Wales
Beacon Hill
547M
1795FT
About Beacon Hill
Rising above the Teme Valley near Knighton, this expansive moorland summit offers a sense of isolation rare for its modest height. Crowned by a small cairn amidst rolling grass and heather, it serves as a fine vantage point for the Shropshire Hills and the wilder reaches of Radnorshire.
Key Statistics
Rank
53rd Highest in Wales
Parent Range
Cambrian Mountains
Prominence
?
179
Nearest Town
Beguildy
Geology
You are standing on Ludlow Rocks, a foundation of clay-rich stone that formed from ancient layers of fine mud.
Find It
Latitude
52.3830°N
Longitude
3.2114°W
Did You Know?
- •The name refers to its historical role as a signal point; part of a chain of fire-lit warnings used throughout the Welsh Marches to communicate during times of border unrest.
- •The hill is the centrepiece of the Beacon Hill Crown Estate, a vast tract of open-access moorland that provides a vital sanctuary for upland birds like the red grouse and curlew.
- •From the summit cairn, the view extends north-east to the distinctive jagged quartzite ridge of the Stiperstones and the massive plateau of the Long Mynd in Shropshire.
- •The Glyndŵr's Way National Trail skirts the edge of this upland, though reaching the actual summit requires a detour across the often damp, pathless grass of the main plateau.
- •In typical Mid Wales fashion, the summit is so broad and gently rounded that it serves as a reliable local barometer: if you can’t see the Radnor Forest to the south, it’s raining, and if you can, it’s about to start.