that replaced the 33 County Councils that existed from 1890 to 1975. More details on Present Day counties of Scotland.

The list above shows where a peak is both an Historic and a Present Day County Top. The 14 peaks shown below are distinct from the Historic County Tops.

  1. Ben More. 1,174 metres, Stirling.

  2. Ben Cruachan. 1,132 metres, Argyll and Bute.

  3. An Cliseam / Clisham. 799 metres, Western Isles.

  4. Blackcraig Hill. 700 metres, East Ayrshire.

  5. East Cairn Hill. 567 metres, Edinburgh.

  6. West Cairn Hill. 562 metres, West Lothian.

  7. Cort-ma Law East Top. 527 metres, North Lanarkshire.

  8. Creuch Hill. 441 metres, Inverclyde.

  9. Duncolm. 407 metres, West Dunbartonshire.

  10. Corse Hill. 376 metres, East Renfrewshire.

  11. Darrach Hill. 357 metres, Falkirk.

  12. Brimmond Hill. 265 metres, Completed. Aberdeen.

  13. Cathkin Hill. 200 metres, Glasgow.

  14. Gallow Hill. 175 metres, Completed. Dundee.

Scottish Counties Prior to 1890 (Shires)

The Shires were historic subdivisions of Scotland established in the Middle Ages and used as administrative divisions until 1975. More details on the Scottish Shires.

The mountains below are the high points of the Scottish Shires that are distinct from either Historic or Present Day County Tops.

  1. Sgurr Mor. Sgurr Mor 1003m, Cromartyshire.
    - Carn Eige is the Historic & Present Day County Top of Ross and Cromarty.

  2. Dun Rig. 774m, Selkirkshire.
    - Broad Law is the Historic County Top of Selkirkshire and the Present Day County Top of Scottish Borders.

  3. Carn nam Bain-tighearna. 634m, Nairnshire
    - Ben Nevis is the County Top of Present-Day Highland

More High Points

Richard gowerTrek, UK County Tops, Mountain, Trig Pillar, ScotlandComment
The Welsh County Tops

Compared to England, the Welsh Counties have had few changes over the years. There’s 3 main groupings of Welsh County:

  • Historic Counties. Also referred to as Traditional or Ancient Counties.

  • Principal Areas. Also referred to as Present-Day Counties. Established by the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994.

  • Preserved Counties. Established by the Local Government Act 1972 and used for local government and other purposes between 1974 and 1996.

This post shows the highest point in each of Wales’ counties based on the above groupings. As the Venn diagram shows there is a lot of overlap between the different types of county.

Contact me if you spot a mistake on this page or you have new information and I will make a donation to one of my causes.

Wales’ Historic County Tops

The 13 Historic Counties of Wales were used for administrative purposes for centuries with different times of origin. They were replaced by the Principal Areas which were established by the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994. More details on the Historic Counties of Wales

  1. Snowdon. 1,085 metres. Completed. Historic County = Caernarvonshire. Present Day County = Gwynedd.

  2. Aran Fawddwy. 905 metres. Completed. Historic County = Merionethshire.

  3. Pen y Fan. 886 metres. Completed. Historic County = Brecknockshire. Present Day County = Powys.

  4. Cadair Berwyn. 830 metres. Completed. Historic County = Denbighshire. Present Day County = Denbighshire.

  5. Moel Sych. 827 metres. Completed. Historic County = Montgomeryshire.

  6. Fan Foel. 781 metres. Completed. Historic County = Carmarthenshire. Present Day County = Carmarthenshire.

  7. Plynlimon. 752 metres. Completed. Historic County = Cardiganshire. Present Day County = Ceredigion.

  8. Chwarel y Fan. 679 metres. Completed. Historic County = Monmouthshire. Present Day County = Monmouthshire

  9. Great Rhos. 660 metres. Completed. Historic County = Radnorshire.

  10. Craig y Llyn. 600 metres. Completed. Historic County = Glamorganshire. Present Day County = Neath Port Talbot.

  11. Moel Famau. 555 metres. Completed. Historic County = Flintshire. Present Day County = Flintshire.

  12. Foel Cwmcerwyn. 536 metres. Completed. Historic County = Pembrokeshire. Present Day County = Pembrokeshire.

  13. Holyhead Mountain. 220 metres. Completed. Historic County = Anglesey. Present Day County = Isle of Anglesey.

Wales’ Present Day County Tops

These 22 Principal Areas, also referred to as the Present Day Counties, were established by the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994. Ten of these areas share a County Top with a Historic County that it replaced. These are shown in the list above. The list below shows the 12 high points of Present Day Counties that are distinct from the Historic County Tops. More details on the Present Day Counties of Wales

  1. Carnedd Llewelyn. 1,064 metres, Conwy

  2. Craig Berwyn. 790 metres, Wrexham

  3. Craig y Lynn Boundary. 590 metres, Rhondda Cynon Taff. Completed

  4. Coity Mountain. 581 metres, Blaenau Gwent

  5. Coity Mountain East Slope. 578 metres, Torfaen

  6. Mynydd Llangeinwyr /Werfa. 568 metres, Bridgend. Completed

  7. Pen March 535 metres. Caerphilly

  8. Merthyr Common. 530 metres, Merthyr Tydfill

  9. Mynydd y Betwys. 373 metres, Swansea

  10. Wentwood. 309 metres, Newport

  11. Garth Hill. 307 metres, Cardiff

  12. Tair Onnen. 137 metres, Vale of Glamorgan

Wales’ Preserved Counties

There are 8 preserved counties of wales, each fully containing between 1 and 5 of the Principal Areas (“Present Day Counties”). There are no high points that are unique to the Preserved Counties as all are County Tops of Principal Areas and some are also Historic County Tops. More details on the Preserved Counties of Wales

The high points of the Preserved Counties are:

