North Pennines
Great Pinseat
583M
1913FT
About Great Pinseat
Sitting between Arkengarthdale and Swaledale, this broad moorland rise is defined by its deep lead mining heritage. The landscape is scarred by historic hushings and old workings, particularly around the Old Gang area. Reaching the summit involves navigating heather and peat, offering the quiet, industrial-tinged solitude typical of the northern Dales.
Key Statistics
Rank
114th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Yorkshire Dales
Prominence
?
48m
Nearest Town
North Yorkshire
Geology
Great Pinseat is built from layers of hardened mud and sand. You are walking over tough, gritty sandstone and a hard, flint-like rock.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY970026
Latitude
54.4188°N
Longitude
2.0477°W
Did You Know?
- •The name derives from the Old Norse 'setr', meaning a mountain pasture or shieling, combined with 'Pin', likely referring to a local personal name or a small livestock enclosure.
- •The hill’s flanks are scored by 'hushings'—man-made gullies created by releasing dammed water to strip away topsoil and reveal lead veins for the local miners.
- •From the summit, walkers can look directly down upon the skeletal remains of the Old Gang Smelting Mill and the sprawling, gritstone-strewn valley of Hard Level Gill.
- •The 'Great' in the name may feel slightly ambitious to anyone currently navigating the waist-high heather and hidden peat bogs that guard the approach from Level House Bridge.