Grin Low

About Grin Low

Overlooking the spa town of Buxton, this limestone hill is capped by the distinctive Solomon’s Temple folly. While the summit is a Tump, the real draw is the combination of reclaimed industrial heritage and panoramic views extending across the White Peak toward Axe Edge and the gritstone edges of the Dark Peak.

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Did You Know?

• •The name 'Low' is a common Peak District term derived from the Old English hlāw, meaning a burial mound. Excavations in 1894 confirmed this literal meaning, uncovering a Bronze Age barrow containing human remains and flint tools directly beneath the site of the modern tower.
• •The hill’s lumpy, uneven terrain is a legacy of the 17th-century lime industry. It was once a site of intense industrial activity with over 100 'pudding' kilns burning limestone, using coal brought over from nearby Axe Edge and Goyts Moss.
• •The prominent landmark at the summit is Grinlow Tower, better known as Solomon's Temple. Built in 1896, it replaced a previous structure from 1840 commissioned by the Duke of Devonshire to provide relief work for Buxton’s unemployed during a period of economic depression.
• •From the tower’s viewing platform, the vista spans the transition between the White and Dark Peak. To the north, you can pick out the gritstone plateaus of Mam Tor and Rushup Edge, while closer to home, the hilltop provides a bird's-eye view of Buxton’s Royal Crescent and the Devonshire Dome.
• •The ascent through Buxton Country Park is heavily wooded, a deliberate 19th-century 'screen' planted by the 6th Duke of Devonshire to hide the unsightly scars of the lime quarries from the wealthy tourists visiting the town's thermal spas.
• •At the northern foot of the hill lies Poole’s Cavern, a two-million-year-old limestone cave system. It was famously listed by philosopher Thomas Hobbes as one of the 'Seven Wonders of the Peak' in the 17th century and was reportedly visited by Mary Queen of Scots in 1582.
• •Despite its name, the climb is rarely a 'grin' in a mid-winter horizontal sleet storm, though the spiral staircase inside Solomon's Temple does at least provide a momentary, if draughty, respite from the Peak District elements.