  • Clwyd: Moel Famau

  • Dyfed: Plynlimon

  • Gwent: Coity Mountain

  • Gwynedd: Snowdon

  • Mid Glamorgan: Craig Y Lynn Boundary

  • Powys: Pen y Fan

  • South Glamorgan: Craig y Llyn

  • West Glamorgan: Myndydd y Betwys

More High Points

Richard gowerTrek, UK County Tops, Mountain, Trig Pillar, WalesComment
Scottish Borders County Tops
View to Loch Trool from Bruce’s Stone at the start of the Merrick Trail

View to Loch Trool from Bruce’s Stone at the start of the Merrick Trail

With all of the County Tops in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the bag, I “just” have Scotland to do. The problem is that they’re now a long way from home and getting taller. Before this trip I’d only done 3 of the 33 Historic County Tops of Scotland. I’d done Ben Nevis a couple of times, Goatfell once and, most recently Hangingstone Hill as an add-on to the Cheviot walk.

The remaining 30 would need to be grouped into longer weekends around natural groupings. With easy access from Glasgow Airport, the 6 summits of this trip was an obvious place to start. Broad Law covers 2 counties each giving a total of 7 historic counties over a 4-day trip.

Craigairie Fell

Significance: Highest peak in Wigtownshire (Historic County Top)
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Beneraird
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Beneraird
Elevation: 321m
Date climbed: 23rd September 2021
Coordinates: 55° 1' 34'' N, 4° 45' 40'' W

Route Start / End: Parking space at end of road west from Polbae (DG8 6RZ)
Route Distance: 7.5 km (4.6 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 159m
Subsidiary tops on route: None
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Southern Upland Way
Other routes touched (cycle): None
OS Trig Pillar: TP2507 - Craigairie Fell
Map: OS Explorer Map (310) Glenluce and Kirkcowan
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir)
Links: Wikipedia (Wigtownshire), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Craigairie Fell was our warm-up peak for the trip. With a total elevation of 321m, it’s a hill rather than a mountain and can be bagged in less than 2 hours. We tackled this one first as we flew into Glasgow in the morning and it was a 2-hour drive to the start of the walk.

There’s a good parking spot about a mile west along the road from Polbae. It’s more of a track than a road so don’t attempt it in a car with low clearance. You’ll notice it soon after the Forestry Commission sign saying “No Unauthorized Vehicle Access”. It’s an odd place to have the sign as it’s on a random part of the road with no place to turn around. The first place to turn further along is a junction with a track to a farm where the obvious parking spot is.

From the parking spot, navigation is very easy as you follow the Southern Upland Way all the way to the Trig Pillar at the top. The actual route is slightly shorter than the one on the map as there’s a short-cut of the Southern Upland Way that cuts off the hairpin bend near the D of Derry on the map.

Although our views from the top were a little misty, it was significantly better than the other summits in the trip with no views at all.

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Merrick

Significance: Highest peak in Kirkcudbrightshire (Historic County Top), Highest peak in Dumfries and Galloway (Present Day County Top)
Member of: Marilyn, Corbett, Donald
Parent Peak: Helvellyn
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Goatfell
Elevation: 843m
Coordinates: 55° 8' 21'' N, 4° 28' 6'' W
OS Trig Pillar: TP4777 - Merrick
Links: Wikipedia Kirkcudbrightshire), Wikipedia (Dumfries and Galloway), Wikipedia (Merrick), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Kirriereoch Hill-Northwest Slope

Significance: Highest peak in Ayrshire (Historic County Top), Highest peak in South Ayrshire (Present Day County Top)
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Kirriereoch Hill
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Kirriereoch Hill
Elevation: 782m
Coordinates: 55° 9' 11'' N, 4° 28' 53'' W
Links: Wikipedia (Ayrshire), Wikipedia (South Ayrshire), Wikipedia (Kirrieroch Hill), Peakbagger, Hillbagger

For both peaks:
Date climbed: 24th September 2021
Route Start / End: Upper Bruce's Stone Car Park, Newton Stewart, DG8 6SU
Route Distance: 16.7 km (10.4 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 1,114m
Subsidiary tops on route: Benyellary (719m), Kirriereoch Hill (786m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Merrick Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 7 passes through Upper Bruce’s Stone Car Park
Map: OS Explorer Map (318) Galloway Forest Park North
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir)

After an overnight in nearby Newton Stewart we tackled the big climb of the trip. Merrick is the highest point in the Historic County of Kirkcudbrightshire, the Present-Day County of Dumfries and Galloway and both the highest peak in the Southern Uplands and Southern Scotland.

The Merrick Trail is a well marked path leading from Upper Bruce’s Stone Car Park to the summit. Before you start the walk, take 10 minutes to see the carved granite stone that commemorates victory over an English army during the Scottish Wars of Independence in 1307.

On a clear, warm day this would have been a wonderful walk. From the summit you can see Snowdon, 144 miles away on the longest line of sight in the British Isles. This wasn’t the day to see anything. After the bothy and the forest section, the mist turned to cloud and we only saw what was 10m in front of us. By the time we reached the Trig Pillar at the summit there was also strong wind and rain. This would have been a great time to turn back and head down to a warmer, clearer elevation.

There was no turning back though as we still had another County Top to visit. The high point of Ayrshire is just beyond the summit of Kirriereoch Hill approximately 2km from the summit of Merrick. We relied on the GPX track as the path was hard to make out in the fog. Kirriereoch Hill’s summit is well marked by a pile of stones. From here, the County Top of Ayrshire is 100m to the north just beyond the remains of an old stone wall. The map on my phone showed the county boundary about 20m beyond the wall. Although it wasn’t completely clear exactly where the County Top was, we at least stopped by several possibilities.

