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Brown Hill

Hill, Mountain in Durham

England

Brown Hill

Access road to house at Gillett A sign at the gate adjacent to the camera position tells that this is the way to Gillett Farm House.
Access road to house at Gillett Credit: Trevor Littlewood

Brown Hill is a prominent hill located in Durham, County Durham, England. As part of the Pennines, it forms an important feature of the landscape in this region. The hill is situated approximately 4 miles west of Durham city center and stands at an elevation of 282 meters (925 feet) above sea level.

Covered in lush green vegetation, Brown Hill offers breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. It is a popular destination for hikers, nature enthusiasts, and photographers due to its commanding position and its unspoiled natural beauty. Visitors can enjoy the serenity of the hilltop, taking in the picturesque vistas of rolling hills, valleys, and woodlands that stretch as far as the eye can see.

The summit of Brown Hill is marked by a trig point, indicating its importance as a geodetic reference point. This, combined with its elevation, makes it a significant landmark for cartographers and surveyors in the area.

Brown Hill is also home to a diverse range of wildlife. The hillside supports a variety of plant species, including heather, bracken, and grasses, providing a habitat for numerous small mammals, birds, and insects. It is not uncommon to spot rabbits, hares, or even the elusive red fox while exploring the area.

Overall, Brown Hill in Durham is a captivating natural feature, offering both recreational and scientific value to its visitors. Whether one seeks a peaceful hike, stunning views, or an opportunity to study the local flora and fauna, Brown Hill is an ideal destination.

