Wath Hill

Overlooking the village of Chop Gate, this modest Tump provides a gentle introduction to the western slopes of Bilsdale. While overshadowed by the higher gritstone edges of the Cleveland Hills, its summit offers a clear, lower-level perspective of the valley’s agricultural patchwork and the winding course of the Bilsdale Beck.

• •The name 'Wath' comes from the Old Norse vath, signifying a ford or crossing place. This refers to the historic passage across the Bilsdale Beck which sits at the foot of the hill’s eastern slope.
• •The hill serves as a southern outlier to the more imposing Hasty Bank and the Wainstones, popular hiking and scrambling spots situated just along the ridge to the north.
• •From the summit, walkers can look directly across the valley to the prominent transmission mast atop Bilsdale West Moor, one of the most recognisable landmarks in the North Yorkshire landscape.
• •Standing at 308 metres, Wath Hill narrowly secures its status as a Tump, proving that in the world of hill bagging, those final eight metres above the 300-mark do all the heavy lifting.