From Kirriereoch Hill, the path continues north to a series of other summits. We had already got what we came for and turned back to re-trace our steps back over Merrick and down to the Bruce’s Stone. With the big one done, we drove 2 hours north-east to Strathaven, our overnight stop before the next set of peaks.

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Culter Fell

Significance: Highest peak in Lanarkshire (Historic County Top), Highest peak in South Lanarkshire (Present Day County Top)
Member of: Marilyn, Graham, Donald
Parent Peak: Broad Law
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Broad Law
Elevation: 748m
Date climbed: 25th September 2021
Coordinates: 55° 32' 46'' N, 3° 30' 10'' W


Route Start / End: Layby on right hand side of minor road south of Culter Allers Farm
Route Distance: 7.1 km (4.4 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 484m
Subsidiary tops on route: None
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
Other routes touched (cycle): None
OS Trig Pillar: TP2681 - Culter Fell
Map: OS Explorer Map 336 Biggar and Broughton
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir)
Links: Wikipedia (Lanarkshire), Wikipedia (South Lanarkshire), Wikipedia (Culter Fell), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Culter Fell was our first of 3 peaks, covering 4 counties, located close together to the north-east of Moffat. It’s possible to do all three on a single day with an early start and enough light. It was a Saturday and we also needed to get in a parkrun, so we did a combination of Lanark Moor parkrun, with Culter Fell and Broad Law.

There’s enough parking for several cars on a large layby near Culter Allers Farm. From here you can follow the road south, crossing over Culter Water stream. You’re now on private land which is open to walkers but occasionally closed for shooting. You can call 01899 204010 to check access or to request permission for groups of over 4.

Approximately 1km from the layby leave the road and follow a track, then a path, ascending to the south-east. The path to the Trig Pillar at the summit is well marked and difficult to miss even in low visibility as we had. Options at the summit are to return the same way, as we did, or continue south, then south-west to Coulter Head Reservoir and return back along the road.

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Broad Law

Significance: Highest peak in Peeblesshire and Selkirkshire (Historic County Top), Upper Tweeddale NSA High Point
Member of: Marilyn, Corbett, Donald
Parent Peak: Merrick
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Merrick
Elevation: 840m
Date climbed: 25th September 2021
Coordinates: 55° 29' 53'' N, 3° 21' 10'' W


Route Start / End: Layby next to Megget Stone, Biggar, ML12 6QR
Route Distance: 7.4 km (4.6 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 372m
Subsidiary tops on route: None
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
Other routes touched (cycle): None
OS Trig Pillar: TP1647 - Broad Law
Map: OS Explorer Map 330 Moffat and St Mary's Loch
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir)
Links: Wikipedia (Peeblesshire), Wikipedia (Selkirkshire), Wikipedia (Broad Law), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Looking back on our Broad Law walk a week after we did it, it’s hard to distinguish it from our Culter Fell walk. With a similar distance, elevation change and exactly the same thick fog, both have blurred into one. With better visibility I’m sure the view from Broad Law would have been impressive given its height, just 3m lower than Merrick. We couldn’t even see the large air navigation beacon close to the Trig Pillar on the summit.

Navigation is very easy as the path follows the boundary fence all the way from the road to the summit. The fence is low at the top making it very easy to cross the border to make sure you’ve bagged both of the County Tops on this peak.

White Coomb, our next peak is less than 9km as the crow flies from the Broad Law summit or a 30 minute drive between each parking spot. We’d had enough adventure for one day so came back the following day for the final peak of the trip.

Note that Dun Rig is another contender for the Historic County Top of the former county of Selkirkshire. See the reference to this in the Wikipedia article for Broad Law for details. Although I might return to bag that one later for completeness, I’m happy to claim Selkirkshire for now based on following the list in Jonny Muir’s UK County Tops book.

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White Coomb

Significance: Highest peak in Dumfriesshire (Historic County Top)
Member of: Marilyn, Corbett, Donald
Parent Peak: Broad Law
Nearest Higher Neighbour:
Elevation: 821m
Date climbed: 26th September 2021
Coordinates: 55° 25' 21'' N, 3° 19' 25'' W


Route Start / End: National Trust for Scotland Car Park, Grey Mare's Tail Nature Reserve, Moffat Water Valley, DG10 9LP
Route Distance: 6.3 km (3.9 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 575m
Subsidiary tops on route: None
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Map: OS Explorer Map 330 Moffat and St Mary's Loch
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir)
Links: Wikipedia (Dumfriesshire), Wikipedia (White Coomb), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

The walk to White Coomb starts at the busy National Trust Car Park at Grey Mare’s Tail. From here the steep path to the right hand side of Tail Burn stream takes most walkers up to Loch Skeen. Follow this for 1.25km to the top of the waterfall where you can cross the stream via some stepping stones. You’ll see a faint path leading down to the stepping stones and the stone dyke wall on the other side. Once crossed, follow the well marked path to the right of the wall to the flat grassy top of White Coomb. You’ll need to leave the path and cross the dyke for the final 20m to the summit which is marked by a pile of stones.

A return option from the summit would be to return to the path and continue on it in a clockwise direction around the loch then back to the car park. With only a few hours until our flight back from Glasgow we returned by the same route, completing the walk within 2 hours.

