Shining Tor
| Shining Tor | |
|---|---|
 The trig point and former ladder stile at the summit of Shining Tor. | |
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 559 m (1,834 ft) |
| Prominence | c. 236 m |
| Parent peak | Kinder Scout |
| Listing | Marilyn, County Top |
| Geography | |
| Location | Cheshire, England |
| OS grid | SJ994737 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 118 |
Shining Tor is a hill in the Peak District of England, between the towns of Buxton and Macclesfield, lying on the border between Derbyshire and Cheshire. Its summit is the highest point in Cheshire (there is another Shining Tor, above Dovedale in Derbyshire, at grid reference SK145545). The word tor means a high rock, and is a loan word from Old Brythonic.
The hill can be climbed by many routes, perhaps most commonly from the Goyt valley by Errwood reservoir, perhaps combined with a walk along the ridge north from Shining Tor over Cats Tor. It can also be gained with less climbing from the Cat and Fiddle Inn.
As it is the highest point around (it is some 8 metres (26 ft) higher than the summit of Axe Edge Moor above Buxton), the views are pleasant, though the relatively flat uplands mean they are not extensive in all directions: the view to the south–west of the peak of Shutlingsloe above Wildboarclough is particularly notable, and in clear conditions, Winter Hill near Bolton, the city of Manchester and much of the Cheshire Plain can be seen, including the radio telescopes at Jodrell Bank 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the west. In very clear but not unusual conditions North Wales and even Snowdonia can be seen, see external panorama link below.
Geology
The north–south ridge of Shining Tor including the summit itself is formed from the Chatsworth Grit, a thick sandstone of Namurian age which occurs widely across the Peak District. The beds dip moderately steeply to the east into a north–south aligned syncline known as the Goyt Trough. Shining Tor is thought to have stood above the ice sheet during the last ice age and so is free from glacial deposits. The eastern dipslope and shallower parts of its western flanks are covered by peat up to several metres deep.[1]
References
- ^ British Geological Survey map sheet 111 'Buxton' & accompanying memoir
External links
- Computer generated summit panoramas Shining Tor index
53°15′39″N 2°00′34″W / 53.26070°N 2.00949°W
