Margery Hill
Margery Hill is the highest point on the Howden Moors, a broad expanse of open moorland forming part of the Peak District National Park in South Yorkshire, England. Rising to approximately 546 metres above sea level, it sits within the Dark Peak, the wilder and more austere northern section of the Peak District characterised by its blanket bogs, gritstone edges and sweeping upland plateaus. The hill is not dramatic in the conventional sense — there is no rocky summit tor or distinct peak — but it commands a commanding and deeply atmospheric presence across one of England's most remote and unspoiled moorland landscapes. For those who seek solitude, wide open skies and a genuine sense of wilderness within reach of major northern cities, Margery Hill holds a particular and powerful appeal.
The Howden Moors on which Margery Hill stands have a long human history, though the land has never been densely settled. The moors were used for centuries as sheep grazing land and formed part of extensive monastic estates managed by abbeys such as Roche Abbey and Kirkstead Abbey during the medieval period. The underlying landscape is shaped by millennia of climate, with peat accumulating over thousands of years following the last glaciation. The moors became increasingly associated with grouse shooting from the nineteenth century onward, and the management of heather for red grouse remains a defining feature of the land today. During the Second World War, several aircraft crashed across these moors — a sombre thread of history that runs through the entire Dark Peak upland, where memorial plaques and scattered wreckage can occasionally be found by those who know where to look.
In physical character, Margery Hill is quintessential Dark Peak moorland: vast, flat-topped and uncompromising. The summit area is essentially a broad, featureless plateau of deep peat hags, cotton grass, heather and sphagnum moss. Walking here, particularly after rain, means negotiating ground that is boggy, uneven and demanding — the kind of terrain that swallows footsteps and tests waterproof boots. The colours change dramatically with the seasons: deep purple heather in late August and September, the golden ochre of dead grass and rushes in winter, and a vivid green flush in spring. The soundscape is defined by wind, the calls of curlews and golden plovers in season, and an almost complete absence of human noise. On clear days the silence is extraordinary.
The surrounding landscape is a continuous expanse of high moorland stretching across the South Yorkshire and Derbyshire border. To the south and west lie the Bleaklow massif and Kinder Scout plateau, the latter being the site of the famous 1932 Mass Trespass that helped transform public access rights in England. To the northeast are the Langsett and Midhope Moors, and below the escarpment to the west lies the Upper Derwent Valley with its trio of reservoirs — Howden, Derwent and Ladybower — which are themselves significant visitor destinations. The reservoirs are fringed with dark conifer plantations and were the training ground for the Dambusters squadron in 1943. This broader area, often called the Upper Derwent, is a popular gateway for walkers approaching the high moors.
Reaching Margery Hill requires effort and planning. There is no path directly to the summit marked on most maps, and the terrain demands navigation skills and appropriate equipment. Most walkers approach from the Upper Derwent reservoirs, particularly from the King's Tree area or from Langsett Reservoir to the northeast. The routes across open moorland are pathless in places, and the peat hags can make progress slow. The area is designated as open access land under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, so walkers have legal right of access across the moor. The nearest villages with amenities are Bamford and Hope to the south, or Stocksbridge to the northeast. There is no public transport to the summit itself; access is by car to one of the reservoir car parks, followed by a substantial walk. Mobile phone coverage is unreliable on the high moor.
The best time to visit Margery Hill is from late August through to October, when the heather is in full bloom and the weather, while still changeable, can deliver those rare days of crystalline clarity that make the moorland vistas unforgettable. Winter visits are possible for experienced and well-equipped walkers but require extra caution given the exposed conditions, the risk of mist and low visibility, and the boggy ground becoming even more treacherous when frozen and thawed. Spring brings the haunting calls of breeding waders, particularly curlew and lapwing, making the moors feel alive in an entirely different way. Whenever you visit, layered clothing, waterproofs, a compass, OS map (Explorer OL1 covers this area) and sturdy boots are essential rather than optional.
One of the more unusual aspects of Margery Hill is precisely its quality of unremarkableness that nonetheless rewards. It lacks the fame of Kinder Scout or the drama of Stanage Edge, and so it attracts far fewer visitors — which is, for many, the entire point. The name itself is of uncertain origin; "Margery" as a place name element in the north of England may derive from a personal name, a corruption of an older topographic term, or simply the kind of local naming that resists clear etymology. The hill sits in a landscape that remains genuinely raw and exposed, a reminder that even within a national park that receives millions of visitors per year, it is still possible to stand on a summit and feel profoundly, satisfyingly alone.