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Other High Points in the Scottish Borders Area

Other High Point in the Historic County of Lanarkshire

Richard gowerTrek, UK County Tops, Mountain, Trig Pillar, Wigtownshire, Ayrshire, Kirkcudbrightshire, Lanarkshire, Peeblesshire, Selkirkshire, Dumfriesshire, ScotlandComment
Sugar Loaf
Trig Pillar at the top of Sugar Loaf

Trig Pillar at the top of Sugar Loaf

Member of: Marilyn
Parent Peak: Waun Fach
Elevation: 596m
Date climbed: 6th May 2021
Coordinates: 51° 51' 46'' N, 3° 3' 28'' W
Route Start & Finish: The Dragons Head pub, Llangenny, Crickhowell, NP8 1HD
Distance: 8.7 km (5.4 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 502m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Other pubs / Cafes on route: None
OS Trig Pillar: TP6243 - Sugar Loaf
Map: OS Explorer OL13 Brecon Beacons National Park - Eastern area
Links: Wikipedia / Peakbagger / Hillbagging / Llangenny

This was the second of three trig-bagging walks in the Black Mountains on a spring trip to the Brecon Beacons. We were on the last day of good weather before a long stretch of rain so we picked this one based on recommendation from a friend who lives nearby.

Many people start their Sugar Loaf trip from Abergavenny and there’s lots of footpath options between the town and the summit. The approach from Llangeny is a great alternative, especially if you’re travelling there from the North or West.

From the Dragon’s Head car park, cross over the (river) Grwyne Fawr, taking a left on the road that runs parallel to the river. Take the first road on right and walk up the hill in a north-easterly direction. After ~1.25 km from the start continue along the footpath through a farm rather than keeping on the road that curves to the right. Once past the farm you’ll follow the edge of a field upwards towards a path T-junction. Take a right here heading south. This path will curve round the brow of a hill before heading north east up to the summit of Sugar Loaf.

On a clear day the views from the summit are excellent so it’s worth spending a bit of time there to take it all in. To return to the start, take the north-westerly path which curves round to the west. After 3km from the summit the path enters a farm where you’ll take a right onto the road. Soon after this take a left onto another road, another left at the end and continue to the junction where you’ll meet your earlier route up. Take a right here and retrace your steps to the bridge then the Dragons Head pub.

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Richard gowerTrek, Mountain, Trig Pillar, Brecon Beacons, National Park, National Trust, Brecknockshire, Monmouthshire, WalesComment
Waun Fach and The Dragon's Back
Top of the Dragons Back

Top of the Dragons Back

Member of: Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall
Parent Peak: Pen y fan
Elevation: 811m
Date climbed: 5th May 2021
Coordinates: 51° 57' 46'' N, 3° 8' 35'' W
Route Start & Finish: The Dragons Back pub, Pengenffordd, Talgarth, Brecon, LD3 0EP
Distance: 11.7 km (7.3 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 574m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Other Pubs / Cafes on route: None
OS Trig Pillar: TP3548 - Gwynydd Bach
Map: OS Explorer OL13 Brecon Beacons National Park - Eastern area
Links: Wikipedia / Peakbagger / Hillbagging

This was the second of three trig-bagging walks in the Black Mountains on a spring trip to the Brecon Beacons. It was my birthday and, having missed out on our normal big trip due to Covid, I wanted a special mountain. It may not be well known, a County Top or on many bucket lists, but as the highest peak in the Black Mountains, that would be enough significance for this year.

The car park next to the Dragon’s Back pub is an obvious place to start. The honesty box for the £2 charge gives warnings of tough-to-remove stickers to be stuck to windscreens if the charge is not paid. Despite the CCTV cameras above it, it’s unlikely they would know you’ve put money in there. After a year of not touching any cash I was pleasantly surprised to discover that we actually had some coins in the car.

Take the footpath that starts at the north end of the car park and follow it in a south-easterly direction for just over 3.5 km. Here you’ll reach a ridgeline with several different footpath interactions. Take the path that heads north, continuing to ascent, then curves to the east. Follow this path for approximately 2km to the summit of Waun Fach. There used to be an OS Trig Pillar here, but it’s been replaced by a low, flat stone with a metal OS roundel on it.

From the summit, take the northerly footpath, descending steadily for 1.5 km. At the path junction take the left hand path, heading south west, descending along the Dragons Back. We had very good visibility which gave us some amazing views across to the National Park to Pen y Fan and beyond. The highlight at the end of the trip is the path through the ruins of Castel Dinas. The steep ascent up to to the castle right at the end of the trip was a bit daunting though given we were low on energy at the time.

I’d been hesitant about doing this one having read and heard of tough navigation and boggy conditions at the top. The path at the summit seemed relatively new so have probably addressed the bogginess issue. I’d say that the navigation is no tougher than similar mountains in the area so you’ll be fine with the usual preparation, clothing and skills for the hills.

elevation_profile.jpg
Richard gowerTrek, Mountain, Trig Pillar, Brecon Beacons, National Park, Brecknockshire, Wales Comment
Mynydd Llangorse
View to Llangorse Lake from the western side of Mynydd Llangorse

View to Llangorse Lake from the western side of Mynydd Llangorse

Member of: Marilyn
Parent Peak: Mynydd Troed
Elevation: 515m
Date climbed: 4th May 2021
Coordinates: 51° 55' 57'' N, 3° 13' 27'' W
Route Start & Finish: Parking outside Llangorse Multi Activity Centre, Gilfach Farm, Llangorse, Brecon, LD3 7UH
Distance: 6.5 km (4.0 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 285m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Beacons Way
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
OS Trig Pillar: TP5020 - Mynydd Llangorse
Map: OS Explorer OL13 Brecon Beacons National Park - Eastern area
Links: Wikipedia / Peakbagger / Hillbagging / Llangorse Lake, Llangors

This was the first of three trig-bagging walks in the Black Mountains on a spring trip to the Brecon Beacons. With a short distance and relatively low elevation this made for a nice warm-up for the longer treks of the next couple of days.

The parking area just outside of the Llangorse Activity Centre is an obvious place to start. Just inside the activity centre you can find the start of a footpath heading in a south-easterly direction across a field towards the hill. The trig pillar at the summit is only 1.5km from the Activity Centre, giving you the option of a very short out-and-back. If you prefer a longer circular walk, there’s several options based on a few paths that intersect at the summit. We continued east for ~500 metres, then taking a well marked track south to the Beacons Way.

