Chelmorton Low

About Chelmorton Low

Rising steeply above one of the highest villages in England, this prominent limestone hill is defined by its twin Bronze Age barrows. The ascent offers a clear perspective of the surrounding medieval strip fields, with views extending across the White Peak plateau toward the dark gritstone edges of the Dark Peak.

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Did You Know?

• •The name derives from the Old English Cēolmæres-dūn, meaning 'Ceolmaer’s hill', suggesting the site was associated with a specific Anglo-Saxon landowner long before the current village was established.
• •The summit is crowned by two significant Bronze Age burial mounds, known as bowl barrows, which give the hill its 'Low' suffix—a common regional term in the Peak District for ancient tumuli.
• •From the slopes, the remarkably well-preserved medieval 'strip fields' of Chelmorton village are visible, appearing as long, narrow rectangular enclosures bounded by drystone walls that follow the original medieval farming patterns.
• •The summit offers an expansive vantage point over the limestone plateau, with clear views north across the Wye Valley to the gritstone plateau of Combes Moss and west towards the distinctive 'dragon’s back' silhouettes of Chrome Hill and Parkhouse Hill.
• •Despite its modest height, the hill is exposed enough that the local weather often arrives well before it hits the lower-lying towns; it is a place where you can experience several different seasons in the time it takes to walk from the Church Inn to the barrows.