Ward's Stone

About Ward's Stone

As the highest point in the Forest of Bowland, this expansive moorland plateau offers a wild, often boggy experience. Its summit is uniquely marked by two trig pillars nearly a kilometre apart. Expect gritstone boulders, pathless peat hags, and a sense of isolation that belies its proximity to the city of Lancaster.

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Did You Know?

• •The hill's summit plateau is unusual for featuring two triangulation pillars situated roughly 900 metres apart. While the western pillar is more popular with climbers due to its surrounding rocks, the eastern pillar marks the true highest point of the Forest of Bowland.
• •Its name is derived from the Ward's Stone, a massive gritstone boulder located near the western trig point. This erratic-like feature is a significant landmark in an otherwise featureless landscape and is a popular spot for local boulderers.
• •The eastern trig point provides an exceptional vantage point for viewing the Yorkshire Three Peaks; the distinctive profile of Ingleborough is clearly visible to the northeast, rising beyond the neighbouring summits of Wolfhole Crag and White Hill.
• •Navigation across the plateau involves traversing 'Cabin Flat,' an area known for 'red grass'—a local indicator of deep, stagnant pools and saturated peat that can prove treacherous even in relatively dry conditions.
• •The white boundary markers that dot the moor were intended to aid navigation, but they have earned a local reputation for being more effective at leading walkers into the middle of bogs than towards the actual summit.