When you meet the Beacons Way, don’t follow it but take the westerly path that makes a steady descent from the hill. This path will curve round to the hill and reconnect with the path you followed at the start and back to the Activity Centre.

The cafe at Llangorse lake, a short drive from the Activity Centre, is a great place for a rest, a coffee and a cake after the walk.

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Richard gowerTrek, Mountain, Trig Pillar, Brecon Beacons, National Park, Brecknockshire, WalesComment
Breaking 100 kph in Zwift

Having completed my Zwift Masochist badge, the obvious one to do next was the 100 kph Extra Credit badge. I already knew that the best place to do it was on the descent down from the Radio Tower. I’d tried it a few times before but could never get over 97 kph. As it turns out, you need a little help and the Aero Boost Helmet Power-up is the best way to do it.

Top Tips to get the 100 kph Badge

  • Select the Mountain 8 Route in Watopia.

  • After around 400 metres you’ll pass through the Downtown start/finish arch. This normally gives you a Power-up. If you get the Aero Boost Helmet, carry on. If you don’t get it, stop the ride, start again and keep trying until you get the helmet. I got it on my 6th attempt.

  • At 12km into the Mountain 8 route you’ll get to the top of the Radio Tower. Stop here and have a rest.

  • For the descent you’ll need a heavy bike. I chose the Zwift TT frame with the Zipp 808 wheels.

  • Continue round the loop at the top of the Radio Tower loop, gradually picking up speed. Keep accelerating down the first part of the descent. When you get to the bend (at 12.8 km) hit the Power-up button and give it everything you’ve got. This will give you the boost you’ll need to get you over 100 kph.

Other Notes

  • Check your own weight in your profile before starting off. I discovered that my Zwift weight was showing lower than my real weight. I hadn’t updated it after Christmas :-). Be sure to correct your weight if it’s understating it.

  • When I first attempted it using the tips above I pressed the Power-up button too early and just missed the badge. I’ve heard of different people pressing it at different points on the descent. It’s probably also related to how much power you’re putting though too.

  • You notice that my cadence is going crazy for the first few seconds in the video. It always does that after I’ve stopped and re-started and likely a faulty cadence monitor. It doesn’t affect the speed on the descent though. The horrible cranking sound is what my bike does since the Mascochist badge. Time for a service I think.

Comment below if you have other tips for breaking 100 kph.

Richard gowerCycle, Mountain, ZwiftComment
Alpe du Zwift Tracker
Alpe du Zwift Tracker - February 2021.jpg

If you’re into collecting the Zwift achievement badges and all of the low-hanging ones are in the bag, you’ll probably be wanting to head up the Alpe du Zwift. There’s 2 badges for multiple climbs of the Alpe. Both are awarded for total climbs and, thankfully, not just in one session.

The Avid Climber badge for 5 climbs is fairly straightforward. If you’re also completing all of the Watopia routes you’ll automatically get it as the Alpe is part of:

The Masochist badge takes a lot more dedication as you’ll need another 20 climbs to achieve it. The shortest route to choose is Road To Sky which has a little over 5k of mostly downhill cycling before you reach the Alpe ascent.

One annoying Zwift “feature” is that there’s no way of seeing how many ascents you’ve already completed. Click on the image on the right for a printable version of a low-tech tracker to keep you sane as you approach the 25 climb target.

Richard gowerCycle, Zwift, MountainComment
The Brecon Beacons Rivers

Here’s a Tube-style map of the rivers of the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog in Welsh). Let me know if you spot any mistakes and I’ll donate £1 per correction to one of my causes. If you would like a printable PDF version, please Buy Me a Coffee and send me your e-mail via the Contact page. All copies for personal, not commercial use.

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Note: the map shows rivers that start, end or pass through the Brecon Beacons National Park. There are some rivers such as the Rhondda, Ogmore and Ely that are not included as their source is south of the Park even though they flow into the Bristol Channel or join another river on this map.

Other Posts for the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog)

Tube-style Maps

Richard gowerMountain, Coast, Wales, Brecon Beacons, National Park, Monmouthshire, Carmarthenshire, Brecknockshire, Glamorganshire Comments
Twmpa & Rhos Dirion Circular Walk
View to Pen y Fan from Rhos Dirion

View to Pen y Fan from Rhos Dirion

Start & Finish: Gospel Pass Car Park, Capel-y-ffin, Abergavenny, NP7 7NP
Distance: 13 km (8.1 miles)
Elevation change: + / - 376m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 42
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: OS Explorer OL13 Brecon Beacons National Park - Eastern area
Links: Gospel Pass, Vale of Ewyas

Rhos Dirion:

Member of: None
Parent Peak: Waun Fach
Elevation: 713m
Date climbed: 24th December 2020
Coordinates: 51° 59' 36'' N, 3° 8' 59'' W
OS Trig Pillar: TP5658 - Rhos Dirion
Links: Wikipedia / Peakbagger

Twmpa:

Member of: None
Parent Peak: Waun Fach
Elevation: 690m
Date climbed: 24th December 2020
Coordinates: 52° 2' 7'' N, 3° 6' 17'' W
OS Trig Pillar: None
Links: Wikipedia / Peakbagger

In the third of three winter walks in the Vale of Ewyas we did a circular trek to the summits of Twmpa and Rhos Dirion.

From the free parking at Gospel Pass take the westerly path up to the summit of Twmpa, also called Lord Hereford’s Knob. Trig Baggers will be disappointed as there’s no pillar at the top. By continuing west for another 1.8 km you’ll reach the patriotically painted pillar at the top of Rhos Dirion. We were there on a cold but clear winter’s day and had a great view of Pen y Fan in the distance. After bagging Rho Dirion, retrace your steps down to the col between the two summits. Rather than climb back up to Twmpa, take a right to head in a south-easterly direction down the valley. Navigation is easy following a well worn path tracing the course of Nant Bwch.

