Peak District
High Edge
462M
1516FT
About High Edge
Rising above the limestone plateaus south of Buxton, this unassuming Tump offers a tranquil vantage point over the White Peak. The summit is marked by a trig pillar, providing a clear perspective of the distinctive shark-fin profiles of Chrome Hill and Parkhouse Hill across the upper Dove Valley.
Key Statistics
Rank
85th Highest in Peak District
Parent Range
The Peak District
Prominence
?
52m
Nearest Town
Crowdecote
Geology
High Edge is built on solid limestone foundations, topped with layers of mudstone, siltstone, and sandstone. You are walking over a landscape shaped by these different rocks.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SK062687
Latitude
53.2150°N
Longitude
1.9071°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is a literal description of its topography, derived from the Old English 'ecg', denoting a sharp ridge or the boundary of high ground where the limestone plateau drops away.
- •From the summit trig pillar, the southward view is dominated by the 'Dragon's Back'—the sharp limestone reef knolls of Chrome Hill and Parkhouse Hill—while to the west, the dark gritstone bulk of Axe Edge Moor rises.
- •The hill neighbors the Health and Safety Executive's Science and Research Centre at Harpur Hill; this sprawling facility is used for large-scale fire and explosion testing, occasionally punctuating a quiet walk with distant, muffled thuds.
- •The area has a heavy industrial legacy; walkers can find the nearby Hoffman Kiln, a massive Victorian lime-burning structure that remains one of the best-preserved examples of the region's quarrying history.
- •Despite the name suggesting a dramatic precipice, the 'edge' is sufficiently gentle that you are far more likely to be buffeted by the notorious Buxton winds than troubled by vertigo.