North Pennines
Pontop Pike
312M
1024FT
About Pontop Pike
Rising to a modest 312 metres on the eastern fringes of the North Pennines, this Hump is defined by its industrial character and the towering telecommunications mast at its summit. Near Hexham, the ascent offers a functional beauty, providing expansive views across the Tyne Valley and the rugged Durham moorland.
Key Statistics
Rank
271st Highest in Region
Parent Range
North Pennines
Prominence
?
115m
Nearest Town
Dipton
Geology
You are walking on layers of sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone. These rocks form the Pennine Middle Coal Measures that make up this fell.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NZ149528
Latitude
54.8698°N
Longitude
1.7694°W
Did You Know?
- •The name likely derives from a combination of the Brythonic 'pen', meaning head or hill, and the Old English 'top', effectively creating a tautology that means 'top of the hill'.
- •The summit is home to the 149-metre-tall Pontop Pike mast, a landmark of North East broadcasting history constructed in 1953 to bring BBC television signals to the region.
- •From the high point, the view extends past the nearby urban centres to the distant outlines of the Cheviot Hills to the north and the North Sea coast near Sunderland to the east.
- •Classified as a Hump, the hill possesses a prominence of at least 100 metres, making it a significant physical landmark despite its relatively low elevation.
- •It is perhaps the only hill in the area where the summit is more easily identified by looking for a massive metal spike than by any natural geological feature.