The valley path turns into a farm track then a single-track road to Capel-y-ffin. Rather than stick to the road follow the path that curves round the side of the nose of the mountain half way up its elevation. On the southern-most point you’ll get a great view over Capel-y-ffin and the southern part of the Vale of Ewas.

Continue on the mountain pass as it curves anti-clockwise around the mountain. You’ll now be heading north back towards the Gospel Pass. After ~2 km the path will join the valley road which you can follow back to the car park.

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Richard gowerTrek, Mountain, Trig Pillar, Brecon Beacons, National Park, Brecknockshire, WalesComment
Llanthony Priory and Rhiw Arw Trig Pillar Circular Walk
Misty descent to Llanthony Priory

Misty descent to Llanthony Priory

Start & Finish: Llanthony Priory Hotel, Llanthony, Abergavenny, NP7 7NN
Distance: 8.2 km (5.1 miles)
Elevation change: + / - 364m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Offa’s Dyke Path, Beacons Way
Other routes touched (cycle): None, although NCN 42 passes by the road entrance to Llanthony Priory
Pubs / Cafes on route: Coffee Shop at Llanthony Priory. The Half Moon Pub is near the Priory but not on the route
Trig Pillar: TP5648 - Rhiw Arw
Map: OS Explorer OL13 Brecon Beacons National Park - Eastern area
Links: Llanthony, Llanthony Priory, River Honddu, Offa’s Dyke, Vale of Ewyas

In the second of three winter walks in the Vale of Ewyas we did a circular trek to the Rhiw Arw Trig Pillar.

From the free car parking at Llanthony Priory, take the Beacons way clockwise around the Priory. Leave the Beacons Way at the northern side of the Priory outer wall and follow the footpath signed to Hatterall Ridge as it curves round to the north-west. Keeping to this track you’ll reach the Offa’s Dyke National Trail approximately 2 km from the Priory. Take a right onto the National Trail, heading south-east. Follow Offa’s Dyke for ~2.5 km until you reach the Rhiw Arw Trig Pillar.

After the Trig Pillar continue south-east along Offa’s Dyke for just under 1 km and descend back to Llanthony Priory via The Beacons Way.

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Richard gowerTrek, Mountain, Trig Pillar, Brecon Beacons, National Park, Monmouthshire, WalesComment
North Daren Trig Pillar from Capel-y-ffin Out-and-Back Walk
View towards Llanthony

View towards Llanthony

Start & Finish: Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Capel-y-ffin, Abergavenny, NP7 7NP
Distance: 8.8 km (5.5 miles)
Elevation change: + / - 325m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Offa’s Dyke Path
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 42
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Trig Pillar: TP5154 - North Daren
Map: OS Explorer OL13 Brecon Beacons National Park - Eastern area
Links: Capel-y-ffin, River Honddu, Offa’s Dyke, Vale of Ewyas

In the first of three winter walks in the Vale of Ewyas we did an out-and-back trek to the North Daren Trig Pillar.

From Capel-y-ffin village centre, take the track to the right of St. Mary’s Chapel. Continue for ~1 km passing over the River Honddu, the Baptist church on the left and a farm on the right. When you reach the footpath sign for Offa’s Dyke, cross over the stile on the left of the track. From here follow the path at it climbs and zig zags up to to National Trail. The path uphill path was very obvious when we were there in winter but can be obscured by bracken in the summer.

A cairn and a stone sign marks the junction of the uphill path and Offa’s Dyke. Turn right (south-east) onto the National Trail and continue for ~1.6 km until you reach the Trig Pillar. For the return trip, retrace your steps back to the bottom of the hill where the path meets the track. Here you can take a right and follow the track back to Capel-y-ffin or take a left then a footpath shortly on the right. Here you can follow a path across a field, over a wooden bridge and onto the valley road. Take a right when you get to the road to return to Capel-y-ffin.

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Richard gowerTrek, Mountain, Trig Pillar, Brecon Beacons, National Park, Brecknockshire, WalesComment
County Top Parent Peaks

In my ever-deepening County-Top related geekery I decided that I needed to document the Parent Peaks of every UK County Top. Many are easily findable with a bit of Googling, others are harder to come by. I’ve used the following sources in priority order:

  • Hillbagging (the online version of the Database of British and Irish Hills)

  • Peakbagger: if the Parent Peak is shown there but not in Hillbagging

  • Wikipedia: If the Parent Peak is shown there but not in either Hillbagging or Peakbagger

  • Peakbagger’s Nearest Highest Neighbour (NHN) field if a Parent Peak is not listed in the above.

Some are disputed and others I’ve had to assume, so here’s my best attempt. Contact me or comment below if you have any corrections and I’ll happily make a donation to one of my causes.

England’s County Top Parent Peaks

Scotland’s County Tops Parent Peaks

Compared to England there’s a lot fewer Parent Peaks listed in my key sources, so the following is largely based on Nearest Higher Neighbours and some assumptions. Likely there will be a lot of corrections to be below.

Wales’ County Tops Parent Peaks

Similar to Scotland, there’s a lot fewer Parent Peaks listed in my key sources, so the following is largely based on Nearest Higher Neighbours and some assumptions. Likely there will be a lot of corrections to be below.