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Brown Hill Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 54.674667/-2.2250522 or Grid Reference NY8531. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Access road to house at Gillett A sign at the gate adjacent to the camera position tells that this is the way to Gillett Farm House.
Access road to house at Gillett
A sign at the gate adjacent to the camera position tells that this is the way to Gillett Farm House.
School at Forest-in-Teesdale The school building is close to the Hanging Shaw car park just off the B6277 in Teesdale. The school has a very small roll and so in January 2021 it 'federated' with other similarly small ones - Rookhope, St John’s Chapel and Wearhead Primary Schools as the Upper Durham Dales Federation, all under one headteacher. There was no activity at the school on this day; autumn term would begin on 6 September in 2021.
School at Forest-in-Teesdale
The school building is close to the Hanging Shaw car park just off the B6277 in Teesdale. The school has a very small roll and so in January 2021 it 'federated' with other similarly small ones - Rookhope, St John’s Chapel and Wearhead Primary Schools as the Upper Durham Dales Federation, all under one headteacher. There was no activity at the school on this day; autumn term would begin on 6 September in 2021.
Sunshine on field, Forest-in-Teesdale Sunshine gradually penetrating the gloom over fields close to Gillett Farm House. Widdybank Fell is beyond the building, Cronkley Scar is at the left side of the image.
Sunshine on field, Forest-in-Teesdale
Sunshine gradually penetrating the gloom over fields close to Gillett Farm House. Widdybank Fell is beyond the building, Cronkley Scar is at the left side of the image.
Farm Bridge over the River Tees
Farm Bridge over the River Tees
Wat Garth From the track leading from Hill End to the Cronkley bridge over the River Tees. The low sunlight was catching the sedges of the flood plain whilst the farm was in the shadow cast by one of the fluffy cumulus clouds that punctuated the sky this afternoon.
Wat Garth
From the track leading from Hill End to the Cronkley bridge over the River Tees. The low sunlight was catching the sedges of the flood plain whilst the farm was in the shadow cast by one of the fluffy cumulus clouds that punctuated the sky this afternoon.
Harwood Beck Harwood Beck is seen here with very little water - pretty much at low summer levels despite it being near the end of March when rather wetter weather and minimal transpiration of soil water back to the atmosphere would be the seasonal norm. The riverside willows are just bursting their buds in the sun, although the scattering of trees right on the edge of the stream hardly coonstitutes the area of woodland that is depicted on the largest scale maps as extending up the steep left bank seen in the middle distance. Across the water, on a somewhat isolated peninsula between Harwood Beck and the River Tees, the abandoned farmhouse of Wheysike House is visible
Harwood Beck
Harwood Beck is seen here with very little water - pretty much at low summer levels despite it being near the end of March when rather wetter weather and minimal transpiration of soil water back to the atmosphere would be the seasonal norm. The riverside willows are just bursting their buds in the sun, although the scattering of trees right on the edge of the stream hardly coonstitutes the area of woodland that is depicted on the largest scale maps as extending up the steep left bank seen in the middle distance. Across the water, on a somewhat isolated peninsula between Harwood Beck and the River Tees, the abandoned farmhouse of Wheysike House is visible
Birk Rigg - 2 The farm at Birk Rigg caught in a fleeting patch of sunshine. Cronkley Scar lies beyond to the right. A similar but wintry version of the scene is here - <a title="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5275658" href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5275658">Link</a> .
Birk Rigg - 2
The farm at Birk Rigg caught in a fleeting patch of sunshine. Cronkley Scar lies beyond to the right. A similar but wintry version of the scene is here - Link .
The Pennine Way near Cronkley Bridge
The Pennine Way near Cronkley Bridge
The Pennine Way near Wat Garth
The Pennine Way near Wat Garth
The Pennine Way near Haugh Hill
The Pennine Way near Haugh Hill
The Pennine Way near WiddybankPasture
The Pennine Way near WiddybankPasture
Sheepfold on south-western slope of Fendrith Hill The well made and intact sheepfold surely sees no use these days. It's on a grassy slope descending to Langdon Beck, between Redgill Sike and Harthope Beck. The distant moorland hill is Three Pikes.
Sheepfold on south-western slope of Fendrith Hill
The well made and intact sheepfold surely sees no use these days. It's on a grassy slope descending to Langdon Beck, between Redgill Sike and Harthope Beck. The distant moorland hill is Three Pikes.
Wall north-west of High Hurth Edge The wall separates the moorland above it from intake land - 'improved' land - below; those two land divisions also coincide with open access land and non-access land. The grass on the uphill side of the wall appears to be finer than would normally be associated with moorland; the underlying rock there is limestone, (there are exposures in the area), which presumably accounts for that. Three Pikes is the distant moorland hill.
Wall north-west of High Hurth Edge
