Redshaw Moss [Snaizeholme Fell]

Rising above the remote Snaizeholme valley, this sprawling upland of peat-hags and heather offers a quiet alternative to the busier Dales peaks. It is a high, desolate Tump for the solitude-seeker, providing a bleakly beautiful vantage point to look across the deep trough of Dentdale towards the massive bulk of Whernside.

• •The name Snaizeholme likely stems from the Old Norse 'sneis', meaning a twig or boundary marker, combined with 'holmr', referring to a patch of dry land in a marshy area—a fitting description for this rugged plateau.
• •The hill overlooks the Snaizeholme valley, which has become one of the most significant coniferous strongholds for the native red squirrel in the north of England.
• •From the summit area, walkers are rewarded with an excellent profile view of the Howgill Fells to the west and the long, stepped eastern limestone scars of Whernside.
• •True to its name, the 'Moss' element is less a suggestion and more a topographical promise; even in a dry summer, the ground here retains a remarkable ability to find the gaps in even the best-greased leather boots.