Coming soon: Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland County Top Parent Peaks

UK County Tops on Islands

  • Goat Fell (843m), Arran, Buteshire, Scotland

  • Ward Hill (481m), Hoy, Orkney, Scotland

  • Ronas Hill (450m), Mainland, Shetland

  • Holyhead Mountain (220m), Anglesey, Wales

“A peak’s line parent is the closest higher peak on the highest ridge leading away from the peak’s “key col”. A col is the lowest point on the ridge between two summits and is roughly synonymous with pass, gap, saddle and notch. The highest col of a peak is its key col. If there is more than one ridge which can be followed to a higher peak then the line parent is the peak closest to the key col. Usually, a line parent must meet some prominence criteria, which might vary depending on the author and the location of the peak.”
— https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_parent
Richard gowerTrek, UK County Tops, Mountain, Country High Points, Trig Pillar, England, Scotland, WalesComment
Whernside: North Yorkshire County Top
Ribblehead Viaduct with Whernside on the right

Ribblehead Viaduct with Whernside on the right

Significance: Highest peak in North Yorkshire (Present-Day CT), the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, Yorkshire Dales National Park
Member of: Marilyn, Hewitt, Hardy, Nuttall
Parent Peak: Cross Fell. NHN = Harter Fell
Historic County: Yorkshire (of which Mickle Fell is the County Top)
Elevation: 736m
Date climbed: October 4th 2020
Coordinates: 54°13′40″N 2°24′12″W 
Route Start / End: Ribblehead Viaduct Car Park, Blea Moor Road, Carnforth, LA6 3AS
Route Distance: 12.7 km (7.9 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 433m
Subsidiary tops on route: none
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Dales High Way, Three Peaks Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): none
OS Trig Pillar: TP0702 - Little Whernside
Map: OS Explorer Map OL2 Yorkshire Dales South & Western
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir), Walking the County High Points of England (David Bathurst)
Links: Wikipedia (North Yorkshire), Wikipedia (Whernside), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Given that Whernside is both a Present-Day County Top and features in the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge it was surprising that I hadn’t already ticked it off. Sometime over the last couple of years I’d lost interest in the Three Peaks and decided that I’d rather tick them off individually. Whernside’s time came this year as it was an obvious peak to bag to break up the long drive home from Mickle Fell.

Unlike the drenching that we got on Mickle Fell the previous day, we had perfect Autumn conditions for Whernside. It was dry, sunny, chilly (but not too much) and visibility was great. The walk even starts with one of its main highlights: an approach to the magnificent Ribblehead Viaduct. We had originally planned to keep to the path on the eastern side of the viaduct then cut through the underpass to join the Dales High Way heading west. When we found ourselves standing right under one of the arches to get a closer look, we decided to continue heading west through the viaduct and take the footpath through the farm to connect to the High Way.

After the farm the route gets steep. The waitress in the pub the night before had warned us that this approach would be tough and slippery. We imagined something like a damp Striding Edge but it turned out not to be so bad at all. The slabs had also dried out completely so there was nothing slippery at all.

Once on the ridge-line the route is pretty simple and, with the views we had that day, quite breath-taking. The summit was pretty crowded when we got there. Partly it was the normal weekend day-walkers and we hit it at the same time as a lot of runners on their own Three Peaks Challenge. This was also the day of the Virtual London Marathon and there was a fair few marathoners that decided to do the 3 Peaks as their own London Marathon Route.

The descent was steady and interesting. Once down from the steeper sections the path curves back towards the viaduct and crosses over both Little Dale Beck and the rail line as it emerges from the Blea Moor Tunnel. The final section gives you another change to admire the Viaduct before returning to the car park.

Richard gowerTrek, UK County Tops, Mountain, Trig Pillar, York, Yorkshire Dales, National Park, England, RailwayComment
North-East England County Tops
View from Burnhope Seat summit to the Trig Pillar

View from Burnhope Seat summit to the Trig Pillar

We had the dates for this in the diary for most of the year, even before Covid-19 became the thing that defined 2020. When the Lockdown came in March we we glad we had booked it in for later in the year and had assumed that the virus would have blown over by then. By mid-Summer things were relaxing and it was looking like there wouldn’t be a problem for the trip at all. September came, cases started rising again and the North-East was right in the centre of a local Lockdown. The rules were especially ambiguous and it was only the day before the trip that we decided that we would still be able to go. So, without breaking any rules and keeping as safe as possible, 3 of us headed North to complete the North-East County Tops.

As it turned out Covid had a very minimal impact on the plan. Our YHA for the first 2 nights was in Northumberland and had strict procedures. Rather than sharing one big room as per our usual trips, we had to have a room each under separate bookings. Breakfast was strictly one person per table, but given my lack of interest in talking to anyone 1st thing in the morning, it wasn’t a major inconvenience. Other than that we were out in the hills all day and the rare instances of coming in contact with others were few and far between and at quite a distance.

Being able to complete these 3, and by extension my completion of all of England’s County Tops, was a major win for me for 2020. Most other plans had been cancelled or postponed until 2021, so keeping this felt like a big achievement.

Burnhope Seat

Significance: Highest peak in County Durham (Historic CT)
Member of: Hewitt, Marilyn, Nuttall
Parent Peak: Cross Fell. NHN = Meldon Fell
Elevation: 747m
Date climbed: October 1st 2020
Coordinates: 54.7331° N, 2.3369° W
Route Start / End: 2-car layby on B6277 north of kink in road over stream bridge, south of Yad Moss ski area
Route Distance: 3.1 km (1.9 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 160m
Subsidiary tops on route: none
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: none
OS Trig Pillar: TP1783 - Burnhope Seat
Map: OS Explorer Map (307) Consett and Derwent Reservoir
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir), Walking the County High Points of England (David Bathurst)
Links: Wikipedia (County Durham), Wikipedia (Burnhope Seat), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Burnhope Seat and Mickle Fell are a short car journey apart and can be easily done in a single day with fair weather. We had a long drive from the south which took up much of our first day so we used this short walk as a break in the journey.

Jonny Muir’s County Top guide suggests a parking space on the B6277 at NY 7754 3640 but we found a more convenient one a bit further north on the same road. The layby in the book is quite small and at a steep angle from the road so we gave it a miss. From the larger layby near the stream bridge you can cross over a wooden gate on the opposite side. From here follow the left hand side of the stream, passing the ruins of an old building and use the GPS to keep you on-track for the high point. From the un-marked summit you can see the Trig Pillar to the east along the fence.

