Whaley Moor [Black Hill]

Rising above the Goyt Valley on the western fringe of the Peak District, this gritstone ridge offers a quieter alternative to the busy trails of Lyme Park. Its summit, marked by a trig pillar, provides an expansive vantage point overlooking the Cheshire Plain and the distant skyline of Greater Manchester.

• •The name 'Black Hill' is a common descriptor in the Dark Peak for moorland where exposed peat dominates the landscape, while 'Whaley' derives from the Anglo-Saxon for a clearing by a road.
• •The ridge is home to the Bowstones, two ancient stone cross shafts thought to be over a thousand years old, marking the historical boundary of the Macclesfield Forest.
• •Looking east from the trig pillar, walkers are treated to a clear profile of the Kinder Scout plateau and the dramatic gritstone escarpments of Chinley Churn and South Head.
• •Despite its modest height, the moor acts as a significant weather break; it is frequently the last place to see the sun before it disappears behind the persistent grey curtains of the Cheshire Plain.