The wall separates the moorland above it from intake land - 'improved' land - below; those two land divisions also coincide with open access land and non-access land. The grass on the uphill side of the wall appears to be finer than would normally be associated with moorland; the underlying rock there is limestone, (there are exposures in the area), which presumably accounts for that. Three Pikes is the distant moorland hill.
High Hurth Edge The outcrop is of what in this area (BGS sheet 25, Alston) was known when that sheet was last updated in 1973 as the Great Limestone and is the lowest stratum in the Upper Limestone Series. This marks a transition from rhythmic limestones mainly separated by shales, to a series where thinner limestones are separated mainly by sands and gritstones. The Great Limestone itself, however, is a thicker bed than any of the limestones close above or below, and this is part of what accounts for the presence of, albeit minor, caves in this area. On the top, Moking Pot can be descended, and connects with Moking Hurth in the cliff face below. There are many shakeholes in lines above the limestone, and lots of springs at its foot, one of the bigger ones feeding out to the left of this view.
High Hurth Edge
The outcrop is of what in this area (BGS sheet 25, Alston) was known when that sheet was last updated in 1973 as the Great Limestone and is the lowest stratum in the Upper Limestone Series. This marks a transition from rhythmic limestones mainly separated by shales, to a series where thinner limestones are separated mainly by sands and gritstones. The Great Limestone itself, however, is a thicker bed than any of the limestones close above or below, and this is part of what accounts for the presence of, albeit minor, caves in this area. On the top, Moking Pot can be descended, and connects with Moking Hurth in the cliff face below. There are many shakeholes in lines above the limestone, and lots of springs at its foot, one of the bigger ones feeding out to the left of this view.
Great Limestone outcrop The outcrop is of what in this area (BGS sheet 25, Alston) was known when that sheet was last updated in 1973 as the Great Limestone and is the lowest stratum in the Upper Limestone Series. This marks a transition from rhythmic limestones mainly separated by shales, to a series where thinner limestones are separated mainly by sands and gritstones, which are not persistent across large areas, but form quite localised beds, characteristic of a deltaic environment.
Great Limestone outcrop
The outcrop is of what in this area (BGS sheet 25, Alston) was known when that sheet was last updated in 1973 as the Great Limestone and is the lowest stratum in the Upper Limestone Series. This marks a transition from rhythmic limestones mainly separated by shales, to a series where thinner limestones are separated mainly by sands and gritstones, which are not persistent across large areas, but form quite localised beds, characteristic of a deltaic environment.
Saur Hill Bridge over Harwood Beck It must be quite a strong bridge, judging by the size of the articulated truck parked at Sayer Hill on the west side of Harwood Beck, but as well as the access track for that farm, the bridge carries a public footpath (part, indeed, of the Pennine Way). The beck is at as low a level as I recall seeing it, as we seem to have had a generally dry (though very windy) winter and certainly the weather is as glorious at the end of March as you could wish for (perhaps even a tad too warm for those of us who take a few months to acclimatise to the British Summer each year).
Saur Hill Bridge over Harwood Beck
It must be quite a strong bridge, judging by the size of the articulated truck parked at Sayer Hill on the west side of Harwood Beck, but as well as the access track for that farm, the bridge carries a public footpath (part, indeed, of the Pennine Way). The beck is at as low a level as I recall seeing it, as we seem to have had a generally dry (though very windy) winter and certainly the weather is as glorious at the end of March as you could wish for (perhaps even a tad too warm for those of us who take a few months to acclimatise to the British Summer each year).
Langdon Beck Plantation The coniferous plantation with bushes and a few deciduous trees in front of it seen from the minor road which has crossed from Weardale. (At a location renowned for the spotting of black grouse - we saw some.) Cronkley Scar is in the middle distance with Mickle Fell rising beyond to the right.
Langdon Beck Plantation
The coniferous plantation with bushes and a few deciduous trees in front of it seen from the minor road which has crossed from Weardale. (At a location renowned for the spotting of black grouse - we saw some.) Cronkley Scar is in the middle distance with Mickle Fell rising beyond to the right.
Meadow awaiting harvest The crop in the case of this field on the north side of upper Teesdale is grass, with the added constituents of wildflowers. Farmers are encouraged to cut late, after the flowers have seeded. The hill in the distance is Three Pikes! (Hard to see any pikes there!)
Meadow awaiting harvest
The crop in the case of this field on the north side of upper Teesdale is grass, with the added constituents of wildflowers. Farmers are encouraged to cut late, after the flowers have seeded. The hill in the distance is Three Pikes! (Hard to see any pikes there!)
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Brown Hill is located at Grid Ref: NY8531 (Lat: 54.674667, Lng: -2.2250522)

