Burnhope Moor

Downs, Moorland in Durham

England

Burnhope Moor

Peat banks on north-west side of Harwood Common A hill walker following the Tees / Wear watershed on a perfect winter&#039;s day.
Harwood Common is a minor moorland hill along the watershed; other hills in the distance are High Field, Chapel Fell and Fendrith Hill. — Peat banks on north-west side of Harwood Common Credit: Trevor Littlewood

Burnhope Moor is a vast expanse of moorland located in County Durham, England. Situated in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it spans an area of approximately 4,000 hectares. The moorland is characterized by its rolling hills, heather-covered landscapes, and numerous small streams and rivers.

The moor is predominantly composed of acidic peat soil, which provides a unique habitat for a variety of plant and animal species. Heather dominates the vegetation, creating a beautiful purple carpet during the summer months. Other plant species found on the moor include cotton grass, bilberry, and several species of moss.

Burnhope Moor is home to a range of bird species, including the endangered black grouse and the red grouse, which are particularly adapted to the moorland environment. Curlews, lapwings, and golden plovers can also be spotted in the area. The moorland provides an important nesting ground for these birds, as well as a habitat for small mammals such as voles and shrews.

The area has a rich cultural history, with evidence of human activity dating back thousands of years. Archaeological sites, including Bronze Age burial mounds and stone circles, can be found scattered across the moorland. Additionally, the remains of old mine workings serve as a reminder of the area's industrial past.

Burnhope Moor offers visitors a chance to experience the tranquility and natural beauty of the North Pennines. There are several walking and cycling routes that allow exploration of the moor, providing breathtaking views and opportunities for wildlife spotting.

Show me another place!

If you have any feedback on the listing, please let us know in the comments section below.

Burnhope Moor Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 54.734507/-2.2893207 or Grid Reference NY8137. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Peat banks on north-west side of Harwood Common

A hill walker following the Tees / Wear watershed on a perfect winter's day. Harwood Common is a minor moorland hill along the watershed; other hills in the distance are High Field, Chapel Fell and Fendrith Hill.

Trevor Littlewood

Hill slopes beyond valley of Scraith Burn

The stream groove beyond the foreground moorland is that of the Scraith Burn which drains into Burnhope Reservoir, also in the image. High Field is beyond the shadow of the stream slot.

Trevor Littlewood

Fence crossing Scaud Hill

The summit of Scaud Hill has little prominence yet is an obvious location along the fence line following the Tees / Wear watershed. It's a clear high point made more noticeable by the small cairn beside the fence. Burnhope Seat is the distant, central, moorland hill. The small rectangle to the right of the cairn looks like a notice but it's just a metal plate fixed to the top wires of the fence to make the presence of the barrier apparent to low-flying grouse.

Trevor Littlewood

Barren, gravelly material on Scaud Hill

The rock debris will be the result of mining and ore processing at this remote location close to the 694 m. summit of Scaud Hill. It's supposed that mined material will have been crushed on site and sorted to remove as much waste rock as possible leaving the remaining, useful ore to be transported to a smelt mill. The broken waste rock as seen in the image would be left on site.

Trevor Littlewood

Rough Sike

Rough Sike descending towards Burnhope Reservoir which it will reach having merged with the greater stream, Langtae Burn. The reservoir can be seen to be in need of all the water it can get - the level is dramatically low! Note: A sike, according to Oxford Dictionaries, is... "a small stream or rill, typically one that flows through marshy ground and is often dry in summer"; the term is of Scottish and northern English usage.

Trevor Littlewood

Plastic mesh matting as hill track

Plastic matting of this type is frequently found on moorland to allow vehicle access particularly over wet areas. The track in the image has risen from the valley of the Burnhope Burn. For the majority of the route a hard-surfaced hill road has been built but over the steep boggy ground at this location, the mesh has been used.

Trevor Littlewood

Peat bank with grouse butt beside Todd Sike

The grouse butt is sunken into the peat bank just below the centre of the image. OS, 1:25 000 mapping records a shooting hut in that vicinity but there's not one to be seen and aerial views show nothing either. The moorland hill Dead Stones is on the horizon just right of centre.

Trevor Littlewood

Hill track meandering among peat banks

The track route has climbed from the valley of the Burnhope Burn beginning as a hard surfaced road, (but not tarmacked), changing in nature according to the type of ground being crossed. Here it's over virtually level ground close to the watershed between Teesdale and Weardale.

Trevor Littlewood

Fence line crossing Langtae Head

Langtae Head is an area of moorland along the Tees / Wear watershed taking its name from being the source of the Langtae Burn which drains into Weardale. It's the low point between the moorland hills High Field, (behind the camera position), and Burnhope Seat, which occupies the left-side horizon in the image.

Trevor Littlewood

Stone-built structure of north side of High Field

Tempting to call this a ruin but perhaps it's not. It's certainly in a rickety state but possibly intact. Its purpose is unknown being too small to be used as a pen for any reasonable number of sheep. Chapel Fell is the distant hill.

Trevor Littlewood

Mine shaft south of Scaud Hill

The land south of Scaud Hill is scarred with many remnants of the old lead mining industry. Here an old shaft is seen fenced to prevent sheep from falling into it. The shaft is located almost at the end of an old road climbing from below and is lined with stone at least in its upper section; it has a large and weathered log of timber laid across the top. In the near distance beyond the shaft old mining deposits can be seen and farther off on the centre skyline is Great Stony Hill or High Field. (To give just two of the names which might be applied to it.)

Langtae Head

Scaud Hill

High Field

On Great Stony Hill

Bog on north side of Scaud Hill

Scaud Hill is a minor eminence astride the watershed between Teesdale and Weardale. The view is across moorland slopes and valley grooves, north-west, towards Dead Stones.

Trevor Littlewood

Estate road descending on Burnhope Moor

Burn Hope is a significant tributary valley to upper Weardale with moorland slopes descending from a number of two thousand foot peaks. The estate road here is descending northwards from the watershed ridge separating Teesdale and Weardale between Great Stony Hill and Scaud Hill.

Trevor Littlewood

Shooting hut in Burn Hope

Burn Hope is a significant tributary valley to upper Weardale. The shooting hut is a relatively recent construction having a stone in the gable end in view with, presumably, the year of construction, 1996.

Trevor Littlewood

Show me another place!

Burnhope Moor is located at Grid Ref: NY8137 (Lat: 54.734507, Lng: -2.2893207)

Unitary Authority: County Durham

Police Authority: Durham