High Rake

Situated on the prominent limestone crest of Longstone Edge, this Tump offers a stark perspective on the White Peak’s industrial heritage. Walking the level, breezy trackway reveals deep scars of lead mining and modern quarrying, contrasted by expansive views over the Wye Valley towards the wooded slopes of Chatsworth.

• •The name 'Rake' is a traditional Derbyshire mining term for a vertical vein of lead ore. High Rake was once one of the most productive veins in the area, worked for centuries before modern fluorspar extraction took over.
• •The summit area is marked by the legacy of the High Rake Mine, which in the 1840s featured one of the largest Cornish beam engines in the Peak District, installed to pump water from the deep limestone workings.
• •From the high point, there is a clear view south over the village of Rowland towards the distinctive octagonal spire of All Saints’ Church in Bakewell, often called the 'Cathedral of the Peak'.
• •The ridge is a classic example of a limestone upland where traditional grazing sits alongside large-scale mineral extraction, with the massive Watersaw Rake quarrying operation visible immediately to the west.
• •Given the scale of the nearby mineral operations, you may find the local birdlife has become remarkably accustomed to the sound of reversing beepers and clanking stone.