Dartmoor & Exmoor
Bardon Hill
280M
918FT
About Bardon Hill
Dominating the local skyline, this summit offers a striking encounter with both nature and industry. While the eastern slopes are clothed in ancient woodland, the western side is carved out by a vast, active granite quarry. The ascent leads to a significant radio mast and a trig pillar marking the highest ground for miles around.
Key Statistics
Rank
22nd Highest in Region
Parent Range
Exmoor
Prominence
?
172m
Nearest Town
Coalville
Geology
You are walking across an ancient foundation of volcanic rocks and hardened mudstone. These layers were formed by cooling lava and compressed mud.
Nearby Fells
Birch Hill
Birch Hill
Bawdon Castle
Ives Head
Benscliffe Hill
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SK460131
Latitude
52.7144°N
Longitude
1.3193°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is likely a tautology from the Old English 'beorg' and 'dun', both of which mean hill or mound, effectively naming it 'Hill Hill'.
- •The hill is comprised of volcanic rock nearly 570 million years old, and its quarry is one of the largest in the UK, providing aggregate for major roads across the country.
- •On a clear day, the summit offers an expansive view that includes the skyline of Leicester, the cooling towers of the Trent Valley, and the distant high ground of the Peak District.
- •The 154-metre radio mast near the summit is a modern continuation of the hill's long history as a communications hub; it was previously the site of a signal beacon used during the Spanish Armada.
- •Standing at the trig point, the scale of the adjacent quarry is so immense that the massive, multi-ton excavators working the rock face below appear like miniature die-cast toys in a sandbox.