Unitary Authority: County Durham

Police Authority: Durham

What 3 Words

///jars.seating.baseless. Near Holwick, Co. Durham

Nearby Locations

Langdon Beck Plantation Brown Hill Langdon Beck

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Nearby Amenities

Located within 500m of 54.674667,-2.2250522
Langdon Beck
Place: hamlet
Wikidata: Q6485801
Wikipedia: en:Langdon Beck
Lat/Long: 54.674788/-2.2302829
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Bus Stop
Syke Foot
Bench: no
Bin: no
Lit: no
Naptan AtcoCode: 13007852D
Naptan Bearing: SE
Naptan CommonName: Syke Foot
Naptan Indicator: south east bound
Naptan Landmark: Landmark not known
Naptan NaptanCode: durgajpj
Naptan Notes: On B6277- opposite junction with road leading to Hunt Hall.
Naptan Street: Street not known
Naptan Verified: no
Shelter: no
Source: naptan_import
Tactile Paving: no
Lat/Long: 54.6715276/-2.2225769
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Bus Stop
Syke Foot
Bench: no
Bin: no
Lit: no
Naptan AtcoCode: 13007852H
Naptan Bearing: NW
Naptan CommonName: Syke Foot
Naptan Indicator: north west bound
Naptan Landmark: Landmark not known
Naptan NaptanCode: durgajpm
Naptan Notes: On B6277- junction with road leading to Hunt Hall.
Naptan Street: Street not known
Naptan Verified: no
Shelter: no
Source: naptan_import
Tactile Paving: no
Lat/Long: 54.6715182/-2.2228094
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Bus Stop
Langdon Beck Hotel
Bus: yes
Departures Board: timetable
Naptan AtcoCode: 13007853H
Naptan Bearing: NW
Naptan CommonName: Hotel
Naptan Indicator: north west bound
Naptan Landmark: Landmark not known
Naptan NaptanCode: durgajpt
Naptan Notes: On B6277- at Langdon Beck Hotel- near junction with road leading to Cow Green reservoir.
Naptan Street: Street not known
Naptan Verified: yes
Public Transport: platform
Shelter: no
Source: naptan_import
Lat/Long: 54.6759282/-2.2291015
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Bus Stop
Wrentnall Cottages
Fixme: Confirm no physical marker, as customer request stop
Naptan AtcoCode: 13007861D
Naptan Bearing: SE
Naptan BusStopType: CUS
Naptan CommonName: Wrentnall Cottages
Naptan Indicator: Adj cottages
Naptan Landmark: outside cottages
Naptan NaptanCode: durgajwj
Naptan Street: Wrentnall Cottages
Naptan Verified: no
Source: naptan_import
Lat/Long: 54.6776874/-2.2301943
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Brown Hill
Natural: peak
Source: OS 1:25k
Lat/Long: 54.6741528/-2.2248383
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Power: pole
Source: Bing
Lat/Long: 54.6747058/-2.2297473
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Power: pole
Source: Bing
Lat/Long: 54.6729222/-2.2286583
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Power: pole
Source: Bing
Lat/Long: 54.6727454/-2.2308148
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Power: pole
Source: Bing
Lat/Long: 54.672643/-2.2282024
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Power: pole
Source: Bing
Lat/Long: 54.6751431/-2.2294845
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Power: pole
Source: Bing
Lat/Long: 54.6738559/-2.230273
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Power: pole
Source: Bing
Lat/Long: 54.6734536/-2.2305977
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Power: pole
Lat/Long: 54.6716008/-2.229168
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Power: pole
Source: Bing
Lat/Long: 54.6742715/-2.2299994
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Power: pole
Source: Bing
Lat/Long: 54.6722712/-2.2272166
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Power: pole
Source: Bing
Lat/Long: 54.6738253/-2.2301405
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Power: pole
Source: Bing
Lat/Long: 54.6731921/-2.2290392
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Power: pole
Lat/Long: 54.6719331/-2.2288638
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Power: pole
Source: Bing
Lat/Long: 54.6755561/-2.2292286
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Power: pole
Lat/Long: 54.6712502/-2.2294791
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Power: pole
Source: Bing
Lat/Long: 54.6720816/-2.2267379
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Power: pole
Source: Bing
Lat/Long: 54.6722837/-2.2285312
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Power: pole
Source: Bing
Lat/Long: 54.6731549/-2.230965
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Abandoned Man Made: kiln
Building Condition: ruinous
Historic: yes
Product: lime
Source: NLS-OS-NatGrid-110k-1940-60
Lat/Long: 54.675394/-2.2311848
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
The data included in this document is from www.openstreetmap.org. The data is made available under ODbL.
Black Knowe Northumberland
Hog Hill Yorkshire

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