Bolehill

Rising steeply above the limestone town of Wirksworth, this gritstone-capped hill is defined by its industrial heritage. Once a hub for lead smelting, the summit offers clear views across the Ecclesbourne Valley and towards the gritstone edges of Black Rocks, easily accessed via the historic High Peak Trail.

• •The name 'Bole' refers to an ancient lead-smelting hearth; these were intentionally situated on exposed, windy ridges like this one to provide a natural draft for the fires before the advent of bellows.
• •The summit and surrounding slopes are heavily scarred by historical lead mining, and the hill sits at the heart of a landscape so shaped by industry that it now forms part of the National Stone Centre’s heritage trails.
• •From the top, you can look directly down into Wirksworth and trace the path of the High Peak Trail as it climbs the Middleton Incline toward the historic engine house.
• •The summit is often visited alongside the neighbouring Black Rocks (also known as Stonnis), a dramatic outcrop of Ashover Grit that has been a popular site for Derbyshire climbers since the late 19th century.
• •Given the hill’s history as a site for smelting ore, any warmth you feel on the summit today is unfortunately the result of your own exertion rather than the long-extinguished lead fires.