Peak District
Gradbach Hill
399M
1309FT
About Gradbach Hill
Rising above the River Dane in the Staffordshire Moorlands, this gritstone-capped hill offers a quieter alternative to the nearby Roaches. Its heather-clad slopes provide a sweeping vantage point over the wooded valley of Gradbach, looking directly across to the jagged edges of Hen Cloud and the hidden gritstone cleft of Lud’s Church.
Key Statistics
Rank
191st Highest in Peak District
Parent Range
The Peak District
Prominence
?
44
Nearest Town
Staffordshire Moorlands
Geology
Gradbach Hill sits on layers of tough sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone. These durable rocks form the rugged Millstone Grit landscape beneath your feet.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SK000652
Latitude
53.1839°N
Longitude
2.0015°W
Did You Know?
- •The name 'Gradbach' is derived from the Old English words 'grād' and 'bece', meaning a sloping stream or valley with steps, referring to the steep descent of the landscape toward the River Dane.
- •To the south, the hill is inextricably linked to the Back Forest and Lud’s Church, a natural 15-metre deep fissure in the gritstone bedrock that remains famously cool and mossy even in the height of summer.
- •The summit offers an unobstructed view of Shutlingsloe to the north-west, a hill whose sharp, pyramidal profile has earned it the enduring local nickname 'The Matterhorn of Cheshire'.
- •The hill overlooks Gradbach Mill, an 18th-century former silk mill nestled in the valley that once used the River Dane to power its machinery and now serves as a popular trailhead for walkers.
- •Gradbach Hill serves as an excellent vantage point for watching hikers in the valley below rotating their maps while searching for the narrow, well-hidden entrance to the Green Knight's legendary haunt.