Peak District
Wardlow Hay Cop
370M
1214FT
About Wardlow Hay Cop
Rising above the village of Wardlow, this distinctive limestone knoll offers a classic White Peak experience. The grassy summit, marked by a Bronze Age barrow and a trig pillar, provides an exceptional vantage point over the deep cleft of Cressbrook Dale and the plateau towards Tideswell and Longstone Edge.
Key Statistics
Rank
280th Highest in Peak District
Parent Range
The Peak District
Prominence
?
53m
Nearest Town
Cressbrook
Geology
Wardlow Hay Cop is built from layers of limestone and volcanic ash. These rocks mark a time of ancient seas and volcanic eruptions.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SK178739
Latitude
53.2615°N
Longitude
1.7331°W
Did You Know?
- •The name derives from the Old English 'copp', meaning a summit or peak, while 'Hay' refers to an ancient enclosure or hedged area. Together with Wardlow, it describes a prominent, enclosed hill belonging to the local settlement.
- •The summit is crowned by a significant Bronze Age bowl barrow, a prehistoric burial mound that adds a distinctive shape to the hill’s profile and remains a protected scheduled monument.
- •The hill offers one of the clearest perspectives on the limestone geography of the White Peak, looking directly down into the National Nature Reserve of Cressbrook Dale and across the River Wye valley toward Monsal Head.
- •While it is classified as a Tump, most walkers visit for the quiet 360-degree views that offer a peaceful alternative to the often-crowded viewpoints found elsewhere in the central Peak District.
- •Given its exposed position on a high limestone plateau, a gentle breeze in the village of Wardlow often translates to a significant buffeting by the time you reach the trig pillar.