Marl Hill Moor

Rising above the hamlet of Cow Ark, this quiet limestone upland offers a pastoral character distinct from the peatier fells to the north. A modest Tump, its summit provides a peaceful vantage point for surveying the Ribble Valley and the distinctive profile of Pendle Hill.

• •The name derives from the Old French 'marle', referring to the lime-rich clay or mudstone found here. This geology creates a sweeter, more pastoral grazing land than the gritstone-heavy fells deeper in the Forest of Bowland.
• •The summit offers an excellent perspective of the Ribble Valley, with the whaleback shape of Pendle Hill dominating the view to the southeast and the long ridge of Longridge Fell visible to the south.
• •This moor sits within the ancient boundaries of the Forest of Bowland, a former royal hunting ground where the term 'forest' originally denoted a place of preserved game rather than a wooded landscape.
• •Reaching the highest point is less a test of mountaineering skill and more a polite negotiation with local sheep and the sturdy drystone walls that define the local landscape.