Middlehope Moor [Burtree Fell]

Rising above the head of Weardale, this high expanse of Pennine peat and heather offers a remote, windswept experience. Crossing the 2,000ft threshold to qualify as a Hewitt, its broad plateau is marked by a lone trig pillar, providing clear views across the lead-mined valleys towards the bulky silhouette of Killhope Law.

• •The name Burtree Fell derives from the Northern English dialect word for the elder tree, a species that once found a rare foothold on the lower, sheltered cloughs of these high moors.
• •The moor is heavily influenced by the North Pennines' lead mining heritage; the northern slopes above Rookhope are still marked by 'hushes,' where controlled floods were used to strip away soil and expose mineral veins.
• •On a clear day, the summit offers a sprawling panorama of the Eastern Fells, ranging from the distant radar station on Great Dun Fell to the industrial scars of the Middlehope Shield mines in the valley below.
• •While its height qualifies it as a Hewitt, the flat and frequently saturated summit plateau means the most common way to measure your progress is by the depth of the peat hags you have successfully navigated.