Rishworth Moor

Stretching across the high gritstone plateaus of the South Pennines, this expansive stretch of peat and heather offers a sense of isolation despite its proximity to the M62. Rising above Booth Wood, the summit provides a windswept perspective of the Ryburn Valley and the dark silhouette of nearby Blackstone Edge.

• •The name derives from the Old English 'risc' (rushes) and 'word' (enclosure), describing a farmstead or enclosure where rushes grew—a landscape feature still very much in evidence across these damp hillsides.
• •This moorland is famously bisected by the M62; the motorway reaches its highest point in England (372m) just a mile to the west near Windy Hill, making this one of the most accessible yet exposed plateaus in the region.
• •The moor serves as a vital catchment area for the Ryburn and Baitings reservoirs, which sit in the deep valley to the north, their dark waters often visible through the Pennine mist.
• •Looking west on a clear day, the view extends past the masts of Winter Hill toward the Lancashire coast, while the eastern horizon is dominated by the industrial skylines of West Yorkshire.
• •It is a rare spot where the traditional Pennine silence is replaced by a constant ambient drone, courtesy of the M62 motorway carving through the peat below.