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Roseberry Topping, North York Moors

What is it that makes Roseberry Topping, the Matterhorn of Yorkshire, so special? Well, at just 320m it’s not height. It’s not even close to being the highest on the North York Moors; there are 15 higher. But despite this it has a presence that demands attention. This comes in part from its location. Roseberry Topping is an outlier of the North York Moors, sitting separate and distinct from the bulk of the high-ground. It also has an immediately recognisable profile. It used to be a fairly run-of-the mill cone-shape, but in 1912 a geological fault, potentially aided by nearby mining, caused the west face of the hill to collapse, creating the snub-nosed outline we see today.

Because of its position and tumbledown physique, it is a hill surrounded by expansive views and draped in character, and it’s been appreciated throughout history. A Bronze Age hoard was discovered on the slopes of the hill, and walled enclosures and the remains of huts dating from the Iron Age are visible nearby. The Vikings who settled in Cleveland gave Roseberry Topping its name, Roseberry being an evolution name of Othenesberg meaning Odin’s Rock. And such is its continuing popularity that proud locals refer to the 4478m Swiss Matterhorn as the Roseberry Topping of Zermatt.