Peak District
High Wheeldon
422M
1384FT
About High Wheeldon
Rising steeply above the Dove valley, this distinctive dome-shaped limestone hill offers a sharp, short ascent from Earl Sterndale. While modest in height, its isolated position provides a grandstand view of the 'Dragon’s Back' ridges of Chrome and Parkhouse Hill, making it one of the finest vantage points in the White Peak.
Key Statistics
Rank
146th Highest in Peak District
Parent Range
The Peak District
Prominence
?
35m
Nearest Town
Crowdecote
Geology
High Wheeldon is built upon ancient limestone reefs. You are walking across solid limestone and layers of muddy rock, siltstone, and sandstone.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SK100661
Latitude
53.1916°N
Longitude
1.8503°W
Did You Know?
- •The name derives from the Old English 'hweol' (wheel) and 'dun' (hill), a literal description of the summit’s remarkably rounded, dome-like profile when viewed from the surrounding dales.
- •The hill serves as a permanent war memorial; it was donated to the National Trust in 1946 to honour the men of Derbyshire and Staffordshire who fell during the Second World War, as noted on the summit plaque.
- •Just below the summit lies Fox Hole Cave, a scheduled monument where archaeologists have discovered microliths, Bronze Age pottery, and animal bones dating back to the Upper Paleolithic period.
- •The summit offers a specific, celebrated perspective of the reef knolls of the Upper Dove Valley, looking directly onto the jagged profiles of Chrome Hill and Parkhouse Hill against the backdrop of Axe Edge Moor.
- •The ascent is deceptively sharp; for a hill of such modest elevation, the final grassy pitch is steep enough to make you wonder if the local sheep have evolved shorter front legs for the climb.