Way Stone Edge [Moss Moor]

About Way Stone Edge [Moss Moor]

This gritstone outcrop on the northern fringe of the Peak District overlooks the dramatic cutting of the M62. Characterised by weather-worn rocks and deep peat, the summit offers a stark, industrial-meets-wilderness vantage point over Scammonden Reservoir and the Pennine spine towards Blackstone Edge.

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Did You Know?

• •The hill takes its name from the Way Stone, a prominent gritstone pillar that has served as a vital navigational landmark for centuries, guiding travellers across the often featureless and boggy plateau of Moss Moor.
• •This location overlooks the highest point of any motorway in England; the M62 reaches an elevation of 372 metres (1,221 ft) nearby as it cuts through the moorland between Windy Hill and Way Stone Edge.
• •From the summit, walkers gain an excellent view of the massive Scammonden Bridge, while the horizon is dominated by the Holme Moss transmitter to the south and the gritstone ridge of Blackstone Edge to the west.
• •The surrounding moorland forms part of a traditional boundary region between the West Riding of Yorkshire and Lancashire, a division that remains culturally distinct for those walking these Pennine fringes.
• •It is one of the few places in the National Park where the evocative call of the curlew must compete with the constant, low-frequency hum of trans-Pennine haulage moving along the motorway below.