Peak of the Month
Peak District’s Parkhouse Hill
If you thought the Lake District was the sole preserve of England’s mountain thrills, perhaps you haven’t heard of this unsuspecting corner of Derbyshire that is home to two mini but mighty ridges. The sharp dragon’s back of Parkhouse Hill, just south of Buxton, erupts dramatically out of the surrounding countryside and delivers a shot of excitement that you’ll struggle to match anywhere else in the Peak District. It shoudn’t be mentioned, or climbed for that matter, without its not-so-pointy-but-justas-impressive neighbouring sibling Chrome Hill. The two ridges can be walked airily but relatively easily in succession along their apexes, with an energetic climb over Chrome Hill’s 425m summit, followed by a descent and steep reascent to Parkhouse’s 360m top. Formed by the erosion of massive reef limestones laid down in the Carboniferous Period, they are both sites of special scientific interest for their limestone flora, plus you can witness here the rare astro-geographical phenomenon, the ‘double-sunset’, which can be seen from Parkhouse Hill, as the sun sets twice behind Chrome Hill.