Higher Shelf Stones

Rising above the Snake Pass, this wild gritstone plateau on the western edge of Bleaklow offers a rugged, often peat-stained experience. Defined by its weathered gritstone tors and the poignant remains of a 1948 air crash, it provides a sense of isolation and vastness characteristic of the Dark Peak.

• •The name refers to the distinctive, tiered gritstone outcrops that form 'shelves' along the edge of the plateau. This summit is the 'Higher' counterpart to Lower Shelf Stones, which sits on the slopes just to the south-west.
• •Just a few hundred metres from the summit lies the wreckage of 'Over Exposed', a USAF Boeing RB-29A Superfortress that crashed in 1948; much of the airframe, including the engines and landing gear, remains remarkably preserved in the peat as a memorial.
• •The summit is marked by an Ordnance Survey trig pillar positioned at the very edge of the plateau, providing a sharp contrast to the sprawling, featureless peat hags that dominate the interior of Bleaklow.
• •On a clear day, the summit offers a definitive view of the Kinder Scout plateau across the Snake Pass to the south, while the skyline of Manchester and the Cheshire Plain are visible to the west.
• •The stretch of ground between the trig pillar and the B-29 wreckage is an ideal testing site for those wondering if their 'waterproof' boots have finally met their match in the local peat.