Brown Knoll

About Brown Knoll

This broad gritstone plateau, situated between the Edale valley and Hayfield fells, was once infamous for impassable peat bogs. Now crossed by a long gritstone flag path, the summit provides a straightforward traverse with expansive views across the Vale of Edale toward the high southern edges of Kinder Scout and Mam Tor.

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Did You Know?

• •The name derives from the Old English 'cnoll', meaning a rounded hill or mound, while 'Brown' describes the dark, peat-saturated landscape that dominates the plateau throughout the year.
• •Until the recent installation of flagstones, the summit was notorious for 'The Great Moss', an area of eroding peat so deep and saturating that it frequently bogged down even the most experienced navigators.
• •The summit provides an excellent vantage point for observing the geological contrast between the Dark Peak's gritstone edges on Kinder Scout and the start of the White Peak's limestone landscape around Mam Tor.
• •Brown Knoll serves as the primary high-level link for walkers moving between the Great Ridge and the Kinder Scout plateau, forming a vital part of many long-distance circular routes starting from Edale.
• •Following the paving of the summit, the greatest challenge of climbing Brown Knoll is no longer the risk of disappearing into a bog, but the potential for boredom while marching along two miles of perfectly level stone slabs.