UK Mountains
Great Rowbarrow
510M
1673FT
About Great Rowbarrow
Perched on the Dunkery ridge, Great Rowbarrow is less a mountain and more a massive, 510-meter Bronze Age tomb. It offers sweeping views of Exmoor and the Bristol Channel, assuming the relentless horizontal rain hasn't turned your glasses into miniature aquariums.
Key Statistics
Rank
2nd Highest in Region
Parent Range
Exmoor
Prominence
?
22m
Nearest Town
Somerset
Geology
The terrain beneath your boots is part of the Hangman Sandstone Formation. This fell is composed of solid layers of sandstone rock.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SS875415
Latitude
51.1617°N
Longitude
3.6102°W
Did You Know?
- •It is a legally protected scheduled monument featuring a large Bronze Age bowl barrow. These ancient burial mounds served as vital navigational landmarks long before GPS or semi-reliable OS maps existed.
- •At 510 meters high, it stands as one of the loftiest points in Somerset. On a clear day, the vista stretches across the Bristol Channel all the way to the mountains of South Wales.
- •The name likely derives from the Old English for 'rough' or 'stony' mound. It’s a fittingly rugged title for a site that has endured the battering Exmoor elements for several millennia.
- •The surrounding moorland is a primary habitat for the iconic Exmoor ponies. These hardy locals are much better adapted to the terrain than the average hiker and will judge your expensive technical footwear choices silently.
- •The trek across the ridge is a masterclass in Exmoor terrain. You will spend roughly equal time contemplating ancient history and performing a frantic 'Exmoor jig' to escape the ankle-deep, boot-stealing peat bogs.