Oxnop Common - Blackstone

Situated on the high moorland divide between Swaledale and Wensleydale, this Tump offers a quintessential Pennine experience. The terrain is dominated by heather and peat, leading to a summit marked by gritstone outcrops. It provides a rugged, quiet vantage point overlooking the dramatic, winding descent of the Oxnop Pass road below.

• •The name Oxnop derives from the Old English 'oxa' and 'hop', signifying a remote valley or enclosure where oxen were kept, while Blackstone likely refers to the dark gritstone outcrops scattered across the moorland plateau.
• •The summit offers an excellent perspective on the 'U-shaped' glacial profile of Swaledale, with clear views across the valley to the distinctive profiles of Great Shunner Fell and Lovely Seat.
• •Hikers often approach via the Oxnop Pass, a mountain road originally used as a packhorse route for transporting lead and goods between the market towns of Muker and Askrigg.
• •Navigating the plateau in mist offers a masterclass in 'peat-hag hopping,' a local pastime where the prize is keeping your boots dry and the penalty is a knee-deep immersion in cold Yorkshire sludge.