Cowpe Lowe

About Cowpe Lowe

Rising steeply above the Rossendale Valley near Newchurch, this rounded Tump offers a rugged, wind-swept experience on the northern fringes of the Peak District. Its grassy slopes are scarred by old quarrying works, providing a direct ascent that rewards walkers with clear views over the nearby Scout Moor wind farm and distant Winter Hill.

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Did You Know?

• •The name Cowpe likely derives from the Old English 'cu-hop', meaning a valley or enclosure where cows were kept, while 'Lowe' stems from 'hlāw', a term denoting a prominent hill or a burial mound.
• •The hill’s western flanks bear the heavy scars of the Rossendale stone industry; these gritstone quarries once provided the primary building material for the sprawling textile mills and terraced streets in the valley below.
• •The summit provides an excellent vantage point for observing the Scout Moor Wind Farm to the south, while the prominent telecommunications mast on Winter Hill is clearly visible across the West Pennine Moors to the west.
• •It is frequently climbed as part of a loop involving Waugh’s Well on the neighbouring moors, a site dedicated to the 19th-century Lancashire dialect poet Edwin Waugh who frequently walked these hills for inspiration.
• •Despite its modest elevation, the lack of natural shelter on the broad summit plateau means that a Rossendale breeze here usually feels several degrees colder than the valley floor suggests.