Wild Bank Hill [Hollingworthhall Moor]

About Wild Bank Hill [Hollingworthhall Moor]

Rising steeply above Millbrook, this gritstone moorland marks a rugged transition between the industrial Tame Valley and the wilder Peak District. The summit trig pillar stands amidst rough heather and peat, offering a sudden, expansive sense of isolation despite its proximity to the Greater Manchester fringe.

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Did You Know?

• •The name likely derives from the Old English 'wilde' and 'banca', simply describing an uncultivated slope or hillside, which remains an accurate summary of its heather-clad eastern flanks.
• •The summit provides a stark visual contrast: look west for the glass towers of Manchester’s skyline, or turn east to see the gritstone plateaus of Bleaklow and the distinctive 'Pots and Pans' stone on nearby Alderstone Moor.
• •The hill forms the high point of Hollingworthhall Moor, named for the 13th-century Hollingworth Hall which once stood in the valley below before its demolition in the mid-20th century.
• •Walkers often reach the trig pillar via the Tameside Trail, passing the string of Victorian-era reservoirs—Walkerwood, Brushes, and Lower Higham—that occupy the deep cloughs on the hill's western side.
• •It offers an excellent vantage point for watching the distant M67 traffic jams from a position of peat-covered superiority, provided the notorious Pennine wind doesn't decide to escort you back down to Stalybridge prematurely.