The Cheviot

Significance: Highest peak in Northumberland (Historic CT) and Northumberland National Park High Point
Member of: Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall
Parent Peak: Broad Law. NHN = Dollar Law
Elevation: 815m
Date climbed: October 2nd 2020
Coordinates: 55°28′42″N 2°08′44″W 
OS Trig Pillar: TP2152 - Cheviot
Links Wikipedia (Northumberland), Wikipedia (The Cheviot), Wikipedia (Northumberland National Park), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Hangingstone Hill

Also Known As: Cairn Hill West Top
Significance: Highest peak in Roxburghshire, Scotland (Historic CT)
Member of: n/a
Parent Peak: Cairn Hill. NHN = The Cheviot
Elevation: 743m
Date climbed: October 2nd 2020
Coordinates: 55° 28' 3'' N, 2° 9' 59'' W
Links: Wikipedia (Roxburghshire), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Route Start / End: parking area off small road to Langleeford, accessed from A697 via Middleton Hall
Route Distance: 15.3 km (9.5 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 620m
Subsidiary tops on route: Scald Hill (548m), Cairn Hill (777m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): The Pennine Way
Other routes touched (cycle): none
Map: OS Explorer OL16 The Cheviot Hills, Jedburgh & Wooler
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir), Walking the County High Points of England (David Bathurst)

This walk was the longest and most rewarding of the 3 especially as it's a circuit rather than an out-and-back like the others. If you’re using Jonny Muir’s guide this is a combination of the separate routes for The Cheviot and for Hangingstone Hill. It’s pretty obvious to do them both in the same walk so I’ve got no idea why they’re separated in the book. Both use the same start and end point and each trip is a return for the other.

We took an anti-clockwise approach taking in The Cheviot first via Scald Hill. Continuing south-west along the Pennine Way from The Cheviot you’ll soon get to the summit of Cairn Hill. From here there’s a short out-and-back section to the Scottish border to reach Hangingstone Hill (aka Cairn HIll West Top). There’s little to see here and bagging the top just involves a quick crossing of the gate to a slightly higher piece of moss.

From Hangingstone Hill retrace your steps back up to Cairn Hill summit and follow the path sign-posted to Windy Gale. After a short steep section keeping a fence to your right you’ll reach a footpath junction. Take the east (left) path signed to Langleeford Hope (2¼) and Langleeford (3½). This path will take you all the way back to the start following Harthope Burn (stream).

Mickle Fell

Significance: Highest peak in Yorkshire (Historic CT) and the historic North Riding of Yorkshire
Member of: Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall
Parent Peak: Cross Fell. NHN = Knock Fell
Elevation: 788m
Date climbed: October 3rd 2020
Coordinates: 54°36′48″N 2°18′18″W
Route Start / End: Parking spot on B6276 to west of cattle grid between the Cumbria and County Durham county signs.
Route Distance: 17.2 km (10.7 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 505m
Subsidiary tops on route: none
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: none
OS Trig Pillar: TP4789 - Mickle Fell
Map: OS Explorer OL19 Howgill Fells Upper Eden Valley Map
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir), Walking the County High Points of England (David Bathurst)
Links: Wikipedia (Yorkshire), Wikipedia (North Riding of Yorkshire), Wikipedia (Mickle Fell) / Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Mickle Fell is on a military firing range which is only open to the public on a few select days per year. You can apply for a permit to access the land from MOD Warcop. Based on our experience I recommend starting the application process early. It took over 3 months for me to get the permit from sending the application letter. There’s nothing complicated about the process, it’s just slow. With the permit secured the other thing that you need to do is call the control room number on the permit as you start the walk and again when you finish. We didn’t have phone signal at all on the walk so we were glad to have made the call in the car 10 minutes before arriving at the parking space.

The parking space is easy to find as it’s right next to the Welcome to Cumbria sign. From here cross the road and over a wire fence to access the hill. Strangely there’s no gate or stile even though this is the recommended approach. You can see where others have climbed through or over the fence though.

Much of the walk is very easy to navigate, even on a low-visibility day like we had. Follow the boundary fence, keeping it to your left all the way up to the summit plateau. A lot of the route is boggy underfoot and you’ll need to navigate around streams, loose peat and marsh-land. We were there on an especially wet day and it was all we could do to keep our feet dry.

There’s a steep climb up to the summit plateau where you’ll cross a fence via a stile and can pick up some Land Rover tracks. Keep to these heading on an easterly curve and they’ll lead you to the summit cairn and the Trig Pillar.

We were there on one of the wettest days possible. If the route was closer to home and we didn’t need a permit we might have delayed it for another day, but we had little option but to press on. The only other person we met on the approach had reached the summit but hadn’t bothered with the extra ~2km to the Trig Pillar. I could see how tempting it would have been on a day like that to have missed it. Given our Trig-obsession we weren’t going to miss it though and took the extra hour to bag the pillar.

The descent was much quicker as we had abandoned any attempt to avoid the wet marsh and mostly walked straight through it. At 5.5 hours of driving rain we arrived at the car as wet as if we had swum to the summit. It was challenging but it also meant that I had now completed all County Tops in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Now for the rest of Scotland…

OTHER HIGH POINTS IN County Durham

OTHER HIGH POINTS IN Northumberland

  • Westerhope (131m) North Tyneside Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging

  • Camperdown (86m) North Tyneside Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging

OTHER HIGH POINT IN Yorkshire

Richard gowerTrek, UK County Tops, Mountain, Trig Pillar, Northumberland, National Park, County Durham, Roxburghshire, Yorkshire, England, ScotlandComment