Peak District
Gratton Hill
364M
1194FT
About Gratton Hill
Overlooking the meeting point of the Manifold Valley and Biggin Dale, this steep-sided limestone reef knoll offers a quiet alternative to the busier Dovedale peaks. Rising above the village of Alstonefield, its grassy slopes provide an excellent vantage point for surveying the undulating plateau of the White Peak.
Key Statistics
Rank
295th Highest in Peak District
Parent Range
The Peak District
Prominence
?
52.8
Nearest Town
Staffordshire Moorlands
Geology
Gratton Hill is formed from layers of limestone and ancient reef mounds. These rocks create the foundation beneath your boots.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SK132571
Latitude
53.1109°N
Longitude
1.8043°W
Did You Know?
- •The name likely derives from the Old English 'gratton', a term used in local dialect to describe a stubble field or pasture land where cattle were turned out to graze after the harvest.
- •The summit provides a clear, unblocked view across the deep cleft of Biggin Dale toward the high limestone ridge of Wolfscote Hill to the north.
- •Geologically, this is a reef knoll—a mound of limestone formed by the accumulation of marine fossils on the sea floor during the Carboniferous period.
- •It is frequently climbed as part of a circular route from Alstonefield, usually paired with its slightly lower neighbour, Narrowdale Hill, which sits less than a mile to the south.
- •While its height is modest, the gradient of the western flank ensures that anyone approaching directly from the Manifold Way will have a very clear understanding of why it qualifies as a Tump.