North Pennines
Cragg Top
312M
1024FT
About Cragg Top
Overlooking the deep, wooded valley of Cragg Vale, this Pennine summit provides an accessible but rugged moorland walk. The terrain is typical of the South Pennine uplands, featuring rough grazing and gritstone edges. From its 312-metre high point, walkers can survey the industrial heritage of the Calder Valley and the Peak District's northern fringes.
Key Statistics
Rank
270th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Yorkshire Dales
Prominence
?
Data coming soon
Nearest Town
Gawthrop
Geology
Cragg Top is built from rugged layers of sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone. These stacked layers of rock form the solid, gritty foundation beneath your boots.
Classifications
Find It
Latitude
54.2445°N
Longitude
2.4741°W
Did You Know?
- •The name derives from the Middle English 'crag', likely via Old Norse 'kraggi', referring to the steep gritstone outcrops that line the valley sides below the summit plateau.
- •These moors were once the haunt of the Cragg Vale Coiners, an 18th-century gang of counterfeiters who utilized the isolation of the surrounding hills to clip gold coins and strike new ones.
- •The hill overlooks the B6138, which holds the distinction of being the longest continuous uphill road gradient in England, rising nearly 300 metres over five and a half miles.
- •From the summit area, the prominent gritstone obelisk of Stoodley Pike is clearly visible to the west, standing as a landmark over the neighbouring Upper Calder Valley.
- •While officially classified as a Tump, the hill’s primary practical role is serving as a very effective windbreak for the village of Cragg Vale nestled directly beneath its northern slopes.